Stawamus Chief — Local services in Squamish

Hail to the Chief! 🪶🏔️🏞️

This hike has to be one of the best in all of Canada — challenging, breathtaking, and absolutely worth every step. I went up to the Second Peak, my favorite of the three, and I’m pretty sure it’s also the highest. The route is about 5.5 km round trip with roughly 650 m of elevation gain, and it took just over two hours at a steady pace.

Don’t underestimate it — this trail is basically the ultimate natural stair master. If you’re out of shape, your legs are going to be toast for a few days afterward. The climb is steep and relentless, winding through forest, rocks, and roots before breaking out into some of the most incredible views you’ll ever see.

The top section gets a bit spicy — chains, ladders, and a few sketchy moments where you’ll need both hands. It’s thrilling but definitely not for the faint of heart, and dogs won’t make it past this part. Once you pull yourself up onto the summit, though, it all pays off. The 360° view over Howe Sound and the surrounding peaks is simply unreal — one of those moments that makes you forget how much your legs are shaking.

Bring lots of water, a snack or lunch, and take your time up there. There’s plenty of space for a picnic, and every direction is a postcard. Just watch your footing on the way down — tired legs make for easy missteps.

A must-do hike. Hail...

By far my most favourite hike. It's about an hour drive from Vancouver and the view at the end is very rewarding. The reason I love this trail is because it is not repetitive (like grouse grind which is my least favourite one) and towards the end you get to use your hands to help you climb as well. If you are a bit of a risk taker and want some challenge (make sure you aren't acrophobic), there is a shortcut you can take from the second peak to the first peak. This has been my go to route everytime where I hit up second peak first. When you come down after the second peak, stop at the area where you come down the last bit of the chain section. Look around and you will find a warning sign where you can climb up vertically. Follow this path and eventually (need to explore a bit) you'll be able to cut through to the first peak. This is not a recommended route and you'll have to do at...

What an amazing hike!!! Review for the younger folks. We powered up to peaks 1&2 in 1 hour 45 min. We stopped a couple times as well. We are not crazy hikers by any means and average fitness. So a lot quicker than many reviews say! We did not head up to peak 3 as it seemed like the view would be same from peak 2 and really hard to access. Super worth it to hit peak 2 though. View is stunning. With day passes required during Covid it is so much nicer to get to the top and be only around a few others, not hundreds of people. Also helps to stop the bunching up at ladder and chain sections. Wear grippy shoes as a few of us had just gym runners and they were very slippery. Totally doable hike and the most challenging part is the first 30 min at start with all the stairs, don’t let it deter you! I was worried for this hike being too hard but it was incredible and so worth...