Day Trips & Getaways
Drive 30 minutes past Whistler into a valley of seed-potato farms and glaciers, with three turquoise reservation-only lakes at the top.
Pemberton Valley & Mount Currie
More infoEveryone stops at Whistler. Drive 30 minutes further and the highway spills into the Pemberton Valley, a green bowl of horse pastures and seed-potato fields under the glaciated wall of Mount Currie, with a one-stoplight town hiding good coffee and a craft distillery. The headliner is Joffre Lakes, three glacier-fed turquoise lakes now reservation-only, which keeps it quiet enough to feel like your discovery.
Head up Highway 99 from Vancouver through Squamish and Whistler, then keep going as the road drops into the Pemberton Valley (~2.5 hrs, ~155 km). The reveal, the flat green farm floor under the glaciers of Mount Currie, is worth the whole drive. Settle into town, grab coffee and a pastry, and ease in with a lazy afternoon: a float or paddle on the Lillooet River, or a horseback ride through the meadows with the mountains as a backdrop. The next morning is the big one, Joffre Lakes, a chain of three glacier-fed turquoise lakes 25 minutes east on the Duffey Lake Road. IMPORTANT: from mid-May to late October you MUST reserve a free BC Parks day-use pass online in advance (walk-ups aren't allowed), and the park has occasional seasonal closures, so check bcparks.ca before you go. The Lower Lake is a five-minute stroll; the Upper Lakes are a 10 km round trip to a viewpoint that looks fake it's so blue. Back in the valley, taste your way around: the local craft distillery, farm stands, and if you time it for mid-August, the beloved Slow Food Cycle Sunday, pedal flat farm roads stopping for food, music and pie at farm after farm. Photo spots: Joffre's Middle Lake with the log in the water, the valley with Mount Currie behind the potato fields, and the One Mile Lake boardwalk. Couple touch: a sunrise start at Joffre to have the turquoise to yourselves, then breakfast back in town. Solo angle: the valley's flat trails, the river float and the small-town cafes are calm and easy on your own; bring a journal for the lake. Short on time? A no-night day trip of Joffre Lakes (with your booked pass) plus a Pemberton coffee and the One Mile Lake loop is a stellar Sea-to-Sky day.
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door to door
~2.5 hours up Highway 99
from Vancouver
155 km
how long
Weekend
best window
July-September (Joffre's turquoise peaks in late summer
Drive the Sea-to-Sky Highway (Hwy 99) north through Squamish and Whistler, then ~30 min more into Pemberton, ~155 km / 2.5 hrs, no ferry or tolls. Joffre Lakes is a further ~25 min east on the Duffey Lake Road (Hwy 99). Carry winter tires Oct-Apr; the Duffey is mountainous.
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