Squamish sits in the midst of some amazing places to hike. Garibaldi Provincial Park sprawls from Squamish up and beyond Whistler. Tantalus Provincial Park lays across the valley to the west and the beautiful and desolate, by comparison, Callaghan Valley to the north.
GaribaldiProvincialPark
Garibaldi Provincial Park wraps around Squamish and is home to some amazing hiking trails. Garibaldi Lake, Panorama Ridge, Black Tusk and Elfin Lakes are all wonderful hiking destinations is this extraordinary Provincial Park so close to Squamish.
Levette Lake is a nice mountain lake located in the enormous Squamish Valley that drains the Squamish River into Howe Sound. There are some nice views and minimal elevation gain along the trail. The amazing Tantalus Range on a sunny day look fantastic from the shores of Levette Lake. There is a nice campground on the shore of the lake that is well laid out and very rustic.
It is located just a couple hundred metres from the parking area at the trailhead. The campground is very basic and quite nice. You won't find signs, garbage bins or any annoying signs of humanity to take away from the wonderful view of the lake and Tantalus Range across the lake. Camping is pay use at Levette Lake as it is a user maintained, pay use. Operated by Sites & Trails BC, fees are charged from June 1st to Oct 31. The overnight fee is $13 per night, per vehicle or group of 6 people, per site. Free to use outside this time, though snow will likely block access for most in the winter. The campground areas(there are several), consist of about a dozen dirt clearings in the forest. Some large, some small, separated by the natural features of the forest. There are plenty of seats made out of cut sections of logs and several fire rings left from previous campers. The campsite is surprisingly clean, though that largely depends on the previous group that used the area. There is an outhouse between the parking area and the campsites.
Driving Directions to Levette Lake
Just 9.8 kilometres north of Cleveland Avenue & Downtown Squamish, opposite the Alice Lake Provincial Park is the Squamish Valley Road (left if coming from Squamish/Vancouver or turn right if coming from Whistler). After the bridge, bear right onto Paradise Valley Road and after about 5-10 minutes watch for Levette Lake Forest Road on your left. Follow Levette Lake Forest Road as it ascends quickly on a part gravel and part paved road. After a couple minutes you will have to bear right at the Y junction. You will see a small sign indicating Levette Lake on the right and Evans Lake to the left. This is where the road gets quite bad with loose boulders and plenty of potholes. Cars can make it, however you have to go very slow to manage the loose boulders and deep potholes. The washouts(cross ditches) along this section are easily manageable in low clearance cars.
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