Whistler is a bit of a drive (about six hours from Silverdale including the ferry, drive, and U.S./Canada border crossing time), so we decided to use our long Thanksgiving weekend this year to swing this trip. We used the half hour Kingston ferry to Edmonds, went up I-5, waited 30-40 minutes at the border, and got to our hotel just before midnight. It was a bit weird trying to celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada; we definitely missed our families and our traditional Thanksgiving meals. Our neighbors to the north celebrate Thanksgiving in early October, instead of at the end of November. Whistler is truly a spectacular resort town and we are thankful to have had the opportunity to visit such a beautiful area!
Whistler Blackcomb
We found some great early season deals online at Whistler Blackcomb. We purchased a lift ticket and lodging package in the middle of October for an opening day deal of much cheaper than anticipated! We stayed two nights at Glacier Lodge in the Upper Village which was a 10-minute walk or 3-minute free bus ride to the Village Centre. Usually there’s a chair lift going half-way up Blackcomb mountain right from the Upper Village, but due to the lack of snow, we had to take the gondola up from the Village Centre to the top of Blackcomb. Our pre-purchased tickets were for opening day which was risky due to the warm temperatures this year, but we got lucky and it snowed 10 inches the night before opening. There were only a few runs open on each mountain, but the fresh powder made for a smooth ride!
Glacier Lodge in Upper Village
A glimpse of Blackcomb Mountain runs from Upper Village
Upper Village lit up at night!
Glacier Lodge in Upper Village
A glimpse of Blackcomb Mountain runs from Upper Village
Upper Village lit up at night!
Glacier Lodge
Glacier Lodge has a ski/board Affinity rental shop in the lobby level, so Adam stopped here to rent some skis in the morning around 8:00 a.m. The line for the rental shop in the main village was crazy long, so be sure to do your research for other rental shops. Several of the hotels we walked by had Affinity rental shops on their lobby levels with minimal to no lines. We stopped at Starbucks in the Village Centre to fuel up quick before hitting the slopes. We didn’t know if we were going to find a Thanksgiving meal in Canada, but Starbucks delivered by having “Thanksgiving Meal” sandwiches with turkey, stuffing, and cranberries between two slices of ciabatta bread. We were happy to get a sliver of Thanksgiving at Starbucks, but any other day, we’d recommend people check out Purebread for breakfast.
Whistler Village Centre
Our Thanksgiving meal in sandwich form!
Whistler Village Centre
Our Thanksgiving meal in sandwich form!
Whistler Village Gondola
After our Thanksgiving meal, we headed for the Whistler Village Gondola. Heading up the mountain, we watched the rain turn to snow. We skied/snowboarded all the open runs on Blackcomb a couple times in the morning. We then made our way to the Peak 2 Peak gondola (from Blackcomb to Whistler mountain- the world’s longest and highest continuous lift system) where we waited a little extra for one of the grey colored gondolas with a glass bottom. Unfortunately, the fog was a bit too thick to see the base of the canyon, but we still got some cool views along the way.
Blackcomb Excalibur Gondola from the Village Centre
Heading up Blackcomb Mountain on opening day!!
A glimpse of the beautiful mountains surrounding this area
Enjoying the fresh snow!
Instead of carving turkey on Thanksgiving this year, we carved some powder!
Peak 2 Peak Gondola stats!
We waited a little extra for the glass bottom gondola!
Unfortunately, the clouds were too thick to see the base of the canyon.
Blackcomb Excalibur Gondola from the Village Centre
Heading up Blackcomb Mountain on opening day!!
A glimpse of the beautiful mountains surrounding this area
Enjoying the fresh snow!
Instead of carving turkey on Thanksgiving this year, we carved some powder!
Peak 2 Peak Gondola stats!
We waited a little extra for the glass bottom gondola!
Unfortunately, the clouds were too thick to see the base of the canyon.
Main Whistler Chalet
We skied/snowboarded all the open runs on Whistler a few times before getting tired of dodging the several thousand people from around the world who came for opening day, funneled into only a few runs with enough snowfall. We then checked out the main Whistler chalet which surprised us with a yurt bar providing 360-degree observatory views of the beautiful BC mountains. After enjoying a drink at the top of Whistler mountain, we got in the line for the downloading gondola which was quite long. About halfway through our wait, we noticed the singles line, so we quickly chose this route and got back down to the awesome main village much quicker!
