Whistler

Set in a lush coastal mountain valley 120 kilometres (two hours' drive) north of Vancouver along the fjord-and-mountain corridor of the Sea-to-Sky Highway (Highway 99), Whistler sits on the shared, unceded ancestral territories of the Squamish Nation (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh) and Lil'wat Nation (Líl̓wat7úl). Originally named London Mountain by 19th-century prospectors before being renamed after the shrill, whistle-like warning call of the native furry alpine hoary marmot ('whistler'), the valley opened its first ski lifts in 1966, joined twin giants Whistler Mountain (2,182m) and Blackcomb Mountain (2,284m) in 1997, and co-hosted the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Today, Whistler is North America's largest ski resort in winter and an alpine outdoor capital in summer. Rising directly out of the pedestrian-only flagstones of Whistler Village and Olympic Plaza, high-speed gondolas lift visitors in 20 minutes to the 4.4-kilometre PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola and the 130-metre Cloudraker Skybridge. Down on the valley floor, the car-free 46-kilometre Valley Trail connects five swimmable lakes (Lost Lake, Alta Lake and emerald Green Lake), the outdoor hydrotherapy pools of Scandinave Spa, and the acclaimed Audain Art Museum and Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre, while 20 minutes north and south lie turquoise Cheakamus, Garibaldi and Joffre Lakes. Start with our before-you-go briefing and top things to do in Whistler.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is the primary gateway to Whistler (135 km / 2 hours 15 minutes south via downtown Vancouver and Highway 99). Direct year-round motorcoaches, including YVR Skylynx, Whistler Shuttle and budget-friendly Epic Rides from downtown Vancouver's Burrard Station, drop you at the Whistler Gateway Loop right in the middle of car-free Whistler Village. Once in Whistler, you can walk everywhere in the Village and Upper Village, ride the free Route 4 and Route 5 Village Shuttle buses, or rent an e-bike for the 46 km Valley Trail. See getting to Whistler from Vancouver and how the Free Village Shuttle and Day Lots work.

Whistler's accommodation is divided into three main village centres linked by the Valley Trail and BC Transit buses: stay in Whistler Village (Village Centre & Village North) if you want to step out your lobby door onto the car-free Village Stroll with 90+ restaurants and both mountain gondolas within a 5-minute walk; stay 8 minutes' walk across Fitzsimmons Creek in the Upper Village (Blackcomb Base) for quieter luxury resorts (Fairmont Chateau Whistler and Four Seasons) closest to Lost Lake; or stay 5 kilometres south in Whistler Creekside for calm lakeside condos, its own Creekside Gondola to Whistler Peak and lower nightly rates. Compare all areas in where to stay in Whistler.

Ride the Whistler, Blackcomb and PEAK 2 PEAK Gondolas (including the glass-bottom cabin) and cross the 2,182m Cloudraker Skybridge, rent an e-bike to pedal the Valley Trail around Lost Lake, Alta Lake and neon-emerald Green Lake, hike across the suspension bridge to the boxcars of Whistler Train Wreck and drink craft beer in Function Junction, explore the Audain Art Museum and Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre, soak in the silent cedar-forest pools of Scandinave Spa, hike to glacial Cheakamus Lake, Garibaldi Lake or Joffre Lakes, and stop at Brandywine Falls and Shannon Falls on the Sea-to-Sky Highway. Full list in things to do in Whistler.

Whistler is one of Canada's premier mountain dining towns: sabering champagne in a -32°C vodka ice room at Bearfoot Bistro, eating wild BC sablefish and oyster platters inside a timber lodge at Rimrock Cafe, legendary slopeside après-ski nachos and Caesar cocktails at the GLC (Garibaldi Lift Co.), Dusty's and Longhorn Saloon, organic Pemberton potato dishes at Araxi, and warm Australian meat pies at Peaked Pies or honey-glazed doughnuts at Purebread. Read more in our Whistler dining and après-ski guide.

Where the coastal territory of the Squamish Nation meets the interior territory of the Lil'wat Nation, Whistler blends First Nations cedar carving and song with 2010 Olympic heritage and one of the world's finest collections of Emily Carr and Northwest Coast masks at the Audain Art Museum.