August 23rd, 2020: Little Burn, Big Burn, Heart Burn + Overlord Trail

Type of hike: One way (take the gondola back down)

Time (approx): 4 hours

Distance: 12.5km

Hello, and welcome to Blackcomb Mountain!

The Hike

The Little Burn, Big Burn and Heart Burn trail goes from the bottom of Blackcomb Mountain to the Rendezvous Lodge at the top. From there, there are many other hiking trails such as the Overlord Trail, Alpine Loop, Marmot Trail, Lakeside Loop and the Decker Loop. I started off with the intention of only going up the mountain but I reached the top faster than I thought so there was time to explore the Overlord Trail a little bit. I would say if you are only looking to go up the mountain, it would only take about 2 hours.

The trailhead was very easy to locate, right next to the gondola. It definitely reminded me a lot of the Grouse Grind, but less stairmaster-y and more forest. But the incline was consistent and barely any flat ground. They do have some wooden benches here and there for people to take a break if needed.

Little Burn is very short - I was already on the Big Burn trail before I knew it. Both Little Burn and Big Burn has equal parts in forest and out in the open. They have a lot of hiking quotes on the tree trunks, as well as tidbits of information on bears, wildlife, berries and fauna. It kept everything interesting.

There are also some nice views of the Whistler Village behind.

The Heart Burn section is the longest - certainly felt the longest as well. It was also the steepest one out of all three. They have signs that tells you how many kilometers you have done, and once you see the 6km sign, you will know you are very close.

I had plans to explore the Overlord Trail and Decker Loop on another day, but since I had some extra time, I decided to go on the Alpine Loop (rated easy) and half of the Overlord Trail (rated moderate).

Alpine Loop is very easy and mostly flat ground. I saw lots of families with their children and pets going on this one. It has beautiful mountain views.

This was the view to my right once I was on the Overlord Trail.

The Horstman Peak:

I also took some photos of the trail. It was relatively flat and easy with minimal incline, although there are a few areas where it gets a bit steep. However, I saw quite a number of kids here in comparison to my other hikes, so definitely doable for everyone.

This is the Blackcomb Lake. The water is just as clear as all the other lakes in Whistler. Very calm and serene. Also, a bit chilly.

What I brought:

1. Bug spray. Since more than half of ascent on Blackcomb was in the forest, I encountered lots of flies and bugs. This was very handy.

2. Bear spray. Solo hikers should have this with them at all times.

3. Bear bell, although the Overlord Trail was quite busy and this was not needed. Also, I am almost sure there are no bears on the Burn trails since it is so close to the gondola.

4. Hydration pack. 2.5L of water was not enough, even though the hike was less than 6 hours (usually 2.5L lasts me for 6 hours). I suspect it was the ascent trail. If you have done Grouse Grind before, you'd know.

5. My usual trail mix and apples. I had an amazing breakfast at Sidecut so I was very fueled up.

6. Lip balm and eye drops. High elevations causes lots of dryness.

7. Wet wipes.

8. TP. No outhouses on this trail, only at the Rendezvous Lodge.

Overall thought:

I was very prepared for the ascent because I do the Grouse Grind frequently, so it was not super challenging as other people say it is. It does require a certain level of endurance to make it all the way to the top without taking a break. If you really cannot do it, you can take the gondola after finishing Big Burn.

Out of the two mountains, I like Whistler Mountain more because it is more scenic with the Cheakamus River and lots of wildflowers patches. Blackcomb has a lot of rocks. Put it another way, Whistler mountain is very feminine and Blackcomb is more masculine, if that makes sense.