Taylor Meadows is a beautiful campsite and alternative to the much busier and more well known, Garibaldi Lake campsite. Located in between Garibaldi Lake and Black Tusk itself. It is reached from the same trailhead to Garibaldi Lake. There are 40 very nice tent platforms, toilets, a good water source and a food cache, all in the lush forest of Taylor Meadows with the distant view of Black Tusk.
Idyllic, flower filled valley below Black TuskWell organized campground in deep wildernessMultiple hikes can be done from the meadowsDeluxe tent pads & frequent maintenanceElevation gain flattens at the meadowsBlack Tusk looms beautifully very near
More of a crossroads than a destinationNo glacier views like you get at Garibaldi LakeNo convenient lake to swim inCrowded campsite, fills up quickly
Alice Lake 
Ancient Cedars 
Blackcomb Mountain Black Tusk 
Brandywine Falls Brandywine Meadows Brew Lake 
Callaghan Lake Cheakamus Lake 
Cheakamus River 
Cirque Lake Elfin Lakes Garibaldi Lake Garibaldi Park Helm Creek High Falls Joffre Lakes Keyhole Hot Springs Levette Lake Logger’s Lake Madeley Lake Meager Hot Springs Nairn Falls Panorama Ridge Parkhurst Ghost Town Rainbow Falls Rainbow Lake Ring Lake Russet Lake Sea to Sky Gondola Sea to Sky Trail Shannon Falls Skookumchuck Hot Springs Sloquet Hot Springs Sproatt East Sproatt West Stawamus Chief Taylor Meadows The Lions Train Wreck Upper Shannon Falls 
Wedgemount Lake Whistler Mountain
Generally Taylor Meadows is not a destination on its own, but part of a circle route to the spectacular Garibaldi Provincial Park sights in the area. For example, hiking from the Black Tusk(Garibaldi) Rubble Creek trailhead to Taylor Meadows, Taylor Meadows to Black Tusk or Panorama Ridge, then return via Garibaldi Lake and back down to Rubble Creek. This makes for a long hike at 30 kilometres(19 miles), which is why tenting at this perfectly beautiful, and perfectly located Taylor Meadows campsite is a great idea. The trail to Taylor Meadows from Rubble Creek is well marked, well used and with plenty of signs and mapboards. Expect to take well over two hours to reach Taylor Meadows from the trailhead parking at Rubble Creek. Taylor Meadows gets very busy at times as well with 40 campsites with full service (water, security, etc). There are some small rivers close by but no swimming. The draw for Taylor Meadows camping is the wonderful location. It lays in a beautiful forested meadow full of hills and flowers and views of the towering Black Tusk. It has a less crowded feel than Garibaldi Lake does, though bear in mind that even when crowded these campsites don't feel crowded - they are just that organized and thick with trees and hills. From the trailhead at Rubble Creek the trail forks at 5.5 kilometres, left to Taylor Meadows and right to Garibaldi Lake. A continuing trail leads to Black Tusk and further along another trail extends to Panorama Ridge. These are two amazing and challenging destinations for this area of the park. Black Tusk is 13.5 kilometres from the Rubble Creek trailhead and Panorama Ridge is 15 kilometres. So tackling both in a day hike is not realistic for most hikers. Even hiking to one of these in a day hike is too much for most hikers. Therefore an overnight base camp at Taylor Meadows or Garibaldi Lake are the usual alternative.
Though a day hike is a good endurance test, taking your time allows you to appreciate the view from the summit of Black Tusk, or the stunning panorama from Panorama Ridge, or the flower filled valleys along the way. This Black Tusk area of Garibaldi Park is marvelous for a lot of geological features besides Black Tusk, but Black Tusk is quite a marvel that outshines all the rest in the park.
Black Tusk is the descriptively named stark black mountain that can be seen from almost everywhere in Whistler. The massive black spire of crumbling rock juts out of the earth in an incredibly distinct way that appears like an enormous Black Tusk plunging out of the earth. Whether you spot it kilometres away, from the top of Whistler Mountain or from dozens of vantage points along the Sea to Sky Highway, its unmistakable appearance is breathtaking. Seeing Black Tusk from closer vantage points such as Taylor Meadows, Helm Creek, Panorama Ridge or Garibaldi Lake, all views make climbing to the top look impossible. In fact, Black Tusk seems to look more impossible to climb the closer you get to it. Even when you are close enough to touch its vertical, black and crumbling sides, you wonder in amazement how anyone can ever reach the top. Panorama Ridge is easily one of the most amazing and rewarding hikes in Garibaldi Park.
