| Garibaldi Provincial Park | |
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 Sphinx Glacier,Garibaldi Lake and the north face ofMount Garibaldi, looking south fromPanorama Ridge at 6,900 ft (2,100 m). | |
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 Interactive map of Garibaldi Provincial Park | |
| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Nearest city | Squamish &Whistler, British Columbia |
| Coordinates | 49°55′N122°45′W / 49.917°N 122.750°W /49.917; -122.750 |
| Area | 1,950 km2 (750 sq mi) |
| Established | April 29, 1920 |
| Governing body | BC Parks |
| Website | bcparks |
Garibaldi Provincial Park, also calledGaribaldi Park, is a wilderness park located on the coastal mainland ofBritish Columbia, Canada, 70 kilometres (43.5 mi) north ofVancouver. It was established in 1920 and named a Class AProvincial Park of British Columbia in 1927. The park is a popular destination foroutdoor recreation, with over 30,000 overnight campers and over 106,000 day users in the 2017/2018 season.[2]
Garibaldi Park spans an area of over 1,950 square kilometres (753 sq mi), encompassing a majority of theGaribaldi Range mountains. The western side of the park is highly trafficked by the public due to access provided by the nearbySea to Sky Highway to destinations in the park such asElfin Lakes,Garibaldi Lake,The Black Tusk,Cheakamus Lake, andWedgemount Lake. The eastern wilderness of the park is harder to access and therefore more remote than its western counterpart. To the south, Garibaldi Park connects withGolden Ears Provincial Park andPinecone Burke Provincial Park, while its northern sections stretch past theWhistler ski resort, reaching nearly to the village ofPemberton.
Mount Garibaldi is referred to by theSquamish people asNch'ḵay̓, meaning "Dirty Place" or "Grimy One" in reference to the muddy water of theCheekye River.[3] The mountain is an important cultural landmark for the Squamish, with its surrounding area being used for hunting, foraging, and the collection ofobsidian.[4] In Squamish mythology, Nch'ḵay̓ was the peak to which the people tied their canoes to avoid being swept away by theGreat Flood.[3]
Another culturally significant peak within the park is The Black Tusk, which is known to the Squamish people ast'aḵ't'aḵ mu'yin tl'a in7in'a'xe7en. The name translates to "Landing Place of the Thunderbird", as the peak is said to have been crushed into its present shape by the talons of thein7in'a'xe7en, orThunderbird. To theLil'wat people, the same peak is known asQ̓elqámtensa ti Skenknápa, or "Place Where the Thunder Rests".[5]
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Garibaldi Provincial Park received its modern name from Mount Garibaldi, which was itself named afterGiuseppe Garibaldi by CaptainGeorge Henry Richards during a survey ofHowe Sound in 1860.[6]
In 1907, the first ascent of Mount Garibaldi was completed by Vancouver mountaineers A. Dalton, W. Dalton, A. King, T. Pattison, J. J. Trorey, and G. Warren. The views from the peaks inspired the establishment of summer climbing camps at Garibaldi Lake, which included among their ranks many members of the newly formedBritish Columbia Mountaineering Club.[7] The first of these camps resulted in the naming and first ascent of The Black Tusk, by a party led by William J. Gray in 1912.[5] The interest sparked by the camps eventually led to the park being legislated as a park reserve in 1920, and designated as a Class A Provincial park in 1927.[6]
In 1967, the southern section of Garibaldi Provincial park was split off asGolden Ears Provincial Park, which juts southward between the basins ofPitt Lake and theStave River intothe Municipality of Maple Ridge.[8]
Today, Garibaldi park is a popular location for outdoor recreation, and has experienced greatly increased usage within the past decade. In the five-year period between the 2012/13 season and the 2017/18 season, the park's attendance increased three-fold in number of overnight campers, while the number of day users increased ten-fold.[2][9]
The park's landscape consists of many steep rugged mountains, coastal forests, and alpine lakes. Much of this landscape was shaped byQuaternary continental and alpine glaciation, as well as volcanic activity such as the eruption of Mount Garibaldi some 13,000 years ago.[10]
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There are over 150 glaciers in the park, including theGaribaldi Névé andMamquam icefields.[11] The highest peak in Garibaldi Park isWedge Mountain, at an elevation of 2,891 metres (9,485 ft).[12] It also includes volcanic features such as anandesitetuya known asThe Table, acinder cone known as theOpal Cone, and thestratovolcanoesMount Garibaldi,Mount Price andThe Black Tusk, which are part of theGaribaldi Volcanic Belt.
