Sea to Sky Adventures in Squamish, BC

I have to be honest.  When I first heard of the proposal to build the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish, I was a doubter and really not thrilled with the thought of paving paradise to put in a parking lot.  Sometimes in life you have to earn the view, and to me hiking is one of those activities that rewards hard work and perseverance.  I also believe strongly in no impact camping and preserving nature for future generations.

Sea to Sky Gondola Parking Area - Squamish, BC

However, I was convinced to try the Sea to Sky gondola to see for myself.  Opened in 2014, the Gondola transports visitors from the parking lot adjacent to the Sea to Sky highway to the lodge at 885 meters.

Base Facilities - Sea to Sky Gondola - Squamish BC

We purchased our tickets, hopped in line and joined a young family in the Gondola car.  We were quickly whisked up the mountain.  The views from the Gondola were absolutely spectacular!  Unfortunately, we missed most of them, as we were completely taken with the young 'uns who shared our Gondola.  The kids were ages 2 and 4, and mom was pregnant with her 3rd baby.  They were dressed in muddy buddies, boots and toques and their excitement was contagious!  Hurrah for a young family connecting their kids to nature!  The little man, excitedly exclaimed GABOLA every time we passed another Gondola car.....it's the small things in life isn't it?

Summit Lodge - Sea to Sky Gondola - Squamish, BC

We soon arrived at the top, bid farewell to our newest "favourite" family and stopped in at the lodge.  Magnificent!  The Summit Lodge featured a restaurant, bar, tea house, gift shop and a sheltered place to take in the panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.  After reviewing the trail maps, we began our hike by crossing the Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge.  This bridge is 100 metres long and a definite crowd favourite. Having said that, we were surprised at how many people were truly fearful of crossing the suspension bridge.  It seemed a shame for them to miss out on the trails that beckoned from the other side.

Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge - Sea to Sky Gondola - Squamish, BC

Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge - Sea to Sky Gondola - Squamish, BC

The area is extremely well maintained.  In fact, we both commented that if felt a bit like visiting Tom Sawyer Island in Disneyland.  The trails and viewing platforms are well planned, well marked and feature signage highlighting the natural features along the way.

View of Sky Pilot - Squamish, BC

We enjoyed the views, and then decided to follow the trail leading out to the back country access.  We chose the Skyline Pilot trail hoping to take in views of Pilot and Copilot along the way.  It was an easy hike, with relatively little elevation gain and before we knew it, we were feasting on a picnic lunch at the end of the marked trail.  We joked that although the sign said end of the trail, we felt like it was only the beginning.  Despite the lodge and gondola being very busy, we did not encounter a single soul on the back country access trail.  I must confess...that is how we like it.

End of the line...Sky Pilot Valley Trail

We made our way back to the Lodge and decided to pop in for a coffee.  The lodge is a fantastic place to people watch.  It is a strange mixture of seasoned hikers (the ones covered in mud who refused to take the gondola up, and instead climbed and grunted their way to the top), tourists from all over the world and some of the best dressed hikers I have ever seen.  I could barely believe my eyes as a group of ladies in high heels made their way to the bar, purchased a couple of bottles of wine and settled in on the outdoor deck beside the roaring fire.  In truth, I still can't quite believe there was a bar up there!  Time passed quickly as we enjoyed the views...both those of nature and the people!

I left with mixed emotions.  We had definitely passed many people who physically would not have been able to visit this area had they been required to hike up on their own.  The demands of the hike would have been too much.  The Gondola has opened up an area of the mountain that many would not have the opportunity to visit.  Sea to Sky adventures appears to be attempting to blend education into the mountain experience and have created a wonderful opportunity for many to learn more about the mountain vegetation, wildlife and natural history.  Additionally, easy access to the back country provides hikers opportunities for expanded hiking options in the area.  Admittedly, we enjoyed a great day of hiking and yet there still is a part of me worried that we paved paradise to put in a parking lot.

Selfie Props - Sea to Sky Gondola - Squamish, BC

Giggle of the day:

We had the pleasure of riding the Gondola down the mountain with a couple of Aussies (it seems every fun story also begins with a couple of Aussies ) and a couple of gentlemen from Israel.  One of the Israelis was valiantly trying to share a story with us in English when his cell phone rang.  His ring tone was the theme song from the old western "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly".  We all broke out into laughter and then Rob asked the question we were all thinking....which one are you?  Without missing a beat, he replied, in perfect English...I am good.  It left us pondering which gondola the bad and ugly might be on.


Map and route tips

Fees

Gondola download is available for those hardy souls who hike up and want to relax on the way down.  There is a charge to download.

