Brandywine Meadows is a nice, relatively short hike to a massive flower filled valley high up in Callaghan Valley. Located 40 minutes south of Whistler, this tough and sometimes muddy trail gains a huge 550 metres of elevation in just 3 kilometres(1.9 miles), trailhead to meadows. The trailhead is tricky to find and involves a fairly long gravel road journey that is passable without a 4x4, but barely.
Far quieter than Whistler & Garibaldi Park hikes
Short, though steep trail is dog friendly
On a sunny day the valley is impossibly beautiful
Alpine beyond the meadows is endless & amazing
Brandywine Mountain is fairly easy to hike to
4x4ing to the hut is an adventure & shortens the hike
Views of far off Mount Garibaldi are amazing
Awful gravel access road and no direction signs
Mosquitoes are horrible in July & August
Noisy ATV's use the access roads
Sea to Sky Hiking Trails
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
Mount Sproatt
Stawamus Chief
Taylor Meadows
The Lions
Train Wreck
Upper Shannon Falls
Wedgemount Lake
Whistler Mountain
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Not that the road is potholed, which it is, but that it is at times very steep and strewn with loose boulders. Brandywine Meadows is used mainly for snowmobiling in the winter months and the bumpy ex-logging road to the trailhead is in poor condition in the summer. The Brandywine Meadows trail and access roads to it are for snowmobiles & ski touring only in the winter months. No free public access until the snow melts and the snowmobiling season comes to an end, usually in mid May. You will know it is open just a couple minutes after you turn off the highway onto Callaghan Road. Take your first left and drive past the treatment plant and quickly come to an enormous gravel parking lot. This is the snowmobile parking lot and the toll booth will be there and manned if the season is still on. If not, and the parking lot is deserted and with no snow, you may be able to continue. Keep in mind that snow can persist well into May, sometimes June, on the Brandywine Meadows access road. So avoid Brandywine Meadows until June to avoid disappointment. If you have a dog, you will find that Brandywine Meadows is one of the few really nice, dog friendly hiking trails in and around Whistler. Garibaldi Park prohibits dogs, as well as both Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain. Here you won't be bothered by anyone and find no signs of humanity beyond some leftover remnants of the snowmobile season.
Bundles of orange poles for marking the snowmobile route are sometimes left behind or lost in the snow. Occasionally you stumble across a very out of place looking piece of snowmobile. Lost months before when the ground was below several metres of powder snow. The hike is consistently very steep for the first two kilometres. It is at times scenic though, despite being in very deep forest. The trail runs parallel to Brandywine Creek, which is steeply flowing, very loud and quite beautiful at various vantage points. After two kilometres on the Brandywine Meadows trail, the elevation gain levels off and you catch several alpine mountain peaks through the trees. And finally reaching the meadows, the amazing valley stretches into the distance, ending at the formidable mountains. In that grey and white mass of mountain peaks in the distance you will see Brandywine Mountain.







More Brandywine Meadows Hiking Info at HikeInWhistler.com


Sea to Sky Hiking Trails
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
Mount Sproatt
Stawamus Chief
Taylor Meadows
The Lions
Train Wreck
Upper Shannon Falls
Wedgemount Lake
Whistler Mountain