There are a number of alpine lakes in the park, includingGaribaldi Lake,Cheakamus Lake, Mamquam Lake,Elfin Lakes, and a number of smaller lakes. The park is also the origin of thePitt River, a tributary of theFraser River.[13]
Garibaldi Lake is retained by alava dam known as The Barrier. Sometime in the fall or winter of 1855–56, part of this dam gave away, which resulted in a 25,000,000 m3 (880,000,000 cu ft) landslide that devastated the area below.[14] The instability of The Barrier was brought to public attention in the 1970s, eventually leading to the area below it being declared unsafe for habitation in 1981. The village ofGaribaldi was evacuated as a result of this.
Today, the land immediately below The Barrier is referred to as the Barrier Civil Defence Zone by BC Parks. The area around it is denoted by signage warning hikers not to camp, stop, or otherwise linger within the hazard zone.[15]
In 2007, a study on glacial recession in Garibaldi Park was conducted by the Department of Earth Sciences atSimon Fraser University. This study determined that, by 2005, glacier coverage in the park had decreased to 49% of what it was in the early 18th century. The study attributed this decrease to the trend ofglobal temperature change in the 20th century.[16]
A similar study in 2013 by the same authors reinforced that the park's glaciers, along with others in western Canada, are at the smallest they have been in several thousand years.[17]
Garibaldi's vegetation varies with elevation. The lower slopes of the park, between 1,000 and 1,700 metres (3,300 and 5,600 ft) above sea level, are dominated by dense forests ofdouglas-fir,western red cedar andwestern-hemlock. Forests ofmountain hemlock,yellow cedar,alpine fir, andwhite bark pine are present in the higher elevations, and these eventually give way to parkland featuring the characteristically stunted trees ofsubalpine climates.[10][18]
Much of the park resides in thealpine and subalpine zones, and the park'salpine meadows are carpeted by many species ofalpine plants, includingheather,western anemone,lupine,arnica,Indian paintbrush, andavalanche lily. The park's flowers are typically most prominent in August.[19]
Wildlife thrives in Garibaldi Park, including mammals such asgrizzly andblack bears,mountain goat,deer,marmot, andpika. A number of birds are present in the park, including theAmerican three-toed woodpecker,common raven,Canada jay, andptarmigans.[18]
As part of the park's 1990 management plan, an assessment was done on the park's mountain goat population in the Spearhead area,[20] which at the time numbered from 50 to 70 individuals.[21] The goal, supported by the provincial conservation framework of BC, was to maintain healthy, viable populations of the animal, thus preventing it from entering "at risk" status. Monitoring flights in March 2012 and March 2013 determined this population was "relatively stable and healthy",[21] but as this was limited to the Spearhead area, no determination of the status of mountain goats throughout the park was made.
Garibaldi Provincial Park is a prominent outdoor recreation destination, featuring many kilometres of hiking trails, campgrounds, and winter camping facilities. In 2016, the park's popularity prompted the province to implement an online system for advance bookings for all overnight stays. Prior to this change, campers wishing to stay overnight could register on the day of their arrival in the park. Garibaldi Park was the third BC provincial park to implement this requirement for backcountry use, the others beingBowron Lake Provincial Park andBerg Lake inMount Robson Provincial Park.[22]
While the most popular activities in the park arehiking andbackcountry camping, other activities includefishing,swimming,canoeing/kayaking,rock climbing,mountaineering,mountain biking, andbackcountry skiing.[6] All of the access points, and most of the man-made facilities, are located on the west side of the park, while the eastern wilderness of the park is more remote and less frequented by humans.[23]
The park's five main points of entry are accessed from theSea to Sky Highway. Each point connects to a specific region of the park, although it is possible to access multiple regions from some access points by following the park's interconnected trails.[24]
Garibaldi Park has both walk-in and wilderness camping, as well as some shelters. All walk-in campgrounds must be reserved before use, while wilderness camping (i.e. camping in areas other than designated tent pads) is only allowed in the Garibaldi Wilderness Camping Area,[25] which is away from the more trafficked areas of the park and carries some wilderness-specific rules and guidelines.[26] A total of 11 walk-in campgrounds exist in the park, albeit one campground, Red Heather Meadows, is only open during the winter season.[6] The walk-in campgrounds have anywhere from 6 sites at the Singing Creek campground, to 50 sites at the Garibaldi Lake Campground.
There are four overnight-use shelters in the park:
The park features over 90 kilometres (56 mi) of park-maintained trails,[6] accessible year-round, although winter hiking typically requires use of snowshoes or skis. Some of the common routes include:
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Travel information from Wikivoyage| International | |
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