Trail maps available at the kiosk.

Interactive Map

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The Stawamus Chief - Mother Nature's Stair Climber

The Stawamus Chief is an iconic landmark.  It dominates the Squamish skyline and attracts tourists, hikers and climbers from all around the world.  This magnificent granite wall beckons you to approach and climb her.

View from 2nd Peak - taken on a sunnier day!

The Chief can be very busy as people flock to the area to test their fitness levels and take in the magnificent views from the three peaks.  On a clear day, the summit offers panoramic views of Howe Sound, the Squamish town site and the adjacent mountains. We prefer to hike the Chief in low season to avoid the crowds, as during the summer you can sometimes feel that you are experiencing trail gridlock.

Today was a perfect day to hike.  The weather was overcast and showers were in the forecast.  We knew that the views up top would be limited because of low cloud, but we felt the trade-off was worth it - very few folk on the trail.

Falls are picture perfect!

The trail begins climbing almost as soon as you leave the trail head.  As your heart rate starts to rise, you begin to realize that this will not be a casual stroll in the park.  The sound of the waterfall roars beside you and encourages you to keep going.  Today I hoped that the roar of the falls would cover the sounds of my huffing and puffing.

Series of stairs at beginning of hike

BC Parks does a fantastic job maintaining the park and trail.  The route to the peaks is well marked, with stairs and bridges strategically placed to aid hikers on their trek up.  It should be noted that the area is nesting habitat for Peregrine Falcons and often between April and June designated climbing routes will be closed to protect the nesting birds.

Chains assist climb on way to 2nd peak

Today we chose to go past the turn for the 1st peak and head straight to the second peak for lunch.  That is when the excitement began.  It was raining quite heavily by the time we reached the trail to second peak.  The rock was wet and slippery.  As we crawled and clawed our way up the rock, clinging to the fixed chains we began to wonder if we should have waited for a drier day.  The rock was really slippery.  By the time we reached the fixed ladder we were debating the wisdom of continuing on.  Truthfully, I was more worried about going back than pushing on.  We rested for a few minutes, caught our breath and then continued the climb.  We were not the most graceful looking pair as we clung to the rock.  Thankfully, we soon reached the top of the second peak.  The clouds briefly lifted and we took the opportunity to take in the view and shoot a few pictures.

Waiting for clouds to break for view of Howe Sound

Feeling rested and thankful to have finished the ladder section, we began looking for the trail to the third peak.  As we roamed about, three young guys approached.  They were also in search of the route to the third peak and they were feeling exactly as we were....it was too slippery to go back the way we had come.  There must be another way down!  We began to search for the trail together.

Granite everywhere!

We managed to find the trail markers leading to the third peak and enjoyed a breathtaking view while munching on our lunch.

Fragile beauty on 3rd peak

Not wanting to revisit the ladder and chains we made the decision to return via the Slhanay trail.  Although not as popular or as well marked, the Slhanay trail is amazing.  Within minutes you feel as though you are back in prehistoric times.  The trees are huge, the smells are fresh and the vegetation is lush.  It is like a land before time.

Return trip on Slhanay Trail

After descending for quite a distance, the Slhanay trail eventually joins back to the Chief trail.  As we drew near to the series of stairs we encountered a school group.  Thirty middle school students and two courageous teachers were on a geography field trip.  We chuckled to ourselves as some things just don't seem to change and we were reminded of our glory days chaperoning school trips.  There was a core group of kids at the front, literally racing up the mountain, a group in the middle more interested in chatting than looking at rocks or trails and the few stragglers who really didn't want to be anywhere near the mountain.  We congratulated their teachers on their ambition and dedication and wished them luck.

Giggle of the day:

The weather broke for a few minutes, so we decided to lay out our foamie and enjoy lunch from the second peak.  As we were peering out from the ledge and admiring the view, I began to think of the recent slide.  Thankfully, there were no injuries or damage to property.  However, a big hunk of that magnificent granite wall had simply fallen off.  I am sure there are numerous geotechnical terms for the actual event, but at that moment all I could think of was a slab of mountain falling off.  I inched a little further back from the edge, and sweetly asked Rob if it made him feel a little uneasy sitting on the edge of a mountain that a few days ago had "fallen off".  Rob said and I quote, "I was feeling pretty good about our lunch spot, but thanks for sharing your thoughts."  FYI - a few minutes later, I noticed he inched a little further back.


Map and Route tips:

There is a campsite at the base of the Chief, complete with slack lines.  Vehicle and walk-in sites are available.

Stawamus Chief Provincial Park and Protected Area

Trail Map

Be sure to visit Shannon Falls if you are in the area!