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Squamish: The Sea-to-Sky Adventure Getaway
Adventure & Outdoors
Hike to a Secluded Swim at Whyte Lake
West Van's secret swim spot: 5 km of forest trail, 200 metres up, and a dock built for cannonballs.
Adventure & Outdoors
West Van's secret swim spot: 5 km of forest trail, 200 metres up, and a dock built for cannonballs.
Whyte Lake is what happens when you read past the first page of the guidebook. You start near Horseshoe Bay, climb 200 metres through second-growth forest, cross a creek doing its best waterfall impression, and arrive at a small dock attached to a lake that exists primarily to let you cannonball into it. The round trip is 5 km and easy-to-moderate in effort, which is the official way of saying you'll feel virtuous but not destroyed. It is noticeably quieter than Quarry Rock or Lighthouse on a summer weekend, which is reason enough to go. Pack a towel, a snack, and your swimsuit. Dry off on the dock. Float the idea that maybe this is the best possible thing two people can do together on a Tuesday. (It is.) Trail is free. Parking is free. Cannonball technique is not graded.
