and follow the links to Garibaldi Provincial Park. Note: A parking fee of $3 per day is charged year-round. Those planning to stay at the Elfin Lakes cabin ($10 each per night, $25 per family) or the campground ($5 each per night) must register and prepay at the parking lot kiosk.
> 3 SQUAMISH AND PARADISE VALLEYS
> LOCATION : 76 km (47 mi) north of Vancouver, 16 km (10 mi) north of downtown Squamish, 50 km (31 mi) south of Whistler, 87 km (54 mi) south of Pemberton
> ACTIVITIES : Camping, climbing, cycling, fishing, hiking, picnicking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, swimming, viewpoints, walking
> HIGHLIGHTS : Eagles, cataracts, swift water
THE SQUAMISH and Paradise valleys are dominated by four glacial rivers—the Cheakamus, Cheekye, Squamish, and Mamquam, which converge here before they meet the ocean.
The Cheakamus River, having almost completed its flow south from Whistler, picks up water from the Cheekye just before it joins the Squamish near Brackendale. The Mamquam River comes in from the east to add volume to the Squamish, downstream from Brackendale. As you head along the back roads leading from downtown Squamish north to the Brackendale neighborhood, then beyond into the Squamish and Paradise valleys, you’ll quickly discover easy routes on which to walk, pedal, or drive. You can choose to follow a gentle country road or a river-dike trail, none of which will prove too lengthy or vertically challenging.
The farms you pass will be small compared to the wide expanse of the Pemberton prairie to the north. Although the rich agricultural lands here were a powerful lure for the region’s first European settlers, today urbanization is putting the future of Squamish’s family farms in jeopardy. Still, a pastoral ambience prevails, making these back roads a good place to stretch your legs while enjoying seasonal colors, counting eagles, or tracing pioneer byways. The finest hops in the British Empire were once grown here and exported to England for use in brewing beer. Although the market for hops ended abruptly with the outbreak of war in 1914, a reminder of the aromatic crop’s glory days in the valley is preserved in the name Hop Ranch Creek, which drains Alice Lake.
As you journey north on Buckley Street from downtown Squamish towards Brackendale, Buckley crosses the BC Rail tracks and turns into Government Road. At the West Coast Railway Heritage Park (39645 Government Road; 604-898 -9336; www.wcra.bc.ca), vintage train cars and steam engines such as the Royal Hudson are displayed on the grounds and in a large roundhouse. The history of Squamish is interwoven with that of the railway, once the largest employer in town, and the museum has found a receptive home. One of the oldest pieces of equipment on display—and my personal favorite—is the stout-hearted 2-Spot locomotive, which went into service in Squamish with the Howe Sound and Pemberton Valley Northern Railway in 1910. Climb aboard and ring its resonant bell.
> BRACKENDALE AND CHEEKYE
Access: Follow Government Road to 7 km (4.3 mi) north of downtown Squamish, or just west of Highway 99 on Depot Road, where a large sign of an eagle is posted.
Once an important relay station on the Pemberton Trail, Brackendale was eclipsed by Squamish when that port began to grow in importance with the construction of a government wharf in 1902. Although Brackendale was located only 7.5 km (4.6 mi) north of the Squamish waterfront, it sometimes took the early travelers who arrived aboard the steamer Saturna half a day to make the journey between the two. Today Brackendale is part of the municipality of Squamish.
A large population of bald eagles has called Brackendale home since long before the arrival of Europeans. From November to March, when the tall black cottonwoods stand bare, you can see massive nests high in their branches. The eagles return each year to reclaim their penthouses, repair them, and add new nest material, and every January there is a tally of the birds’ numbers. In 1994, a world-record 3,769 bald eagles were counted along the Squamish River, making this one of the largest nesting colonies of these magnificent birds in North America. Thanks to the efforts of community leaders, Brackendale Eagles Provincial Park was created on the site in 1999.
Winter is prime time in eagle country. The best viewing spot is from the top of the dike beside Government Road, directly across from the Easter Seals Camp. From here you may see thirty or more eagles at any one time. (The Squamish River didn’t always flow this close. Longtime residents remember when hayfields stretched a kilometer west of where the dike stands. This land was flooded when the river assumed its present channel in 1940.) A wheelchair ramp leads up onto the dike from Government Road. Two benches, whimsically fashioned from driftwood, provide good perches for enjoying grand views of the river, valleys, and mountains. Information kiosks mounted on the dike, including an inspirational Skomish First Nations display, detail the natural history of eagles.
North of Brackendale, Government Road meets the Squamish Valley Road coming west from Highway 99. Signs on Highway 99 indicate the turnoff to Squamish and Paradise valleys. Just as you begin driving west from 99 towards the small Native settlement of Cheekye, also the Squamish name for Mount Garibaldi, one of the best views of Mount Garibaldi’s Atwell Peak, Dalton Dome and the red lava ridge below it rises in the east. The best time to catch it is late in the day when the sun lights up the rock face. A bridge crosses the Cheakamus River at Cheekye, and on its far side the road divides into the Squamish Valley Road to the left and the Paradise Valley Road to the right.
> SQUAMISH VALLEY ROAD
Access: 12.5 km (7.8 mi) north of downtown Squamish via Government Road; 4 km (2.5 mi) west of Highway 99 on Squamish Valley Road. On the west side of the Cheekye Bridge the road divides. To the left, the Squamish Valley Road continues northwest while to the right the Paradise Valley Road heads north. Check your gas gauge before exploring the Squamish or Paradise Valley roads. The nearest gas station is in Brackendale.
Reasons for making the journey up the Squamish Valley are plentiful. In early summer, daisies, elderberries, and thimbleberries color the roadside while glaciers cloak the surrounding peaks, from the expansive Tantalus Range at the valley’s southwest corner north to the aptly named Icecap Peak and Powder Mountain, a reminder that parts of B.C. are still emerging from the most recent ice age. In July, the broad Squamish River, augmented by creeks strung like shoelaces from the receding snowline, gets low enough to entice experienced paddlers and rafters. As the water levels drop, sandbars appear, creating soft campsites for stargazers. Given that the valley rises steeply beside the road, hiking trails are few—though you can explore the well-marked High Falls scenic route, a short distance north of Cloudburst.
Partnered with the Squamish River Forest Service Road, the Squamish Valley Road runs northwest for 40 km (25 mi), winding through shady stands of tall broadleaf maples towards a small settlement informally known as Cloudburst. The Squamish River accompanies the road in places but is hidden for the most part, and this is an easy place to cycle. There’s also a particularly good viewpoint of Tantalus and Zenith mountains from the one-lane bridge across Pillchuck Creek, about 13 km (8.1 mi) from the Cheekye River Bridge.
The valley is a narrow floodplain with rarely a cleared homesite. When you do spot a house, it typically sits atop large raised earthen pads or on stilt supports, which provide incomparable views of Mount
