Pemberton (British Columbia)

Pemberton, and the wider Pemberton Valley, is a pretty area in the north of the Sea to Sky region of British Columbia, Canada. The valley floor is mostly agricultural, while the surrounding mountains provide climbing, mountain biking and some spectacular hiking opportunities. In 2021, the village of Pemberton was home to 3,400 people.

Understand
The Pemberton area is part of the traditional territory of the Lil'wat First Nation. European presence started with the Fraser Gold Rush in the 1858 with permanent non-native settlement beginning in the 1870s, but settlement was slow until the valley was connected to Vancouver by rail in 1915. In the days of the Fraser Gold Rush Trail, steamboat and other water traffic voyaged from New Westminster via Harrison Lake near the east end of the Fraser Valley to Port Douglas at the north end of Harrison Lake, then up a rough wagon road along the Lillooet River to the south end of Lillooet Lake, then by boat again to Port Pemberton at the Head of Lillooet Lake (near today's Mount Currie), then overland along the Birkenhead and Gates Rivers to Anderson Lake, where more boats to Seton Portage and Seton Lake landed at the head of another wagon road near Lillooet. One of the early attractions of the valley was the richness of the soil and farming continues to be important to the area. The Pemberton Valley is an important centre for seed potatoes and, more recently, organic farming, with a big Slow Food/Tere Madre movement. Pemberton is a bedroom community of Whistler.

Tourism has become more important to Pemberton, including outdoor recreation, eco & agro-tourism. The nearby mountains and lakes provide a wealth of opportunities activities at all levels, for the most intrepid to generally being outdoors and taking in the scenery. For the outdoor enthusiast there is in the summer: biking, backpacking, boating, hiking, horse riding, golfing, & mountaineering. In the winter, there is skiing, sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, snowboarding, ice climbing, hockey, skating & curling on the smaller lakes. For flight enthusiasts Pemberton is a centre of hang gliding, paragliding, gliding, skydiving, and heli-tours with the town's own airport for private planes, small jets & helicopters. The Valley hosted the Canadian Paragliding Nationals in 2012.

By car
The main way in and out of the Pemberton area is Highway 99. Pemberton is considered the end of the Sea to Sky Highway, even though Highway 99 continues north to Lillooet. The portion of Highway 99 between Pemberton and Lillooet is usually referred to as the Duffy Lake Road. Pemberton is 158 km north of Vancouver and 33 km north of Whistler Village. About 22 km & 20 minutes from Whistler northern town limits to the edge of Pemberton.

4x4 roads:
 * North: dirt & gravel High Line via Seaton Portage & Selath to Lillooet
 * West & north: dirt & gravel Hurley Pass to Braelorne & Goldbridge in summer only. Winter via snowmoble.
 * East: In-shuck-ch Forest Service Road (FSR) via Lillooet Lake, Skookumchuck Hot Springs, Port Douglas, & Harrison Lake to Harrison Hotsprings.
 * Link TransBC road reports
 * Link RSR road reports

By train
There is no direct rail service - the Rocky Mountaineer just passes through.



By bike
You can cycle to Pemberton via Highway 99.

1st & 2nd only bikes in summer go on front bumper rack on WAVE Transit buses.

Get around
The village of Pemberton is small so it's easy to get around it by foot. However, travel to other parts of the Pemberton Valley or to the Provincial Parks is easiest by car or bike.

By public transit

 * Bus route 99 connects between Whistler and Pemberton
 * Bus route 100 connects Pemberton village with Mount Currie and Xit'olacw. The bus runs daily every 1½ to 3 hours from 6AM to 7:45PM and sticks close to Highway 99 so it's not very useful for visitors.
 * Bus route 100 connects Pemberton village with Mount Currie and Xit'olacw. The bus runs daily every 1½ to 3 hours from 6AM to 7:45PM and sticks close to Highway 99 so it's not very useful for visitors.

See

 * Nairnfalls.jpg

Do
Hot Springs are plentiful and beautiful in the area. Caution: There is a phenomenon called supernatant liquid. A layer of lighter, fresh, cooler water can float on top of the denser, mineral-rich, hot-springs water. Dipping your toe into the top of the pool may deceive you. The water underneath may be hot enough to scald, and cause 2nd or 3rd degree burns. Check out the temperature below the surface first before jumping into the pool, by dipping in with a bottle on a stick or lanyard, or with a long-handled cooking-pot. Don't use your bare hands or feet.



Climbing: surrounded by the Coastal Mountains, Pemberton has some of BC's finest hiking and back country camping opportunities. It also offers many opportunities for rock climbing and mountaineering. While not as popular as Squamish, there are several climbing areas located within a short drive of the village. Detailed listings can be found in any of the area's climbing guide books.

Other: Biking: Almost 200 km of free trails for cross-country skiing, biking, walking, or riding a horse in the whole Valley System.

Go next

 * Bridge River Valley - remote area to the north
 * Whistler - skiing resort community