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October 14, 2009 | Tips from Us > Squamish, Hiking
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The Grouse Grind is considered “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster”, but the Stawamus Chief trail comes a close second. I know this because my thighs are still burning two days later.
This past weekend, three of us tackled the Chief to burn off calories from the previous night’s indulgent camping dinner (Kraft dinner, marshmallows, wine). I was looking forward to checking out the second peak route, as I’d only been to the first peak on previous Chief hikes.
The first and second peaks share the same trail for most of the journey. It’s steep, rocky and rooty. The trail was busy, but not packed, and there were lots of dogs hiking with their owners (patting friendly dogs is a good excuse for a break).
Near the top, the trail splits and the route to the second peak gets a little more challenging than the route to the first. Like the first peak, there are chains to help climb up and around the huge slabs of rocks, but they required a little more attention.
That being said, though, there were some children (maybe aged 7 and 10?) with their dad on the route; we stopped to give them a hand climbing the rocks and chains. They did great! It’s always awesome to see young kids out in the woods. They took it slow and steady and made it to the top with everyone else.
It took us an hour to hike up, and less time down. The trail was dry, but if there was a recent rainfall it would have slick, especially on the rocks.
The view of the water, mountains and Squamish was fantastic, and it was neat to see the first peak from the second peak. If you have the energy, I’d recommend the second peak over the first to avoid crowds. Feeling really energetic? There’s a third peak with even less people.
October 14, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Squamish, Camping
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When I think Thanksgiving, I think turkey (or rather, tofurkey) not tents. Well, this weekend I learned that a lot of people think tents, RVs and warm campfires on the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend.
Our plan was to take our new/old ’88 Westfalia campervan on a maiden voyage over the long weekend. We had a few campsite requirements: within cellphone range of Vancouver in case something falls off the Westy; no crazy unpaved roads; campfire. Bonus points for electric plug-in so we could make smoothies in the morning (hey – I didn’t say this was rustic).
Alice Lake Provincial Park in Squamish sounded good to us. We rolled in around 6pm, and were blown away by the number of people who had the same idea, albeit with more functional vehicles. Our smoothie dream was crushed when we found all 55 electric plug-in campsites were already taken. Nonetheless, we were able to find a nice spot tucked in the trees.
All that was left to do was to sit around the crackling fire, cook dinner on our campstove, and eat what seemed like a zillion marshmallows (they were the mini-kind, which made for some eclectic roasting methods). It was a clear night, so we had a nice view of stars peeking between the silhouettes of tree branches above. In the morning, we checked out Alice Lake and watched a fellow camper take his dog paddleboarding.
Before we left, the campground operator told us that more than ¾ of the 108 Alice Lake campsites were full, and that ALL of the 60 campsites in nearby Porteau Cove Provincial Park had been full since the Wednesday before the long weekend. Wow! I had no idea so many people went camping and RVing for Thanksgiving.
Overall, I had a relaxing, bug-free, quiet camping trip at Alice Lake Provincial Park. I’d definitely consider camping as a future Thanksgiving activity. Now all I need to figure out is how to roast a tofurkey over an open campfire
September 7, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Squamish, Hiking
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Garibaldi Provincial Park comprises of 194,650 hectares within the coast mountains and is located 13 km north of Squamish, 97 km north of Vancouver along Hwy 99 to Whistler.
Enjoy the hike!
September 3, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Squamish, Hiking
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Garibaldi Provincial Park comprises 194,650 hectares within the coastal mountains, and is perhaps Canada's most accessible and spectacular wilderness.
Raw and uncompromised backcountry, alpine meadows and glaciated heights, this scenically breathtaking area has endless outdoor opportunities, all within an hour of Vancouver.
The park is located 13 km north of Squamish, 97 km north of Vancouver along Hwy 99 on the road to Whistler.
June 23, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Squamish, Museums
The West Coast Railway Heritage Park is situated in Squamish, between Vancouver and Whistler.
It is a great half day visit with activities for the whole family.
You can ride the 3km miniature railway, climb inside old trains or
enjoy one of the many historical displays (it has the only restored
Railway Post Office car in Canada).
June 1, 2009 | Field Reports > Squamish, Hiking
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In the two years I've lived in the area, I've done a lot of hiking. I kept hearing about the Chief. I decided the time was right and I'd give it a try. I drove up to Squamish from Vancouver (about 60km) with some friends. We went past the Shannon Falls parking lot entrance to the next parking lot just off the highway on the right.
This parking lot leads into two more that have bathrooms and trail maps. We walked straight into the rock face following some small trails and found a bunch of hardcore rock face climbers. It was really cool to watch, but clearly we were in the wrong place. We followed the wide path past some camp sites and to the trail head.
The trail head is a HUGE boulder and is a true indication of what's to come. Up we went... The first part of the hike follows a water path (fall?) that runs from the top of the mountain. It's a great view as you climb the steps. The steps are really well taken care of and look fairly new.
If there are no wooden steps, rocks serve the same purpose as you climb, climb, climb. The tall trees shelter you from the sun but you're plenty warm with the workout you get.