Taylor Meadows lacks the beautiful lake and distant glacier views you get from the campsite at Garibaldi Lake. You do get a much prettier forest and meadow setting at Taylor Meadows as well as stunning views of the always impressive Black Tusk. Fresh water is plentiful here as well as there is a pristine, glacier fed creek that runs through the campsites. As with Garibaldi Lake you have a food storage and preparation hut to use and there is a frequently manned ranger cabin nearby as well. Taylor Meadows has 40 well-spaced and organized tent pads sprinkled throughout the beautiful forest here. Though Garibaldi Lake is often considered the better campsite because you can swim in the stunningly beautiful, though frigidly cold lake, Taylor Meadows is beautiful with its lush green and flower filled meadows surrounding the campsite. Taylor Meadows tends to feel less hectic as Garibaldi Lake tends to draw the majority of visitors to the park. Both Taylor Meadows and Garibaldi Lake campsites are good if you are hiking to Black Tusk or Panorama Ridge as both connect to the Black Tusk trail and or the Panorama Ridge trail. If you are hiking Black Tusk or Panorama Ridge in a day from Rubble Creek you can hike one route up and the other down. So you can hike through Taylor Meadows, up to Black Tusk or Panorama Ridge, then return via Garibaldi Lake for a swim. It is always nice to avoid retracing your steps in a hike and this way you only duplicate part of the trail in the first or last 5.5 kilometres where the trail forks left to Taylor Meadows or right to Garibaldi Lake. Fees Per Night: $10 Adult - $5 Kids(6-15) Campsite fees must be paid online in advance at the BC Parks Garibaldi Provincial Park reservations page.
There are outhouses(toilets) at various places in Garibaldi Park in and around Taylor Meadows. The parking lot/trailheads at Rubble Creek and Cheakamus Lake have outhouses. The campsites at Taylor Meadows and at Garibaldi Lake have outhouses. There is also an outhouse at the trail junction where the Black Tusk trail ascends from the main trail, 3.5k from Black Tusk. These are basic, pit toilets, usually equipped with toilet paper. At the campsites at Taylor Meadows and Garibaldi Lake you will find nice, one room buildings for food preparation and to keep them away from bears. Beware of mice in these places. If you leave anything on the floor with food in it, such as a backpack with a chocolate bar in a pocket. You will find little holes chewed through and your candy bar gone! There are plenty hooks on the wall to hang things from, out of reach of the attacking mice.
Bikes are not allowed in much of Garibaldi Park, including Taylor Meadows. You can bike to Cheakamus Lake, but not up to Helm Creek toward Black Tusk. Use of motorized vehicles of any kind are restricted to park roads and parking areas. Fires are prohibited in the park due to the potential forest fire hazard. Arriving or departing the park by aircraft is not allowed, as well as harvesting natural resources such as mushrooms. Dogs are not permitted on the trail to Black Tusk or any other Garibaldi Provincial Park trails out of courtesy to the resident animals. There are a large number of black bears in the park and encounters with dogs result in unpredictable and potentially dangerous conflicts. There are quite a few excellent hiking trails in Whistler that are dog friendly. Whistler's Valley Trail and Lost Lake trails are dog friendly and run throughout Whistler. The Sea to Sky Trail, which runs over 30 kilometres through Whistler is a paradise trail for dogs as it runs through numerous parks, beaches and forests. Ancient Cedars is a nice, dog friendly hike that is 5k roundtrip and takes you into a thousand year old forest. Train Wreck is also dog friendly as well as the Rainbow-Sproatt Flank Trail that cuts along both Rainbow Mountain and Mount Sproatt. South of Whistler you will come to Brandywine Falls, which is a short, 2k (roundtrip) dog friendly hike to the amazing falls. About 25 minutes north of Whistler, Nairn Falls is another beautiful and dog friendly hiking trail.
Rubble Creek is the most popular route to Black Tusk and consequently the most chaotic. The three big parking areas fill up on busy weekends, however the long access road seems to have enough overflow parking room to accommodate the busiest long weekends(as of 2018). This road is the only paved(not a heavily potholed, gravel road) to access a trailhead to Black Tusk. Though very busy, the Rubble Creek trail to Black Tusk is constantly maintained to a high standard. Plenty of helpful BC Parks Garibaldi Park mapboards and trail signs keep you on track and aware of where you are. The tidy, natural dirt trail is wide enough to hike side-by-side most of the time. The constant ascent from here gets you to the summit of Black Tusk in 13.5 kilometres(8.4 miles). To get to Rubble Creek from Squamish, zero your odometer at Cleveland Avenue and Hwy 99. Drive north on Hwy 99 toward Whistler. At 32.9 kilometres look for the Black Tusk(Garibaldi) sign on the highway indicating you to turn right. Drive up Daisy Lake road for 2.9 kilometres to the Garibaldi Park, Rubble Creek trailhead for Black Tusk, Taylor Meadows, Panorama Ridge, Garibaldi Lake and much more. If you are coming from Squamish/Vancouver you do have a public transit option that is very good. ParkBus.ca will bring you from downtown Vancouver to the Rubble Creek trailhead for just $49(each way). From Whistler, no bus service will stop at the highway turnoff to Rubble Creek.
