Explore Whistler Using a New App
By Dee Raffo | Images by Joern Rohde
Would you like to know where giant cedar trees reach the sky? Where murals hide under bridges? How the First Nations use broadleaf plantain, or how Whistler landed the Olympics? These answers and more can all be found in the palm of your hand, allowing you to dig deeper into Whistler.
The free Go Whistler Tours app, developed by Tourism Whistler, features a curated selection of self-guided tours that take you to locations just off the beaten path, as well as providing more knowledge and historical context to the familiar places.
You may have visited Lost Lake Park before, but did you notice the trail to the right of the main entrance arch? Hidden among the trees and shrubs is a short, 500-metre walking trail with 10 stops. Using geolocating technology, the app will notify you when you arrive at a stop, and you can choose to read, listen to, or watch the information (options depend on the tour). The “Lost Lake Nature Walk” tour, curated by the Whistler Museum and Archives Society, includes nature-based facts about woodpeckers, bears, giant cedar trees, and more. I like to explore this trail with my kids, who can spot a Douglas fir thanks to a sweet story about how it saved a family of mice from a fire. You can find the “mice feet and tails” (bracts) poking out of the fir’s seed cones, where the tree let them take shelter.
Another option in this area is the “Fitzsimmons Creek Accessible Nature Trail,” a short, flat, wheelchair-accessible route (800 metres, or 0.5 miles, one way). You’ll find panels that explore Whistler’s wetland biodiversity and see trees that bears have used as scratching posts.
Long before European settlers arrived in the area, two Indigenous nations, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Líl̓wat7úl, established villages and camps in the Whistler Valley and beyond. The “Art & Storytelling of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Líl̓wat7úl” tour weaves its way through Whistler Village to nine culturally significant locations, providing a deeper understanding of their connection to the land. The feature was developed in partnership with the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, which I highly recommend visiting before or after your self-guided stroll. slcc.ca
One of the aims of the app is to introduce travellers to new areas of Whistler, which is ironic in the case of the “Discover Creekside” tour, as it’s where the original Village was located back in the 1960s. The 15-stop route digs into Whistler’s development and Olympic history, along a two-kilometre loop that takes you to the base of Whistler Mountain, the shores of Nita and Alpha lakes, and points out some delicious eateries along the way. Creekside is also a place where you’ll find a selection of unique, locally owned shops and boutiques, so it’s worth the walk, bike, or bus from Whistler Village to explore Creekside. whistlercreeksidevillage.com
You can go further afield by selecting one of the bike tours. The “Natural Wonders” bike tour takes you on an 11 km route starting at Lost Lake, heading north to Green Lake and south around Alta Lake, then back to Whistler Village. I like to plug in my headphones and use the audio on this tour so my hands can stay safely on my handlebars. You’ll learn about tiny western toads, why Green Lake is so green, that Whistler is on the Pacific Flyway (bcbirdtrail.ca), and much more.
These self-guided tours allow you to choose your own adventure, so go explore!
Tips for using the app:
• Download the app and your chosen tours before you head out, as you’ll need Wi-Fi. whistler.com/self-guided-tours
• Make sure you activate the notifications setting, as this will help guide you along the route.
• At the bottom of the screen, there’s a map icon, so you can see where you are at any time.
• If you encounter any issues with the app, click the "Ask Whistler" link on the tour homepage to connect with whistler.com.
