Whistler British Columbia Travel Guide

Whistler is an incredible little ski village in British Columbia two hours north of Vancouver, that I consider a must visit at some point in your life. I was lucky enough to visit during the winter and the summer. For years we would head up there for Thanksgiving and usually did a little skiing, but the kids were too young to ski. There is so much to do year round it does not matter when you visit or if you ski or not.

Skiing Whistler

Whistler is an incredible family destination for skiing in my opinion and they have trails for every type of skier. I already loved everything about skiing Whistler. They have areas that are Family Certified Zones dedicated to families with long wide trails.

We mainly stuck to the Whistler side and skied the long easy runs found throughout the family zone. Of course we had to stop and play in the Tree Fort, located just off of the Bear Cub trail near the Big Red Express chairlift. For whatever reason, these zones are often closed so be sure and go in when they are open. If you wait it may not open again the entire time you are there.

SKI LESSONS AND CHILDCARE

Whistler does offer lessons for all ages and they offer family lessons so you can stay together.

They also have a childcare center for kids too young to ski. My sister was with me during the trip with her little baby and she was too little for the daycare center so we arranged for a nanny to come to our room with Babysitting Whistler.

Family Friendly Ski Lifts

One of the other perks of skiing Whistler was the large lifts, especially the gondolas. We pretty much stuck to riding the gondolas which were enclosed. I never had to worry about the ski lifts because we were always together inside an enclosed gondola. My kids may be experience skiers, but I still worry about putting them on the ski lifts by themselves. I wondered what we would do if that happened, but it wasn’t even an issue. We literally walked right onto a gondola with our skis. Considering I was a solo parent on this trip, this was a really big deal to me! There is no way I could have taken care of four sets of skis by myself.

Other Whistler Activities

Bungee Jumping

Meadow Park Sports Centre with an indoor swimming pool and ice skating rink.

Mountain Biking

Snow Tubing

Taman Sari Royal Heritage Spa

The Core Indoor Rock Climbing

Zip Line with  Super Fly Ziplines

Super Fly Ziplines were so much fun. I think anyone could easily zip line with them. They have a series of four zip lines that two instructors take you down. You do not even have to worry about breaking because it’s automatic. Here is a video of our experience.

Where to eat at in Whistler

El Furniture Warehouse – The atmosphere is casual, the food is quite good and the prices are some of the cheapest in Whistler. Many items are $5, Canadian dollars that is. Expect to wait for a table, because this place is popular and often packed. The food comes out pretty fast!

Elements – It was ok, but definitely over hyped. It took Forever! It’s expensive for breakfast.
Kids meals are $6, for $6 they get one piece of French toast. I got the stuffed $14 French toast with bananas and chocolate. The bananas were sour. Not bad, but sour and I was expecting a treat.

Misty Mountain Pizza – Near the base of the mountain, this place is pretty cheap. You can get pizza by the slice. They also have a free video game in there for kids to play and free water.

Peaked Pies – This place rocks. I mean it’s just pot pies but they are so good. We tried three different kinds and they were all equally good. If you choose to, you can add peas and mashed potatoes and gravy on top. We only ordered one like this and regretted not getting all of them this way. If you are looking for tasty take out this place is where you want to go!

Whistler Hotels

Cascade Lodge – One bedrooms with kitchens, great hot tub, and pool

Four Seasons Whistler – A luxury lodge with lots of amenities and huge suites.

Summit Lodge – Great boutique hotel, hot tub, hot chocolate bar in the afternoon, spacious rooms.

Whiskey Jack – Older but extremely large units with multiple bedrooms. Saunas in the condo. The unit we stayed in games and books.

Whistler Vacation Club at Twin Peaks – Many units are two stories with the bedrooms upstairs. There is a nice hot tub and pool. 

Whistler, British Columbia is such a wonderful family vacation year round. Regardless of where you stay or what you do while visiting this little ski village you are likely to have a lovely time.