Garibaldi Lake: Rubble Creek Fast Hike Mission

Today, I went to do the Rubble Creek trail to the Garibaldi Lake campground with my partner before the day pass program starts for the busy summer season. I haven’t been on this trail for a while, so I thought it would be a good time to revisit and see how the trail and scenery have changed. Of course, I had to bring a new idea for it — let’s do it faster!!

I brought my trailrunning kit this time. The timeline you see here will be for someone who is an experienced trailrunner and is NOT for regular hikers who bring or wear gear such as lunch and dinner, hiking boots, spare clothing, or a 20+ liter backpack.

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14:49 — Squamish to the Trailhead

I left Squamish at 14:49 and made it to the trailhead by 15:13. It is about a 25-minute drive, mainly on Highway 99. There was no traffic.

15:28 — Trailhead Start

At the parking lot, I met a hiker who had just come back. I asked her about the snow conditions and she told me there is almost no snow, except for a few patches at the very last bit. Hearing that, I decided to ditch my micro-spikes in my car and started our hike/run.

The parking lot is huge, and there are two clean washrooms just by the trailhead. I really liked that there are signs suggesting visitors follow important rules, like not feeding the wildlife and staying on the trail. I also liked that there is a shoe brush station to let people clean their shoes before going into the park, which helps prevent invasive species from entering Garibaldi Park.

16:02 — The 3KM Signpost (The Switchbacks)

The first 2.5 km is a long, traversing trail, and then it significantly starts climbing up via several switchbacks. This section lasts about 2 km, climbing aggressively from 917 m to 1,350 m, and it is easily the hardest part of the trail. We power hiked this section — no running here!

Despite being out of breath, the forest looks so pretty around here with a lot of big, tall trees. I always feel thankful to the visionaries who protected and left this beautiful land for our generation, and I hope we can do the same for future generations.

16:45 — Kilometer 6 Junction

This is the fork that separates the trail heading to Taylor Meadows from the one going to Garibaldi Lake. If you are heading to Panorama Ridge or Black Tusk, you would take the trail to your left toward Taylor Meadows. We took a quick break here to eat some snacks.

There is a washroom at this junction, making it a great place to rest, and the beautiful Barrier viewpoint is only 100 meters away from here. The trail only gains about 120 meters of elevation from this point onward. It gets much easier and nicer, with views of Barrier Lake and Lesser Garibaldi Lake right along the trail.

17:05 — Handling the Snow Patches

As we moved past Barrier Lake, we started walking on some snow patches. They are all on flat sections of the trail, so no crampons or micro-spikes were needed. The snow was firm enough to walk on, so a pair of regular running or hiking shoes would work just fine!

17:35 — Garibaldi Lake Campground

After about 2 hours of fast hiking, we finally arrived to a beautiful first view of Garibaldi Lake. With the crystal-clear turquoise water, snowy peaks, and massive glaciers in sight, it is truly a jaw-dropping moment.

We spent about 40 minutes chilling by the lake and checking out the campground and Mt. Price. It gets chilly quickly up here when you stop moving! I highly recommend bringing a puffy jacket if you plan to stay longer. Because we went fast, we only had a T-shirt and a thin windproof jacket (Patagonia’s Houdini jacket) with us.

18:07 — Heading Back Down

The sun was starting to head downward toward the mountains in the west, so we began making our way back. I really wished to stay and watch the sunset and alpenglow, but my body wanted a delicious dinner back in town much more! We ran the first 5 km from the lake back to the top of the switchback section, and then decided to walk the rest of the trail to save our knees.

19:19 — The 3KM Signpost (Golden Hour Walk)

We enjoyed a nice, slow walk on the lower half. Running and walking both have their own benefits. It is really refreshing and exciting to run on the trails, but walking allows me to see many small beauties that I can easily miss while running.

Going down this trail during sunset is probably the most beautiful time of the day. The orange rays of the sunlight come directly through the trees, beautifully lighting up the leaves on the branches and the moss covering the ground.

20:05 — Back at the Trailhead

We made it back to the car! It was an incredibly refreshing evening run. I will definitely come back here this summer — but probably with a proper puffy jacket next time so I can sit and enjoy the sunset right at the edge of the lake.