10 Adventurous Things to Do in Squamish | British Columbia, Canada

Squamish is a wonderland full of outdoor adventure. Known as the adventure capital of Canada, visitors can find year-round access to hiking trails, rock climbing, mountain biking, and so much more. This is the perfect place to visit for thrill seekers and those who love the outdoors. If planning a trip to Vancouver nearby, you can’t miss this outdoorsy paradise.

Riding the Sea to Sky Gondola, hiking the Stawamus Chief Loop Trail, and visiting Shannon Falls all top the list of things to do in Squamish. In this guide, we cover 10 essential experiences to have in Squamish plus what you need to know to plan a trip here.

Our visit was in March. Several hiking trails were still snow-covered, so we had to skip those, but even so, we were able to do quite a bit. The Stawamus Chief Trail was a highlight, as was skiing at Whistler and riding the Sea to Sky Gondola.

Table of Contents

Best Things to Do in Squamish

1. Shannon Falls

What is It: Towering at 335 meters (1,105 feet), Shannon Falls is the 3rd largest waterfall in British Columbia and a must-see while in Squamish.

How to Visit Shannon Falls: Perfect for great views and a quick spot to stretch your legs, Shannon Falls is located directly off the Sea to Sky Highway, a 10-minute drive south of Squamish (look for Shannon Waterfall Parking Lot on Google Maps). Here you’ll find a small park with a short, very easy trail that leads to two different viewpoints of the falls. A quick stop here is a top recommendation for all ages.

2. Hike the Peaks of the Stawamus Chief

What is It: The Stawamus Chief is the iconic granite monolith that towers over the town of Squamish. Standing a little over 700 meters (2,303 feet) tall, this natural landmark is made up of three distinct peaks, all of which can be hiked.

The Stawamus Chief Trail is arguably one of the best hiking routes in and around Squamish due to its fantastic location and incredible views from the top.

View from the Second Peak

Know that this hike is strenuous despite its short distance. You’ll find a number of short but steep climbs over rock and wooden staircases, as well as a few technical rock scrambling sections. The views, however, make all the hard work absolutely worth it.

How to Do It: The trailhead is found within the Stawamus Chief Provincial Park, just off the Sea to Sky Highway and only a few minutes’ drive from both Shannon Falls and the Sea to Sky Gondola. The park features a campground, plenty of stellar climbing routes, and several other hiking trailheads.

You can learn more about hiking the Stawamus Chief and our experience by reading our Stawamus Chief Trail Guide ↓

Trail Guide

How to Hike Stawamus Chief: First, Second & Third Peaks

Step-by-step trail guide for the Stawamus Chief hike.

3. Sea to Sky Gondola

One of the best family-friendly ways to experience Squamish is by taking a journey up the Sea to Sky Gondola. Just a few minutes outside of Squamish, visitors can ride the gondola to the summit and enjoy panoramic views of Howe Sound and the Stawamus Chief.

Things to Do at Sea to Sky: At the summit, you’ll find a wide variety of activities suitable for all ages. Walk across the Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge, climb the Squamish Via Ferrata for a unique and thrilling experience and with the variety of hiking trails, snowshoeing excursions, and scenic viewpoints, there’s plenty of fun in store for everyone.

Sea to Sky Gondola

Best Things to Do on the Sea to Sky Gondola, Squamish, Canada

Everything you need to know to plan your visit to the Sea to Sky Gondola.

Hours and Pricing: Get updated prices and hours of operation on the official website. A day ticket includes a round-trip ride on the gondola, along with access to the Summit Lodge, suspension bridge, and the trails found at the top.

4. Sea to Summit Trail

What is It: The Sea to Summit Trail is one of the most popular hiking trails in Squamish and the perfect add-on if doing the Sea to Sky Gondola. It is an advanced 6.5 km (4mi) one-way hike that follows the gondola all the way up to the Summit Lodge. Do note that it is recommended to hike up the Sea to Summit Trail, and take the gondola back down, due to the steepness of the trail.

