*We experienced mini-golf courtesy Tourism Whistler and two adventure tours courtesy of Tag Whistler Adventure Group.
We love Whistler in the Summer! We try to get up there every year if possible for a few days of fun and adventure. I have written about Whistler in the Summer in the past here and go check our ziplining with kids video at the bottom of this post. Watching my husband and 10-year-old at-the-time daughter zipline courtesy of this GoPro video was so cool.
I love the mild Summer warmth, beautiful scenery, and family-friendly restaurants in Whistler, and I love the proximity to our home, making this destination an easy mini-vacation for us (a two-hour drive from Vancouver).
Our first adventure was the Mini-Golf in the Upper Village – perfect for all five of us!
My middle daughter scored two hole-in-ones in a row on the fun Mario + Friends themed course. The holes are all set amongst hills, trees and a well-maintained grass area. Several holes even offer shade under big trees for hot days like the one we played on.
The mini-golf is situated in the Upper Village’s Adventure Zone which has tons of other fun things for kids. One of our favourites is the Westcoast Slide, which unfortunately was closed during our stay.
Later that same day, we enjoyed a rafting adventure with Tag Whistler on the Cheakamus River. We took a bus from Whistler Village to Squamish to the base camp, where we changed into wetsuits, life jackets and got geared up.
From there, we walked down to the river where all of our equipment was checked over for safety and we listened to a brief safety chat as a group. 8 per boat and there were two boats that day, so 16 people, all families, were in our group. Normally I would have photos of this from the tour, as well as action shots of us coming down the river, but unfortunately, something happened to the photographer’s camera and we weren’t able to retrieve photos of our group specifically. But the photos below are the actual Cheakamus River tour that we did.
It is suitable for children 6 yrs+ and 50lbs+. My family was a little nervous (or maybe it was just me?) but the guides were amazing and patient, and so easy to follow their instructions.
It was a very hot day (28 Celsius) and we rafted out into the icy cold waters for about 90-minutes total, all the way until after the Cheakamus merges with the Squamish River (the water gets colder there and triples in width). The scenery is epic with mountains all around us, seeing glaciers and eagles, plus the water is so bright and fresh. The rafting is exhilarating yet safe, with much of the ride being just floating and paddling occasionally. There are about 4-5 stretches of class 2 rapids. My husband and two youngest daughters all jumped in for a swim when it was safe to do so and confirmed the ‘iciness’ of the waters.
It was truly an amazing day! After we pulled the rafts from the water back up to the bus, it takes you back to the base where you change out of the gear and then bus back to Whistler Village. Visit Tag Whistler to book your rafting experience (SO worth it!).
The following morning in Whistler, my husband and girls took off with Tag Whistler yet again to experience an RZR Mountain Adventure tour where Mike actually got to drive the RZR with my three daughters in the ATV! He said it was a blast, so fast, bumpy and exciting! They saw amazing scenery and enjoyed the muddy, fun, day!
Plan your Summer vacation to Whistler now, there is still plenty of time to enjoy all this naturally beautiful
destination has to offer!