Cycling the 46km Valley Trail & Whistler's 5 Lakes: Lost Lake, Alta Lake & Green Lake

While the mountain peaks get the winter fame, in spring, summer and autumn the star of Whistler is its valley floor: a chain of five lakes (Alpha Lake, Nita Lake, Alta Lake, Lost Lake and Green Lake) connected by the Whistler Valley Trail, a 46-kilometre (28-mile) network of paved, car-free pedestrian and cycle paths and wooden boardwalks winding through old-growth forest, wetlands and parks.

1. The Best 3-Hour Bike Loop on the Valley Trail (Rent an E-Bike or Cruiser in the Village)

Hire a commuter bike or pedal-assist e-bike in Whistler Village (at Gateway Bikes in Olympic Plaza, Blackcomb Snowmobile / Spicy Sports or Coastal Culture, or use the seasonal free Park Rider Shuttle Buses from the Village to Lost Lake and Rainbow Park) and ride this figure-eight loop:

1. Stop 1, Lost Lake Park (1.5 km, 5 Mins Ride or 15 Mins Walk from Upper Village): closed to motor vehicles, Lost Lake sits tucked inside 100 hectares of western red cedar and hemlock forest. Fed by warm surface streams rather than direct glacier ice, it is the warmest swimming lake in Whistler. Stretch out on the grassy beach, swim out to the two floating wooden docks, and grab lunch from the summer food trucks.
2. Stop 2, Green Lake (3 km North of Lost Lake via Nicklaus North): pedal north from Lost Lake through forest trails onto the boardwalk edging Green Lake. Fed by glacial rock flour from the Fitzsimmons and Wedgemount Glaciers, its water glows an opaque neon jade-emerald green, with Harbour Air floatplanes taking off beside the path.

3. Stop 3, Alta Lake (Rainbow Park & Wayside Park) & The River of Golden Dreams: loop south along the western shore of Alta Lake to Rainbow Park, which commands the classic postcard view across the water to the twin summits of Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. Hire a canoe, kayak or stand-up paddleboard at Wayside or Lakeside Park to paddle the 5-kilometre River of Golden Dreams (Alta Creek) linking Alta Lake to Green Lake.
4. Stop 4, Nita Lake & Alpha Lake (In Creekside): continue 10 minutes south along the boardwalk to quiet Nita Lake (for coffee on the patio of Nita Lake Lodge) and family-friendly Alpha Lake Park.