Golden larch season in WA draws big crowds. B.C.’s system might help

Golden larch season in WA draws big crowds. B.C.’s system might help

WHISTLER, B.C. — My hike on a summer Saturday to Cheakamus Lake in British Columbia’s Garibaldi Provincial Park began two days before I hit the trail. The Thursday beforehand, I pulled up the BC Parks website bright and early to nab a free day-use pass valid from 1 p.m. onward for my planned family stroll to the glacier-fed beauty that I’d only ever spied from high up on Whistler Mountain during ski season.