We got lucky it snowed nine inches the night before opening day!
View from the top of Whistler Mountain (including the cool Yurt bar)
At the Whistler main chalet
An inukshuk: a stone landmark used by Inuit people to help with navigation that has recently become an unofficial symbol of Canada.
We got lucky it snowed nine inches the night before opening day!
View from the top of Whistler Mountain (including the cool Yurt bar)
At the Whistler main chalet
An inukshuk: a stone landmark used by Inuit people to help with navigation that has recently become an unofficial symbol of Canada.
Whistler Village
Skiing/snowboarding Whistler Blackcomb was wonderful but exploring the Whistler Village was great as well! We worked up quite an appetite on the slopes, so our first stop in the village was for food and drinks at Beacon Pub & Eatery. We got some tasty fish and chips, a juicy burger, and one of our new favorite beers, a Chestnut Ale created by Whistler Brewing Co. We then checked out some of the shops in the Village Centre before walking toward Village North. Village North contains the Olympic Plaza, a great ice cream shop called COWS, the Brewhouse (High Mountain Brewing), and several other shops. After exploring Village North, we made our way back to the Village Centre for a snack at Avalanche Pizza and some live Irish music and Guinness at Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub.
Beacon Pub & Eatery in the Whistler Village Centre
The Olympic Plaza in the Village North
Brewhouse at Whistler in the Village North
Avalanche Pizza in the Village Centre
Cows Ice Cream in Village North
Beacon Pub & Eatery in the Whistler Village Centre
The Olympic Plaza in the Village North
Brewhouse at Whistler in the Village North
Avalanche Pizza in the Village Centre
Cows Ice Cream in Village North
Lost Lake
The next morning, we found Hot Buns Bakery right across the street from Starbucks in Village Centre, a delicious breakfast spot, especially if you’re looking for something sweet! Seriously, their waffle was the size of a large dinner plate covered in whipped cream. From here, we walked toward Lost Lake signage where we did an easy 3-mile loop hike. This trail system, which also spans to two other lakes, is usually for cross country skiing in the winter, but there wasn’t enough snow yet, so we enjoyed the trails in our tennis shoes. This hike helped us to realize how many summer activities are available in Whistler as well, including mountain biking, hiking, golf, zip-lining, and water sports.
Hot Buns Bakery in The Village Centre
The inside of Hot Buns Bakery.
Some of the very tasty dishes Hot Buns offers!
Lost Lake Cross Country ski trails that double as nice hiking trails when there isn’t any snow yet.
Lost Lake
Hot Buns Bakery in The Village Centre
The inside of Hot Buns Bakery.
Some of the very tasty dishes Hot Buns offers!
Lost Lake Cross Country ski trails that double as nice hiking trails when there isn’t any snow yet.
Lost Lake
Whistler Olympic Park
Before leaving the Whistler area, we also stopped at the Whistler Olympic Park. It’s just a 10-15-minute drive right off Highway 99 just outside of Whistler. It was free to enter and very cool to see the ski jumps used during the 2010 Olympics and the ski trails appeared to be well maintained. We mainly checked out the park in our car, but the park is much larger if you explore it by hiking/skiing.
The ski jumps used during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
Whistler Olympic Park
The ski jumps used during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
Whistler Olympic Park
Brandywine Falls
We also made a quick pit stop at Brandywine Falls about 20 minutes south of Whistler on Highway 99. From the Olympic Park turnoff, we maybe traveled five minutes until we hit this provincial park entrance. It was a quick 1-mile round trip hike to view some awesome falls and get to some other nice lookouts of mountain peaks on a clear day. At this time of year access to the park’s parking lot is closed, so people simply stop on the side of the road.
Brandywine Falls
A view from the Brandywine Falls Trail
Brandywine Falls
A view from the Brandywine Falls Trail
Sea to Sky Highway 99
We weren’t able to enjoy the beautiful Sea to Sky Highway 99 on the drive up because it was dark, so it was nice to enjoy the amazing views of the Howe Sound and seemingly never-ending mountains on our way down to Vancouver. There are several turn out points to capture screen-saver worthy shots. Stay tuned for our blog about our time in Vancouver coming next week!
Quick pull-off stop to enjoy the views of Howe Sound and the mountains from the Sea to Sky Highway.
This is one of my favorites you have done!
Thanks Kris! It’s also one of our favorite places we’ve been!
Having read this I thought it was very informative. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself spending way to much time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!