Opal Cone, Elfin Lakes Hike
Opal Cone is one of the hikes you can do within the Diamon Head area of Garibaldi Provincial Park. It’s a popular trail to hike if you’re doing the Elfin Lakes Hike, or continuing onto Mamquam Lake.
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You will need a day pass to access popular BC parks, Garibaldi (from June 13 to September 2, 2024, and on weekends and holidays only from September 3 to October 14, 2024), Joffre (May 16 to October 31, 2024. Closures: April 30 to May 15, June 14 to June 23, September 3 to October 3) and Golden Ears (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday only from May 3 to September 2, 2024,). The passes are free and available from 7 am two days before your visit. All details & information here.
Opal Cone Hike
We hiked Opal Cone while backpacking Garibaldi Provincial Park to Elfin Lakes and Mamquam Lake. The weather wasn’t great, but we did get a tiny gap of clear sky near the summit and the views from Opal Cone are beautiful!
If you’re staying at Elfin Lakes or hiking through to Mamquam Lake then you should definitely head up here.
Opal Cone Trail Stats
- Distance: 35km (round trip)
- Duration: 10+ hours (overnight is better)
- Difficulty: Easy/Intermediate
- Elevation: 750 m
To get to Opal Cone, you’ll start from the Diamond Head trailhead just outside of Squamish. The first 11km to Elfin Lakes has some gentle elevation up through the forest on switchbacks before you come out into the alpine at Red Heather Hut.
From Red Heather Hut there’s a slight climb, with impressive views all around, before your final descent down to the lakes.
Elfin Lakes is a popular camping destination and you can set up your tent here if you have a camping reservation, before heading on to Opal Cone.
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Elfin Lakes to Opal Cone
To get to Opal Cone from Elfin Lakes, continue past the Elfin Lake shelter and follow the signs.
The trail is flat for quite a while and then you’ll start descending down into the valley towards a river. There’s a bridge here to make the river crossing easy, and from here you’ll follow the trail alongside the river on a very gentle incline and deeper into the valley.
After a few km, the trail takes you right and uphill until you come out on a ridge area and at the base of Opal Cone.
Looking for an Elfin Lakes guided hike? At the moment there don’t seem to be any, but check out these guided hiking tours near Vancouver including Garibaldi Lake and Joffre Lakes.
Since we were on our way to Mamquam Lake to set up camp and had our backpacking bags with us, we stashed our bags (taking food items with us) and continued up with just our lighter bags.
Opal Cone Hike
There’s a small signpost to Opal Cone, and you’ll want to turn left along a thin ridge-like trail before you descend!
The first part of this trail is quite easy and the views are beautiful. Then the trail heads off to the left with a steep climb towards a large boulder.
At this point, we couldn’t see much but managed to pick out some cairns that guided the way. The GPS maps on our phone helped too!
To the west, you will get a magnificent view of Mount Garibaldi, Atwell Peak, and Little Diamond Head.
Things to know before hiking Opal Cone at Elfin Lakes
- Dogs at Elfin Lakes: No dogs allowed in Garibaldi Provincial Park.
- Camping reservations: The Elfin Lake campground has 35 tent platforms, a day-use shelter a pit toilet facilities and bear hang facilities. You must reserve the Elfin Lakes campground in advance. It costs $10 per person per night plus a $6 reservation fee to camp at Elfin Lakes.
- Elfin Lakes shelter: The Elfin Lakes hut sleeps 33 people (11 double bunks, 12 single bunks), has 4 picnic tables, 2 propane hot plates, a wash sink, a propane heater, propane lights and pit toilet facilities. It’s booked months in advance in winter. Make Elfin Lakes cabin reservations here.
- Elfin Lakes trail map: The trail is well marked but it’s a good idea to take a trail map too. And if you plan to do any further hiking such as to Opal Cone, the Gargoyles or Mamquam Lake you should definitely take one. This Garibaldi Provincial Park trail map is good.
- Elfin Lakes weather & trail conditions: There are a few ways to check the Elfin Lakes conditions before you hike. I like to do a few of them to get a good idea before heading out. First, you can check the official trail reports for Garibaldi Provincial Park here. They’re not that regularly updated but it’s a good start. Then read the most recent reviews on AllTrails
- Toilets: There’s an outhouse at the trailhead, Red Heather Hut, and at Elfin Lakes
- Water: You can get drinking water from the lower lake but it needs filtering and/or boiling.
- Swimming in Elfin Lakes: You can swim in the top lake. The lower lake is for drinking water only.
- Be adventure smart: Remember to respect the terrain, environment, and other users while you are enjoying the trails. Follow the three Ts—trip planning, training, and taking the essentials. AdventureSmart is a great resource to help you get informed before heading outdoors.
What to pack for the Opal Cone Hike in Garibaldi Provincial Park
What to pack for this hike depends on what season you’re hiking in.
- Check out my day hike packing list here.
- If you’re hiking in summer you should pack sunscreen, sunglasses, layers, water and bug spray as well as everything in the 10 essentials for hiking list.
- Here is what to wear hiking in hot weather
- Check out this post on the best leggings for hiking or what to wear hiking in summer for more details and my gear recommendations.
- If you’re hiking in winter after the snow has started falling you’ll need microspikes at the very least. If there is a lot of snow you will probably need snowshoes.
- You should also take plenty of layers including a fleece layer, a puffy insulated jacket and a wind and waterproof outer layer. Hats and gloves are also necessary as well as a good backpack to keep everything in.
- You should also pack water and some snacks too to keep you going as they’re part of the 10 essentials for hiking!
- Planning a hiking date? Check out what to wear on a hiking date but still look cool.
Final thoughts on Opal Cone Garibaldi
If you’re looking to do the Elfin Lake hike and extend it a bit further, the Opal Ridge hike to Opal Cone is one of the hikes I recommend.
On this hike, you’ll leave the crowds behind at Elfin Lakes and head off more into the wilderness of Garibaldi Provincial Park.
The Opal Cone Squamish trail is one of my favourites from a recent summer Elfin Lakes backpacking trip and gives you amazing views of the glaciers, lakes and the Gargoyles hike in Garibaldi Provincial Park.
Last Updated on April 21, 2023 by Hannah
Hannah started That Adventurer after graduating back in 2013 and has documented all of her adventures since then. From backpacking South America to city breaks in Europe, a 3 month road trip across the USA in a self-converted van and 6 years living in Canada, you’ll find posts on all of this.
Hannah specialises in active travel and on That Adventurer you’ll find hiking, walking, biking, skiing and all sorts of active travel guides to allow you to see a destination in an adventurous way.
Now back in Europe, you’ll find new guides as Hannah and her husband spend the next year ‘digital nomading’ from Norway to Portugal, Switzerland to Scotland and places in between.
