Taylor Meadows Ski Touring
Taylor Meadows is a pretty straightforward approach from either Rubble Creek or Helm Lake Trail Head via hwy 99. Note that if you take Rubble Creek Trailhead, you will likely be parking close to the hwy and it's an additional 40 mins with overnight gear to get to the actual trail head. The skiing was not great up top near Black Tusk, primarily because slopes are all south facing and wind scoured. Still, in winter/spring, not a lot of people venture this far out so you'll likely have most of the campground to yourself.
We took the Rubble Creek trail head. Once you reach the trailhead, you will likely need to walk up to about KM3 (pending time of year, snow conditions, etc) due to varying conditions on the trail. You should check the BC parks website for more details on road conditions. The road at rubble creek is not plowed so you will have that additional 40 minutes mentioned earlier. Luckily, the road is in the shadows and gets quite a lot of snow so it is at least skinnable and skiiable long after the trailhead turns to a mixture of poo, needles, and other organic material. If it's below freezing, consider bringing a traction device.
The signs to the campground are exceptionally well marked, but far fewer people make their way over to Taylor Meadows as they'd rather their IG picture of Garibaldi Lake. After setting up our tent and briefly chatting with the only other person at the campground, we headed to Black Tusk SW1 around 16:00. There was just enough light to make it to the knoll before the summit and gave us some breathtaking views of the lake and Mt Garibaldi.
Just as the sun set, we skied down with headlamps on the terrible snow that was in front of us. This snow was like a 1" pizza crust; barely supports your weight and underneath is the raw dough equivalent of crap snow.
The signs to the campground are exceptionally well marked, but far fewer people make their way over to Taylor Meadows as they'd rather their IG picture of Garibaldi Lake. After setting up our tent and briefly chatting with the only other person at the campground, we headed to Black Tusk SW1 around 16:00. There was just enough light to make it to the knoll before the summit and gave us some breathtaking views of the lake and Mt Garibaldi.
Just as the sun set, we skied down with headlamps on the terrible snow that was in front of us. This snow was like a 1" pizza crust; barely supports your weight and underneath is the raw dough equivalent of crap snow.
Even with the terrible snow, the views and stokage was high. I think a very late spring or very early winter day would make this trip much better.
Even with the terrible snow, the views and stokage was high. I think a very late spring or very early winter day would make this trip much better.
Gear List
the winter essentials
ski touring essentials
winter sleeping essentials
change of clothes
cooking essentials
overnight pack 65L
hand warmer pack
camera