25 Minutes North of Whistler: Nairn Falls, Pemberton Valley Farms & Mount Currie

Drive just 25 minutes (32 kilometres) north of Whistler Village along Highway 99 (or take the commuter bus or drive on your way to Joffre Lakes) and the highway drops 450 vertical metres down into the warm, sun-drenched agricultural basin of the Pemberton Valley, dominated by the colossal, 2,591-metre (8,501-foot) sheer rock wall of Mount Currie (Ts'zil).

1. Nairn Falls Provincial Park (20 Mins North of Whistler, Free Entry, Easy 40-Min Walk)

Five minutes before entering the town of Pemberton, turn right into Nairn Falls Provincial Park: here, the entire glacial volume of the Green River (flowing north out of Whistler's Green Lake) squeezes into a narrow granite gorge and drops 60 metres (197 feet) in two thunderous tiers through giant whirlpool potholes carved into the solid rock. A wide, flat-to-rolling 1.5-kilometre (20-minute each way) forest trail follows the turquoise river cliff to safe viewing platforms bolted right above the swirling upper and lower falls (spot western painted turtles sunning on logs in the marsh beside the car park).

2. Why Pemberton Is Famous for 'Seed Potatoes', Farm Breweries & Distilleries

Surrounded on all sides by towering glaciers that act as a natural quarantine barrier against plant viruses, the rich volcanic soil of the Pemberton Valley grows North America's finest certified disease-free seed potatoes, which local craft producers turn into farm-to-table food, beer and spirits:

• The Beer Farmers (8324 Meadows Rd, 10 Mins Up Pemberton Meadows): a fourth-generation organic family potato and grain farm where you sit at picnic tables on the grass looking straight up at Mount Currie while sipping farm-grown pilsners and seasonal fruit ales (with food from the Miller's farm truck).
• Schramm Vodka (Organic Potato Distillery): uses estate-grown organic Pemberton Russet Burbank potatoes to distil award-winning craft potato vodka, gin and espresso liqueur.
• Mile One Eating House & North Arm Farm (Right on Highway 99): stop at Mile One Eating House in Pemberton village for burgers with hand-cut Pemberton fries, and at North Arm Farm (a 60-acre organic berry and pumpkin farm right on the highway to Joffre Lakes) for fresh strawberries, raspberries, farm-kitchen pies and ice cream.