up on the Chief, as if the Earth were moving—strange, considering that underfoot is one enormous piece of rock. It’s a bit of a test of will to get close to the edge as the wind blows over the top. If you’re feeling particularly intrepid, have someone hold onto your ankles while you lean over for a look. It’s not as dangerous as it feels, but obviously it’s best to be cautious.
> CENTRE AND NORTH SUMMITS
If you take inspiration from rock-climbing tales yet are not prone to tackle the Chief’s sheer front face, you can still thrill to visceral contact with the rough granite walls via the Chief’s back route—just below the Centre Summit, where bolted lengths of chain and a metal ladder have been placed to assist hikers. Once on top, views quickly open up as the forest gives way to low-lying scrub pine, evidence of the summit’s dry and windswept environment. Note: Keep careful track of the orange markers designating the route. Owing to the scarcity of trees, the markers thin out at both the Centre and North summits, where dabs of orange paint on rock indicate the way. As you look across to the South Summit, the geography of the Squamish Valley is suddenly revealed.
Several rewards await you for carrying on as far as the North Summit (elevation 650 m/2133 ft). For one, as you make your way up the cleft between the two, you pass a dramatic viewpoint at the top of the North Gulch, where the walls are fortress-steep. Even better, once on the summit, the sound of an unnamed waterfall cascading down the slopes of an adjacent ridge drowns out the buzz of traffic, the drone of airplanes, and the nattering of hiking groups rising from far below. Find yourself a picnic spot sheltered from the constant breeze (which does help keep the bugs at bay in summer) and spread out.
To the north, Mamquam Glacier’s white face shares the horizon with the Diamond Head formation (see chapter 2); to the south, the peak of Sky Pilot Mountain dominates Goat Ridge, where the headwaters of Shannon Creek gather above the falls. As you make your way down off the North Summit and descend through a narrow, boulder-filled canyon, pay careful attention to the route markers. Your spirits will be buoyed by the satisfaction of having made the climb and a sense of relief at getting safely down after all the drama up top, but your toes will be shoved into the front of your hiking shoes for the next 90 minutes, so choose socks and footwear accordingly. This hike is an adventure and an accomplishment. You’ll never pass the Chief again without remembering that wonderful shaky feeling you had at the summit.
> SMOKE BLUFF SPARK
Access: Turn east off Highway 99 onto Loggers Lane at the Cleveland Avenue intersection. Head north past Rose Park for 1 km (0.6 mi) to a gravel driveway and a paved parking lot opposite the Squamish Adventure Centre where a sign depicts a climber. Outhouses and a notice board flank the trail. Ability Level: Moderate
Rock climbing around Squamish is not limited to the Chief. Just as popular are the Smoke Bluffs, a ridge that rises above the Mamquam Blind Channel to the north, on the east side of Highway 9 9. These small cliffs are laced with cracks that appeal to climbers of all abilities. And unlike many of the routes on the Chief, those on the Smoke Bluffs (or simply the Bluffs) are shorter—though no less intimidating in places—and much easier to reach. Thanks to their southern exposure, the granite walls also dry quickly in the morning sun. In fact, it’s the moisture evaporating from the walls that gave the bluffs their name. Climbers groom the rock faces with wire brushes to obtain an ideal smoothness.
After years of lobbying by the Federation of Mountain Clubs of B.C. and the Climbers Access Society of B.C., in 2006 a public climbing park was created at the Bluffs, not just for rope hangers but for everyone to enjoy. An aerial map posted in the climbers’ parking lot details various trails and several viewpoints—the best lie above Pixie Corner and beside Penny Lane, as well as beside Burgers & Fries, the most frequently climbed cliff in Canada. Wood and rock staircases lead up to one section called the Octopus’s Garden. Farther west, the loop trail narrows as it curves between two smooth granite walls where small groups of climbers regularly practice. They won’t mind you watching if you are quiet; safe climbing requires complete concentration.
> SQUAMISH ESTUARY TRAILS
Access: Turn south from Highway 99 onto Cleveland Avenue (the town’s main drag) to Vancouver Street; then head three blocks west to the trailhead and the Squamish estuary. Ability Level: Easy
The interpretive loop trail that leads through the town’s oceanfront estuary makes a fine wildlife-viewing walk. A wooden sign posted at the Vancouver Street trailhead bears a detailed map of the estuary and the grassy dike trail that rambles west past a massive new housing development and log-sort yard beside channeled waterways to Cattermole Slough, home to two hundred bird species, such as meadowlarks and sandpipers as well as overwintering waterfowl such as goldeneye, bufflehead, mergansers, and trumpeter swans.
Meadow Trail leads out on the estuary proper where uncluttered views really open up, with the smooth granite walls of the Stawamus Chief displayed to great effect. Equally arresting, if the skies are clear, is the dagger point of Atwell Peak and its broad-shouldered companion, Dalton Dome. Together they dominate the skyline of Garibaldi Provincial Park to the north. The trail follows the Central Channel atop the Heritage Dykes, the oldest human-made structures in Squamish. In the 1890s, Chinese laborers built these ramparts to reclaim the marshland for hayfields. Herons, Canada geese, and a host of ducks and seabirds work the channel. Strategically placed benches provide good viewing perches. Allow 45 minutes to complete the loop.
The narrow dike path is bordered by brick-red rosehips, and drifts of sedges pattern the surface of the slough. The white stalks of pearly everlasting rival Shannon Falls’ snowy tresses, which can be seen cascading down the slopes to the south of the Chief. Spires of solitary, stunted Sitka spruce anchor the estuary’s perimeter. Bright yellow cedar waxwings flit among the snags, seemingly oblivious to the strong winds, which power kiteboarders aloft in the distance. Wild roses scent the air. Breezes riffle the tall grass. From midsummer through fall, a palette of colors is on display, from blond cattails backed by an evergreen forest to silver poplar leaves framed against a robin’s-egg-blue sky.
Farther inland, two additional estuary trails—Forest Loop and Swan Walk—lead through wooded areas to the west of the BC Rail spur line. The easiest way to reach both trails is to follow Bailey Street, an industrial gravel road that curves around the north end of Chieftain Centre off Cleveland Avenue near Highway 99. Several approaches to the estuary trails are clearly marked here. Take Swan Walk for the best chance of spotting the trumpeter swans. These majestic honkers sport the largest wingspan of all West Coast birds.
> SQUAMISH HARBOUR DOCK
Access: At the intersection of Vancouver Street and Loggers Lane in downtown Squamish.
Until rail and road connections were opened in the 1950s, visitors from Vancouver arrived via boats, which often docked in the Mamquam Blind Channel. Prior to a disastrous flood in 1921, the Mamquam River flowed into Howe Sound along this channel. These days, the quiet backwater that extends to Rose Park (see below) almost drains dry at low tide. A paddle in this tranquil spot provides an excellent way to appreciate many of Squamish’s natural features, such as the Malamute—the “mini-Chief”—that rises sharply from the water directly across the Mamquam Blind Channel from the harbor dock adjacent the Squamish Yacht Club. A ramp here provides easy access to the channel for both hand-carried vessels and boat trailers. Best times to put in are early in the day before breezes begin to freshen on Howe Sound. One of my favorite sights out on the water is an oceangoing canoe paddled by a dozen or more members of the Squamish First Nations.
> SQUAMISH MUNICIPAL PARKS