The climb up is challenging but so rewarding. We chose to go to the second peak and near the top there are several rope or chain-assisted climbs. Although I'm a hiker and not a rock climber, I felt like I took a step toward being one.
And when you reach the top, the view is amazing. It's well worth the last hour-and-a-half of a literal up-hill battle. The snowy peaks seem within reach and the wide expanse of nature is breathtaking.
Although it was a very challenging hike for me physically, I would do it again in a second!
May 4, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Squamish, Wind-Surfing
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I went camping in Squamish this weekend, and on the way back to Vancouver we made a slight detour to watch kiteboarders at the Spit.
The Spit is a long, narrow gravel road (actually a breakwater) that juts out into the mouth of the Squamish River. Getting to the Spit is relatively easy; the roads are well marked until the last crucial couple of turns. With a little perseverance, we found our way and gently eased our rental car along the dusty gravel road.
The backdrop at the Spit was spectacular, with a fantastic view of the Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls behind the brightly coloured, looping kites. There were about a half dozen kiteboarders on the water, with another half dozen on land preparing to go out.
It’s amazing how much speed kiteboarders pick up as the glide across the water – and how much height they get in the air. Some of them must have been 20 feet above our heads. They seemed to like to do all their fancy jumps and tricks right near the spectators on the Spit.
I’m sure they were making it look a lot easier than it actually was… although we did see one pair of kiteboarders doing the “walk of shame” after being caught downwind. They were forced to gingerly step (barefoot) along the long gravel road back towards the launch site.
We spent half an hour being entertained by kiteboarders. Next time, we’ll bring chairs and extra layers of clothing – even though we weren’t actually in the cold water, it was still chilly just watching due to the blustery winds. On a warm summer day, this would be a unique place to snack on a picnic lunch in the afternoon.
May 4, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Squamish, Camping
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The sun was shining and we were in the mood for a Friday night camping getaway. Since this was the first camping trip of the season, we were looking for a place that was quiet, was easy to get to from Vancouver, and had basic amenities (water, flush toilets, firewood).
Paradise Valley Campground in Squamish fit the bill.
When we signed in at the campground, we met the hosts and picked up firewood ($5 for all you can carry) before heading to our site. The campground was clean and well maintained, and came with a resident hummingbird that buzzed around at dusk and dawn.
An unexpected camping highlight was rock-painting... the hosts will set you up with paints and brushes (free) and then let you unleash your inner Van Gogh on any rocks that you can fit in your hand. The result was colourful rocks tucked into corners of all the campsites (my own masterpieces are pictured above). Kids would love this! I’m proof that grown-ups find it pretty fun, too.
The next morning we hiked the short but straight-up trail to Brohm Lake from the campground. We couldn’t find the trail that went down to the lake (just a viewpoint of the lake), but it was a good way to stretch our legs and get out in the woods. Along the way, we saw more dogs (4) than people (2). The “boulder caves” were pretty neat, and are located at the beginning of the trail for campers who are too full of s’mores to hike the whole thing.
A few mosquito bites later, we headed back to the city in time to watch the Canucks game at home. If you’re looking for an easy, early season camping trip, I’d recommend Paradise Valley in Squamish.
May 3, 2009 | Tips from Us > Squamish, Snowshoeing
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Our 2 day (22km) snowshoe trek to Elfin Lakes was my first trip in the Diamond Head area of Garibaldi Park.
It was definitely more challenging than I had expected, friends who had done the trip in the summer described a hike that was relatively flat. In the winter you take a different route which was practically uphill all the way to the lodge. This made day 1 quite a challenge! That being said, the views were well worth it!!
We stayed overnight at the cabin at Elfin Lakes and enjoyed playing cards and cooking up a hearty dinner with the other travellers from BC and Washington State. The second day was mostly downhill making it a lot less strenuous so we had a chance to really enjoy the stunning scenery of the area and take some amazing photos on the way down.
This trek left our group with a feeling of accomplishment, especially the first time snowshoers!, so we finished the trip with some much deserved burgers at the Shady Tree in Squamish.
April 7, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Squamish, Snowshoeing
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If you’re relatively fit and have your own backcountry camping gear, the Elfin Lakes Route in Garibaldi Provincial Park makes for a scenic overnight snowshoeing trip within easy reach from Vancouver.
In mid-February, I joined six other friends for a snowshoeing adventure weekend. Our plan was to stay overnight in the hiker's cabin at Elfin Lakes, but when we got there, we discovered that someone had constructed three igloos just a short walk from the cabin. A closer look revealed that they were all vacant, so three of us decided that this was an opportunity we couldn't pass up! We definitely made the right choice... even though the temperature was below freezing and my boots had turned into blocks of ice by morning, we had a better sleep than the rest of our group who opted for the crowded (albeit toasty-warm) cabin.
The route to Elfin Lakes is 11 km (7 mi) one-way and is well marked. However, be sure to bring tire chains during the winter months for the sometimes icy drive to the trailhead. And if your heart is set on staying overnight, come prepared to camp outside, as the cabin fills up quickly on weekends.
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