An access road to a lake in Whistler has been closed to accommodate thousands of tiny toads.

The road to Lost Lake, a short drive from Whistler Village, was closed Tuesday when path became so crowded with toadlets that cars couldn't pass without killing them.

In a statement, the Resort Municipality of Whistler said the road and parking lot will be closed to vehicles until Thursday at least, and will be reassessed on Friday. The grassy areas and beach are also closed to accommodate the hopping baby amphibians.

The trails through the area are still open to bikes and pedestrians, but the area's golf club is also affected by the migration. For the rest of the week, the club will be providing hitting nets at its clubhouse, and re-routing golfers to the practice facility by golf carts, rather than the Fairmont Chateau Whistler's shuttle.

The municipality has environmental technicians and volunteers helping the coin-sized Western toadlets cross safely from the Valley Trail to forested areas.

Every year, tens of thousands of the species migrate from the Lost Lake Park beach to the surrounding forest between late July and the end of August.

"During peak hours an estimated 1,800 toads per hour can cross the beach trail," the municipality's statement said. The toadlets are most active between 8 and 11 a.m., and 5 and 7 p.m.

Last week, another mass migration of Western toads was spotted at Lambly Lake in the Okanagan.

Western toads are common west of the Rockies, favouring "semi-arid and wet forested regions of B.C.," according to the provincial Ministry of Environment. Dense piles of toads and toadlets are common along the shores of breeding sites.

The knots are deep as well as wide, with the dark-coloured toads and young toadlets clambering on top of each other.

Experts say they form the living piles for protection, as open areas leave the toads exposed to the sun.

Although there are thousands of young hoppers at Lambly and Lost lakes, the Western toad species' numbers are believed to be on the decline. They are a protected species of concern here, and have disappeared from broad areas of the U.S.

The province of B.C. is monitoring their habitats and tracking populations over time to learn more about how to help the species.

The video below shows a mass migration of Western toads at Lambly Lake, shot on Thursday, Aug. 4.