For a change of scenery, we ventured towards Squamish and Whistler for a weekend getaway with Amy, Aaron, and their young baby. They are into photography so our walks became a competition about who can get more photos featured on our blog.

The Sea to Sky Highway is an enjoyable drive in the summer months, especially on a warm sunny day, with breathtaking mountain and ocean views. There is a wealth of hiking options of varying difficulty along the way.

Our first stop is Alice Lake Provincial Park. This 411 hectare park is a popular summer spot for families with kids since there are just so many activities you can do here. Camping at Alice Lake is always popular, as there is a well serviced campsite with RV camping site available as well. However, we didn’t have a chance to secure a campsite this year (securing popular campsite is very competitive in BC, and usually involves standing by your computer once reservation time opens and constantly refreshing the browser to make sure your spot is saved). Instead, we stroll/hiked around the park while our kids stretched their legs after the long car ride.

We walked the fairly easy and short Alice Lake Loop. As the name suggests, this loop goes around Alice Lake, and you can catch beautiful views of the lake with the mountains as the background. However, since the view doesn’t change throughout the walk, we found it getting bland after a while. There were also tall trees, ferns, and several mossy greens surrounding this fairly shaded trail.

The hike is suitable for families and is both stroller and wheelchair accessible. The gravel covered trail is mostly flat with just a small section of steep uphill to go through. The whole loop took us about an hour to complete, going at toddler speed about 50% of the way.

There are other trails inside this park, including the longer Four Lakes Trail, which connects 3 other lakes with Alice lake, and spans about 6 km long. There are also some other more difficult trails if you are up for some adventure. You can check out the trail map here.

Activities

Other than hiking and camping, you can also do different water activities in the lake. Swimming is very popular here especially among the kids. There are two areas designated for swimming but there are no lifeguards on duty.

Stand up paddleboarding is also quite popular here. We reviewed SUP-ing at Alice Lake separately.

Closer to the parking lot, there is an adventure playground with slides and swings, as well as a wooden structure that little kids can climb around.

Picnic

There are rows of picnic tables at the two main beaches of Alice Lake. You can also barbeque on these tables as a rack is attached.

Pets

Dogs both leashed and unleashed are not allowed inside the Alice lake loop.

Cyclist

Cyclists must dismount and walk their bikes throughout this trail.

Washroom

There are washrooms with flush toilets available at the two ends of the loop close to the parking lot.

Parking

There is a fairly wide parking lot on site at both ends of the lake. For day-use, be sure to park at the picnic area and not to enter the campgrounds.

Cellphone Reception

Cellphone reception is not available throughout this loop.

Overall this loop is very relaxing to walk through and there are many activities to do along the way. We will definitely consider coming back again and maybe challenge the Four Lakes Trail, or even camping with the kids here.

• Difficulty: Very Easy
• Foot traffic: Modest
• Cyclist/Pet Traffic: None
• Facilities: Excellent
• View: Bland
• Overall Score: 5/10