Whistler Tourist Attractions
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The famous ski resort of Whistler at the foot of the Whistler and Black Comb mountains is the center of the biggest winter sports area in North America.Two cable cars and over 30 chair- and T-bar lifts give access to the two mountains. Downhill skiers can choose from hundreds of runs. Snowmobile trips, heli-skiing and ski marathons are all popular with visitors. "7th Heaven" offers a summer ski area on the Horstman and Black Comb Glaciers.Whistler has a variety of tourist accommodation ranging from apartment blocks to hotels. Activities such as tennis, golf and riding, as well as white-water rafting and kayaking on the area's untamed rivers, attract growing summer tourism, as do canoeing, rambling and backpacking in the peaceful isolation of the magnificent highland wildernesses (including the Garibaldi Provincial Park, Cheakamus Lake, Singing Pass Region).Whistler co-hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics with Vancouver. Whistler was the site of the downhill ski events.
Blackcomb Mountain
Blackcomb Mountain is one of the ski hills at Whistler. Skiers can choose to ski either on Whistler Mountain or Blackcomb Mountain or buy a combination ski lift pass for both mountains. The ski resort is officially called the Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort and encompasses both mountains.In 2008 the Peak 2 Peak Gondola opened, which now connects the two mountains.The Horstman Glacier on Blackcomb Mountain allows for skiing during the summer months.
Peak 2 Peak Gondola
The Whistler Blackcomb, Peak 2 Peak Gondola provides a scenic ride between the two mountains. The distance covered is a record breaking 4.4-kilometres. The ride takes only 11 minutes but offers a scenic view over the area.Unfortunately the lift did not open up any new skiing terrain but did result in an increase in the price of lift tickets / season passes for skiiers. It also resulted in the destruction of forest area with trees being taken out to accommodate construction of the new gondola.
Surroundings
Pemberton
Leaving the asphalted Hwy. 99 at the scattered settlement of Pemberton (90 m (295 ft) above sea level) follow instead the well-surfaced Duffy Lake Road which crosses the 100 km (62 mi.) or so of virtually uninhabited country to Lillooet on the Fraser River.Pemberton offers a wealth of outdoor activities from golfing and mountain biking in summer to heli-skiing and snowmobiling in winter.
Lillooet
The small town ofLillooet owes its existence to the so-called "Cariboo Gold-Rush" of 1858. It stood at the end of the Harrison trail, a canoe route up the Fraser River bypassing the Fraser Canyon.It was here that the gold hunters exchanged their canoes for ox-carts before setting off up the "Cariboo Road", and to cater for them a settlement quickly became established on the Cayoosh Flats. By 1860 the shanty town of log huts and tents was at times filled to overflowing with as many as 16,000 inhabitants. The Pacific Great Eastern Railway line reached Lillooet in 1912.Be sure to visit the Lillooet Museum. It is full of memorabilia from the gold-rush days. Also interesting are the "0" milestone on the old Cariboo Road and the "Hanging Tree" where rough frontier justice was meted out to law-breakers. In 1980 the name of the old Fraser Bridge was changed to the "Bridge of the 23 Camels", commemorating the animals imported from Asia in 1862 by an enterprising entrepreneur who intended to introduce them into the mines as beasts of burden. Having frightened the life out of the local people and their horses the camels were eventually set free. Mineral collectors will enjoy sifting through the gravel for jade and semi-precious stones.
Lytton
The little town of Lytton (171 m (561 ft)) lies about 400 km (250 mi.) upstream from Vancouver along the TransCanada Highway. Before the gold-rush and the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway there was an Indian village here at the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers. Named Cumchin, meaning "fork in the river", it lived mainly from salmon-fishing.From Lillooet take Hwy. 12 to Lytton at the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson rivers. From here TransCanada Highway 1 offers a quick route back to the Vancouver area.
White-water Rafting
Lytton, lying in the rain shadow of the Coastal Mountains, is known for its hot, dry summers and proudly calls itself the "Rafting Capital of Canada". On offer are half to five-day "whitewater rafting" trips between May and September on the Fraser, Thompson, Chilko and Chilcotin Rivers, as well as through the raging rapids at Hell's Gate.In Lytton Highway 12, following the old Cariboo Waggon Road, branches off to Lillooet 70 km (44 mi.) north on the Fraser River (Nugget Route).
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