A Day in Whistler — Gondolas, Marmots, and a Very Small Van
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First full day in Whistler, and our first real test of van life, gondolas, and whether Garmin’s sleep score would forgive a new bed and eight timezone changes. Spoiler: it didn’t.
First Night in the Van
Some early honesty about the Indie Campers Ford Ranger: it’s probably a little small for two people over a month. The bed area is only a metre in height, so it’s lying-down only — no sitting up to read or use a laptop. That pushes all your daytime living space into the rest of the van, which is already tight between the toilet/shower cubicle and the storage cupboards for electrics, gas, and the hob. Fine when the weather’s good and you’re eating outside. We suspect it’ll feel a lot smaller on a wet day.
First night’s sleep reflected it — a Garmin sleep score of 59 and just 6 hours logged. Plenty of factors at play (new bed, timezone adjustment) rather than the van alone, but not the start we’d hoped for.
The Walk into Whistler Village
We left the van parked and walked the 2.5km into Whistler Village on a damp, overcast morning — not a day for views, but a good one for just being outside. The path in is shared with bikes, cross-country skiers, and (per the signage) bears, which is a fairly on-brand welcome to Canada.
First stop was the Olympic Village — a nice spot for photos with the rings and flags — before an early lunch at Naked Sprout Cafe. The paninis were good; the coffee was fine, nothing more. (Canada’s coffee continues to underwhelm — a running theme, it seems.)
Whistler Village Gondola — Into the Cloud
We wandered the Village Stroll until we hit the gondola base, then debated whether it was worth going up given the low cloud. We decided yes, mostly because the trail map showed some easy walking options once up top. Not every gondola stage was running, so we didn’t make it all the way to the summit, but we got as far as the system allowed.
Stepping out into icy wind and drizzle, we were greeted almost immediately by a hoary marmot, grazing happily on the grass just outside the station — a nice welcome for the effort of getting up there.
Harmony Lake Trail — Marmots, Chipmunks, and Cloud
The weather held steady rather than improving — firmly in the clouds rather than above them — but the Harmony Lake trail was excellent regardless, and a welcome change of pace from the village crowds. Best photo of the day goes to a chipmunk mid-snack, thoroughly unbothered by our presence.
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Back down the gondola, we decided we’d earned a treat and found the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory — a genuine sweet tooth dream. Hot chocolates on the spot, plus a few extra treats picked up for later in the week.
Lost Lake and the Walk Home
The loop back took us through East Village, past the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, and onto the Lost Lake trail — well signposted for bears, which felt slightly more pressing given we hadn’t picked up bear spray yet. Thankfully there were enough people around on the trail that it never felt genuinely tense. Lost Lake itself is beautiful, and a scenic way to close out the walk back to camp.
The Numbers
15km walked, 300m of ascent — a solid opener for the trip. We finished the day with gnocchi by the campfire and a beer picked up on the way back. A good first full day, van gripes aside.
What we spent:
| Item | Cost (NZD) |
|---|---|
| Lunch at Naked Sprout Cafe | $50 |
| Gondola tickets | $250 |
| Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory | $65 |
| Beers x4 | $17 |
| Total | $382 |
