Hiking Up: If you’re more inclined to slip on a pair of lightweight hiking shoes and throw some snacks and water into a backpack, consider two alternatives to storming the walls. These routes may make you feel like you’re climbing a clandestine staircase to gain access to the turrets of a castle—especially if you begin early, before everyone else who knows the way shows up too.
There are two approaches to the Chief’s trailhead. One leads from nearby Shannon Falls Park (see above); the other begins a short distance above the Highway 99 roadside viewpoint. From Shannon Falls, signs point the way. Travel time to the Chief is 30 minutes on this well-maintained trail, the first half of which leads over level ground through an alder forest. Once it reaches the base of the mountain, the trail begins to climb beside the smooth granite rock face, which is covered in places by green lichen. A small bridge over Olesen Creek, gurgling through a cleft in the mountainside, provides a good glimpse of Howe Sound below. The Chief Peaks Trail begins across the creek.
Squamish Spit
The trailhead in Stawamus Chief Park lies beside the 63-site campground (16 vehicle and 47 walk-in sites; see www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks for details). This is where out-of-town climbers are typically ensconced. Park here. Once on foot, you’ll pass a spacious cooking shelter with picnic tables, stainless steel counters, and food lockers to help deter bears.
Pay particular attention to the cautionary signs posted at the foot of the first of a series of steep staircases. As BC Parks takes pains to point out, “This is not a ‘walk in the park.’” Also listed are recommendations to dress properly and avoid injury. Equally telling are the older markers affixed to the trees by the Federation of Mountain Clubs of B.C., which maintained the trail before the establishment of the provincial park here in 1997. They say: “To all peaks carry water.” There is little shade on much of the trail, so pack plenty of fluids.
Stawamus Chief Mountain has three summits, each one progressively higher and separated by deep clefts. At the outset, a common trail leads upwards towards all three. It then divides into two separate routes. Along the trail the handrails are smooth and well oiled from constant use. The bridge to the Shannon Falls Trail soon appears over Olesen Creek where a bench provides good views over Howe Sound and the ripples where the outflow of the Squamish River meets the tidal action. Several distinct shades of green delineate the zones of dissolution as fresh and salt water blend. This is a good place to assess how much higher you want to climb. It helps if you are as psyched as the climbers on the Chief’s smooth face.
Wood and stone stairs lead upwards beside Olesen Creek. Potholes in the creek brim with clear water. The cool sounds of the rushing water help your frame of mind on a hot day. At the junction 40 minutes beyond the bridge, the majority of hikers head for the South (or First) Summit, a 7-km (4.3-mi) round trip. There’s no loss of face in joining the relatively easier conga line to the South Summit (elevation 600 m/1969 ft), particularly if you are hiking with young children or dogs. That said, I recommend the numerous rewards—such as some modest rock climbing and a great view of a notch on the Chief’s north face—if you choose the slightly more challenging route to the modestly higher Centre (Second) and North (Third) Summits, an 11-km (6.8-mi) round trip. In fact, one of the most pleasant options, particularly if you have an extra hour’s time, is to follow the loop that links both.
No matter which summit you choose, be prepared for an unrelenting regime of up, up, and up (and the resultant knee-knackering corollary of down, down, down). Pace yourself by monitoring your breathing. Never climb so fast that you can’t breathe through your nose—the most effective way to feed your oxygen-starved muscles. This also ensures you take the time to enjoy your surroundings. Unlike the stark openness of the Chief’s apron, its hiking trails lead beneath tall stands of ramrod-straight Douglas fir. These provide shade as welcome as the steady breeze that funnels round the mountain off Howe Sound. The constant owl-like hooting of one or more male blue grouse accompanies you.
> SOUTH SUMMIT
During the entire climb, you will find yourself walking up, around, next to, and under the solid granite of the Chief. The trail is smooth and wide in most places. And the higher you climb, the more exhilarating it becomes, until, finally, near the top and above the tree-line, you reach a broad and open windswept spot. The most difficult part is now behind you; relax and contemplate the lunch menu on this final section. From here you can see Shannon Falls in profile to the south, with the ribbon of Highway 99 curving beyond until it goes out of sight past the Garibaldi viewpoint. To the north, the Squamish River cuts through the valley between Brackendale and Howe Sound. Across the water to the west are the glaciated peaks of the Tantalus Range.
Your imagination may begin to work overtime as you approach the edge of the cliffs. Thinking about the sheer walls below is dizzying. My legs always tremble involuntarily 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