Experiences
A New Indigenous-Led Experience is Coming to Whistler's Lost Lake
Lost Lake is one of Whistler's easiest places to reach when you want to walk, run, swim, bike, or just take a break from the village. A new two-hour experience coming in 2027 will give travellers another reason to go, with Talaysay Tours sharing Indigenous knowledge, plant teachings and stories tied to the surrounding forest.
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Most trips to Whistler start with a familiar list of activities that may include: ski, bike, hike, or paddle. Beginning in 2027, a guided walk at Lost Lake will ask travellers to slow down and pay closer attention to the forest through Indigenous knowledge, stories and teachings about stewardship. Along the way, cedars, medicinal plants and local waterways help explain how the forest supports the life around it.
Starting next year, guests on Intrepid Travel's Grand Canadian Rockies itinerary will take part in We Are the Land, a 120-minute experience created and led by Talaysay Tours. The walk will bring together Indigenous storytelling, cultural ecology, land stewardship and salmon knowledge before concluding with a tea ceremony.
A FOREST WALK GROUNDED IN PLACE
Lost Lake is a short walk from Whistler Village, and the forest quickly changes the pace of a visit. During a recent preview of We Are the Land, skunk cabbage introduced teachings about spring, bears and traditional medicine. Devil's club opened a conversation about plant knowledge. Salmon helped explain how the health of local waterways affects the surrounding forest. These are the kinds of details many visitors could walk past without noticing.
Talaysay Tours already knows the setting well. Its existing Talking Trees experience also begins at Lost Lake PassivHaus, using the forest for storytelling and land-based learning. We Are the Land was created exclusively for Intrepid's itinerary.
Founded in 2002, Talaysay Tours is owned and operated by Candace Campo and her daughter, Talaysay Campo, members of the shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations. The company offers cultural tours, wellness experiences and workshops across southwestern British Columbia. The phrase "We are the land and the land is us" runs through its work.
Talaysay Campo describes the new walk as an opportunity for visitors to learn about the living relationships that have connected Indigenous Peoples to these mountains since time immemorial. The experience places those teachings at the centre of a day outdoors, led by the people who hold and choose to share them.
WHY THIS EXPERIENCE MATTERS
A July 2026 Angus Reid survey of 1,507 Canadian adults, commissioned by Intrepid, found that 57 per cent were interested in joining an Indigenous-led tourism experience on a future trip within Canada. Only 18 per cent had done so. Finding one remains a hurdle: among those who had not participated, 42 per cent had never encountered an Indigenous-led experience while planning a trip and 30 per cent did not know where to look.
We Are the Land gives interested travellers a clear starting point. The experience is created and led by an established Indigenous-owned operator and included within an itinerary they can book as part of a wider trip through Western Canada.
WHERE IT FITS INTO THE TRIP
We Are the Land will join Intrepid's 10-day Grand Canadian Rockies itinerary beginning in 2027. The small-group trip starts in Vancouver and travels through Whistler, Sun Peaks, Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff before ending in Calgary.
The Whistler portion also includes a visit to the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre, where the Squamish and Lil'wat Nations share their distinct histories, cultures and contemporary creative work. Together, the two stops add distinct opportunities for Indigenous-led learning during the Whistler portion of the trip.
HOW TO EXPERIENCE IT
We Are the Land is now bookable as part of Intrepid Travel's Grand Canadian Rockies departures beginning in May 2027. Independent travellers can explore Talaysay Tours' current Whistler offerings, including Talking Trees at Lost Lake. Travellers looking for Indigenous-owned experiences elsewhere in Canada can also search Destination Indigenous and look for The Original Original mark, which identifies businesses vetted by the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada.
For travellers who already know Whistler for skiing, hiking and mountain biking, We Are the Land adds another reason to spend time around Lost Lake. The two-hour walk offers time with Talaysay's guides and a closer look at the forest around Whistler.
Go Canada Staff
Editorial
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