Best Places To Go For A Dip

Best Places To Go For A Dip

There’s nothing so satisfying on a warm summer day as going for a swim. Squamish has some of the best swimming lakes in the Sea to Sky Corridor. Here are some of our favourites.

Drive-In Access

Photo: D'Arcy McLeish, Browning Lake

Browning Lake (Murrin)

Browning Lake is located in Murrin Provincial Park approximately ten minutes south of Squamish right beside Highway 99. The lake is warm with several small beach areas scattered around its perimeter.  Browning Lake offers swimming, picnicking, fishing and a nice walking trail around the lake.
 

Brohm Lake

Located just north of Squamish along Highway 99, Brohm Lake is nestled in some of the oldest forests in Squamish and offers a great place to spend the day in the water. There are lots of rock outcroppings, cliffs and even a couple of rope swings dotted around the lake. The water is clear and warm, especially in late August and early September, when the warm summer sun has been on it for a few months. 
 

Alice Lake

Located in Alice Lake Provincial Park about ten minutes north of Squamish just off Highway 99, Alice Lake is a great lake for a swim. It has a nice beach, swimming docks and is the perfect temperature to take a dip. Surrounded by a great campground, there is a concession as well as kayak and SUP rentals available onsight through Sea to Sky Parks, rental hours and fees can be viewed here. This is a real family friendly lake, and on warm summer days, it’s a great place to bring the kids.
 

Cat Lake

Located approximately 15-minutes north of Squamish is a popular swimming hole called Cat Lake where you'll find access to rope swings, wooden rafts, hiking and biking trails as well as 36 forested walk-in campsites.
 

Hike Access Swimming Holes

Photo: @stellacarmen93, Watersprite Lake

Watersprite Lake

The difficult access only adds to the reward once you dip your toes in the turquoise blue waters of Watersprite Lake. The trailhead is located 20km up the Mamquam and Skookum Forestry Service Roads and requires a 4x4 to access. At the trailhead, a newly built map board will direct you on your way as you climb up a gravel road onto a well-marked trail featuring beautiful views of the valley below. Often described as one of the most beautiful swimming spots in all of Canada. 
 

Elfin Lakes

A local's favourite swimming hole, loved by all willing to make the trek. It’s a hike to get there, but absolutely worth the effort. The Elfin Lakes are two small lakes on a subalpine ridge in Garibaldi Provincial Park. Accessed from the Diamond Head Parking lot just up from Quest University, they are 11km from the parking lot on one of the most beautiful hikes in BC. There’s camping here, and the views are breathtaking. There are two lakes, the upper one for swimming and the lower one for drinking water. 
 

Air Access Swimming Holes

Photo: Sea to Sky Air, Phantom Lake

Phantom Lake 

Enjoy a private floatplane tour, personal pilot, and the only way to access a scenic, untouched alpine beach high in the peaks of the coast mountains. The exclusivity of air accessed swimming means you can enjoy the lake all to yourself. You can swim around the beach or dive off the float plane in this truly unique experience only available through Sea to Sky Air.
 

Lake Lovely Water

Land via helicopter or floatplane to access Lake Lovely Water. Located in the heart of Tantalus Provincial Park, Lake Lovely Water sits in a subalpine cirque at the foot of Alpha, Omega and Serratus Mountain. From the lake, you can see up close the legendary mountains most only glimpse from the highway. Once you land, you can jump off the dock of the lake or borrow a rowboat and plunge off in the middle of the lake. 

Air access Lake Lovely Water trips are available through Blackcomb Helicopters and Black Tusk Helicopters Inc.
 

Ocean Swimming

Photo: Porteau Cove Provincial Park

Squamish is perched on Howe Sound, and there are multiple options for saltwater swimming. Brittania Beach, Seal Cove, Porteau Cove Provincial Park; all offer cool ocean swimming at its finest. There’s even our very own Nexen Beach, just a short walk from downtown Squamish, that offers up beach swimming right on the Sound. It’s not uncommon to be approached by seals at any of these locations so keep a lookout for those friendly little guys when you’re in the water.