Garibaldi Lake
Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia · backcountry campground
How Garibaldi Lake camping books on BC Parks: the 3-month window at 7am PT, fees, the 7-day refund rule and how to catch a cancelled tent pad.
Availability on 24 Oct 2026
- 180 open nights
- 0 of the next 180 nights fully booked (0%)
- Next open night: 24 Oct 2026
How booking works here
- Campsites and backcountry sites open on a 3-month rolling window at 7am Pacific on the matching date. Group sites open 12 months ahead.
- Berg Lake opens its whole peak season on one day at 7am Pacific.
- Cancelling more than 7 days out is refunded in full (14 days for Berg Lake), so nights come back just before those cut-offs.
- Bookings are made on BC Parks; we never book, hold or resell sites.
Official booking page
About
Garibaldi Lake is the big turquoise lake under the Black Tusk, and its campground is one of the most-wanted overnight spots in southwest BC. It sits in the Black Tusk/Garibaldi Lake area of Garibaldi Provincial Park, between Squamish and Whistler, reached from the Rubble Creek trailhead off Highway 99.
BC Parks puts the campground 9 km from the parking lot. Taylor Meadows, a separate campground on the same trail, is at 7.5 km. Many people use Garibaldi Lake as a base for Panorama Ridge or the Black Tusk viewpoint the next day.
The sites
According to the BC Parks Black Tusk/Garibaldi Lake page, Garibaldi Lake campground has:
- 50 tent sites
- Four day-use cooking shelters, each with two picnic tables, a wash sink with grey-water disposal, cooking counters and a pit toilet
- Four outdoor picnic tables at the lake
- Food hang facilities in the shelters
You can't sleep in the shelters, and no stoves are supplied. There's no garbage service, so pack everything out. Campfires are prohibited throughout the park, and so are dogs (accredited service dogs excepted). Camping hammocks aren't allowed either. Don't camp or linger at or near the Rubble Creek parking lot, which sits in the Barrier Civil Defence Zone.
How booking works
BC Parks says you need a reservation for any overnight stay in Garibaldi Park, and Garibaldi Lake, Taylor Meadows and Helm Creek need one year-round. Book on camping.bcparks.ca or by phone at 1-800-689-9025 (7am to 7pm PT).
- Window: up to three months before arrival, opening at 7am PT on the first day. It's a rolling window, so a new day opens every morning.
- Same day: bookable until 5pm PT on the arrival date if anything is left.
- Fees (per person per night, tax in, as of October 2026): adults 16+ C$25, youths 6–15 C$5, under 6 free. On top of that is a C$6 transaction fee per tent pad per night for up to three nights (C$18 maximum), and a C$20 non-resident fee if you don't live in BC.
- Stay limit: 14 nights per calendar year in any one park.
Source: BC Parks backcountry reservations. Last checked: October 2026.
When it sells out
BC Parks doesn't publish how fast Garibaldi Lake fills. Expect the hardest nights to be Fridays and Saturdays in July and August, plus long weekends, when the 7am opening three months out is the main event. Midweek nights and the shoulder season are easier. Because the window rolls forward every day, there's no single launch day: each date gets its own 7am rush.
How to get a cancellation
Garibaldi's cancellation windows give people a reason to cancel early:
- More than 7 days before arrival: full refund of camping fees for the cancelled nights, minus a C$6 fee per tent pad
- Within 7 days: one night's camping fee per person is kept
- On the arrival date: two nights' fees per person are kept
Cancellations are accepted until 5pm PT on the arrival date, and changes until noon. So expect nights to come back in the days before the 7-day mark, and again in the final week as plans fall apart.
You can watch Garibaldi Lake on Canada Camp Alerts. Pick your nights and we'll alert you when a booked-out night opens. A night counts as open when any tent site is free on it. We don't match the same site across nights or check your party size, and we don't hold or book anything. The free plan gives you one watch with email alerts 15 minutes late. The season pass is C$25 once for 12 months, with no auto-renew. It covers up to 10 watches and adds instant alerts by email, Telegram or web push.
Tips
- Be logged in to your BC Parks account before 7am PT, with your party details ready.
- A camping reservation replaces the day-use vehicle pass at Rubble Creek, so you don't need both.
- If Garibaldi Lake is gone, check Taylor Meadows on the same booking site. It's 1.5 km closer to the car and still within reach of the lake.
- Watch a range of nights rather than a single one. Each night is judged separately, so a single free night in the middle of your trip counts as open.
Nearby alternatives
Questions
When can I book Garibaldi Lake?
Reservations open three months before your arrival date, at 7am Pacific Time, on camping.bcparks.ca. For a July 25 arrival, booking opens April 25 at 7am PT.
Do I need a day-use pass if I'm camping at Garibaldi Lake?
No. BC Parks says a valid overnight camping reservation replaces the day-use vehicle pass. Carry proof of your reservation.
Is Taylor Meadows the same booking as Garibaldi Lake?
No. Taylor Meadows is a separate campground on the same trail, 7.5 km from the parking lot, with its own reservations. Our Garibaldi Lake watch covers the Garibaldi Lake campground.
Can Canada Camp Alerts book a site for me?
No. We email (or, on the season pass, push) you when a booked-out night opens. You book it yourself on camping.bcparks.ca.
Nearby places we watch
- Elfin Lakes — Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia · 180 open, 0 of 180 nights booked out
- Kees and Claire Hut — Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia · 31 open, 3 of 91 nights booked out
- Wedgemount Lake — Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia · 180 open, 0 of 180 nights booked out
Set a watch on Garibaldi Lake
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