Lost Lake Park

Wikipedia gives the lake a surface area of about 167 hectares, an average depth of around 8 metres, a maximum depth of about 23 metres and a surface elevation of roughly 690 metres. The park surrounds the lake and forms part of the municipal cross-country skiing trail system. Several public docks stand along the shore, and in warmer months some visitors swim out to them.

Whistler sits on the shared territories of the Lil'wat Nation and the Squamish Nation, which the municipality acknowledges on its website. Both nations used the valley for many thousands of years. European trappers and prospectors arrived around 1900, when the area was known as Alta Lake; it kept that official name until the Resort Municipality of Whistler was created in 1975, the first resort municipality in Canada.

According to the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the summer season runs roughly from April to mid-December. The park offers a beach with swim docks and a floating raft, multi-use walking and biking trails and a disc golf course. Amenities include picnic tables, barbecue stands, accessible washrooms and an outdoor shower. Park Eats food trucks operate from mid-May to Labour Day. There is no lifeguard, and the municipality notes the water can be cold, with swimmer's itch signage posted when needed.

Dogs are not permitted at the main beach, but an off-leash area called Canine Cove lies about 400 m north of it. Camping, campfires, smoking and alcohol are not allowed.

The park is a place to see Western Toads. Their migration typically falls in late July and early August, and the municipality says food trucks and the events area may be affected, with timing varying from year to year; news coverage has described the movement as running into late August in some years. The tiny toadlets leave the beach for the surrounding forest in the tens of thousands by news estimates, and the municipality has said that only a small fraction of eggs survive to adulthood. Western toads are listed in Canada as a species of special concern, and the municipality treats them as an indicator species because they are sensitive to environmental change; it has said it has monitored the Lost Lake migration since 2005. Its tadpoles are described as helping keep the lake clean by feeding on residue. Fencing, signs and an underpass have been installed to protect breeding and tadpole habitat, and dogs are kept off the beach during the season because they can trample tadpoles. Keep to the trails during the migration.

From about December 15 to March 31, trails are converted into cross-country ski and snowshoe routes, with over 25 km of trails according to the municipality. In winter, walking, hiking, biking and dogs are not allowed on the trails, and skating on the lake is not permitted. Hours and trail availability depend on snow, so check whistler.ca before going.

The day lodge at the trailhead began as the Austria Haus during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, serving the Austrian Olympic Committee and Austrian Public Broadcasting. After the Games the municipality completed site and servicing work, took over the building and renamed it the Lost Lake PassivHaus. The municipality describes it as built to the Passive House standard, using up to 90 per cent less energy than a traditionally built house and operating without active heating or cooling systems. It is owned by the municipality and operated by Cross Country Connection, which runs rentals and a cafe, and it has a warming hut alongside.

The park is reachable from the village by the paved Valley Trail on foot or by bike. The municipality runs a free summer shuttle from the Gondola Transit Exchange and Olympic Plaza, and the parking lot closes to vehicles from May 15 to September 15, when it is pick-up and drop-off only. Day lots off Blackcomb Way are the village-side parking option. That makes a drop-off by a private vehicle and driver a practical way to arrive in peak summer; Voyzo can arrange this door to door.

Scandinave Spa Whistler sits near Lost Lake and Spruce Grove parks, according to a travel article written shortly after it opened. Whistler Village is a short ride away. Confirm seasonal rules and the shuttle schedule with the Resort Municipality of Whistler before you go.