Try the Decker Loop on Blackcomb for a stellar alpine hiking experience

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

A few weeks ago we posted a blog about what a great deal the sightseeing season pass is at Whistler Blackcomb (http://keithnicol.blogspot.com/2024/07/checking-out-whistler-blackcomb.html) and on August 1 we decided to use our passes to check out the Decker hiking Loop on Blackcomb. It is roughly a 10 km hike and took us about 3 and ½ hours which included stops for lunch and numerous pictures. It is the longest marked trail hike on Blackcomb and on this day we walked past numerous areas of wild flowers and the final section provides great vistas of Overlord Glacier and the surrounding mountain peaks. We started on the Alpine Loop and then branched off on the Overlord Trail which took us to the Decker Loop. We did the loop in a clockwise direction but we saw people hiking it both ways. We really appreciated the fact that the trails are well marked with signage at all trail junctions. 

                                                     The Decker Loop offers superb vistas

 We could have taken some alternate routes back by hiking the Marmot Trail or the Lakeside Loop but we opted to return via the same route we hiked in on. The other trails would have added distance and elevation to our hike  (as it was we gained over 500 meters of elevation on our hike)  but we were meeting other hikers on Whistler so were under a time constraint. On our next visit we hope to do some of the longer alpine hiking trails on Whistler. For more info on hiking at Whistler in the summer see: https://www.whistlerblackcomb.com

                                           Hiking along the Decker Loop - looking toward Whistler Mtn