Alice Lake Provincial Park is located just north of downtown Squamish. There are 108 vehicle accessible campsites (55 with electrical hookup) and 55 of them are reservable through Discover Camping. There are also 2 shower stations within the campground with electrical outlets. Campfires are permitted, and there is a nice playground for young ones. If you’re looking to go camping with your kids in a family friendly environment, this is a great camping destination. If you’re looking to party with your friends and get rowdy… not so much.
Alice Lake itself has two nice sandy beaches, plenty of park benches, and a large grassy area to spread out on, soak up the sun and play some frisbee. Kayaking and canoeing are also permitted on the lake. Rainbow trout can be fished for at Alice Lake, along with the 3 other lakes within the park (Stump, Fawn and Edith).
There are also more hiking and cycling trails than can be explored in a one or two day visit.
The Four Lakes Trail is a nice 8km (~ 2 hour) hike that takes you in a circular route of the park around all four of the lakes. This is a great hike through dense forest and has little elevation change so its fairly easy to complete. A more strenuous hike, DeBeck’s Hill Trail, can be accessed from the southern parking lot at the beach. The trail is only 3km return-trip but rises 274m to the peak. The peak offers a nice view of the Tantalus Range and Mount Garibaldi (except for the massive communications tower/ equipment at the peak). Also on the way you will pass “an old steam donkey once used for yarding logs”, pictured below.
You can view a nice map of the park here to get a sense of some of the other trails and park layout. To get there drive just north of Squamish on the Sea-to-Sky and follow the signs, turning right on Alice Lake Rd.
Remember, Squamish is bear (and cougar) country so take the necessary precautions on trails and around your campsite.