Along this trail, you will weave your way up the mountainside, stroll along Shannon Creek, and occasionally pop out of the forest for impressive, panoramic views of Howe Sound. The trail also intersects both the Stawamus Chief Trail and the Shannon Basin Trail, both of which are fantastic options to extend your hike.

When to Do It: The Sea to Summit Trail is best hiked between mid-March and November, when the snows have melted. Consider hiking the trail in the morning and exploring the summit at Sea to Sky Gondola in the afternoon.

Howe Sound

5. Rock Climbing & Bouldering

Often considered as the mecca of Canadian rock climbing, Squamish offers thousands of diverse climbing routes. Climb within Smoke Bluffs Park just on the outskirts of town, up portions of the Stawamus Chief face, or even climb past booming waterfalls. Whether you’re an experienced climber or a first timer, you have to give this a shot.

With so many great routes around Squamish, it’s hard to pick the top spot to climb. But who should be limited to just one? For great climbing, we recommend visiting Smoke Bluffs Park, or Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls. You’ll find hundreds of various routes at either site and plenty of views to go along with them.

6. Smoke Bluffs Park

Apart from boasting literally hundreds of climbing routes, Smoke Bluffs Park is a great place to spend a chill afternoon in Squamish, with short, beginner-friendly hiking trails and good views over town. The park is less than a minute drive from Squamish.

7. Hike to Garibaldi Lake

What is It: Garibaldi Lake is a beautiful turquoise lake found high in the mountains halfway between Squamish and Whistler. With stunning alpine views of the lake and surrounding Garibaldi Ranges, this is one of the best hikes around Squamish.

How to Visit Garibaldi Lake: The trail to Garibaldi Lake begins at the Rubble Creek trailhead and is 11.3 miles (18 km) round-trip. Expect a challenging route to the lake, but the views look to make it totally worth the effort. You can also choose to add on an extra 6 miles round-trip to hike the Panorama Ridge for the best views of Garibaldi Lake. We never completed this hike when we visited in March due to the snow, but this is right on the top of our list for if we return!

Garibaldi Lake | shutterstock.com

When to Go: The trail to Garibaldi Lake is open year-round, but the best time to hike is from June to October. Since Garibaldi Lake is higher up in the mountains, snow covers the trail for most of the year. Begin the hike at the Rubble Creek trailhead.

Pro Travel Tip: You will need to purchase a parking pass at least 2 days in advance for Rubble Creek if hiking between mid-June and October. You can learn more on the official website.

8. Mountain Biking

Not only is Squamish famed for their rock climbing, but they also boast an incredible assortment of mountain biking trails. You’ll find hundreds of miles of trails tucked away in the mountains surrounding Squamish. Whether you’re interested in a calm afternoon ride through the forest or a high-octane and technical mountain descent, there’s a trail for everyone.

Diamond Head and Valleycliffe are two of the top spots to mountain bike in Squamish. Valleycliffe is only a few minutes from town, and Diamond Head is 10 minutes further north via car. You can ride solo, head out with friends, or join a tour.

The best time to mountain bike in Squamish is from April to October, when trails further up into the mountains begin to melt their snow.

9. Winter Snowshoeing

For those looking to get some winter hiking in and enjoy the crisp, outdoor air, why not try snowshoeing? A good number of hiking trails double as snowshoe trails in the winter season, allowing visitors to enjoy the beautiful Squamish scenery year-round.

10. Drive Out to Whistler

Whistler Blackcomb is famous for being North America’s largest ski resort, boasting world-class skiing and snowboarding, as well as fantastic mountain biking in the summer. Whistler also hosted a number of events at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. You can still find the ski jump slope in Whistler’s Olympic Park.

Whistler is an hour drive north from Squamish. If you have an extra day, we highly recommend making the trip up to Whistler.

How to Get to Squamish

Squamish is roughly an hour drive north from downtown Vancouver. You’ll follow the Sea-to-Sky Highway the bulk of the way, which offers incredible views of the Howe Sound, several large islands, and numerous towering peaks. We made the drive into Squamish twice, and both times were simply blown away by how scenic this drive is.

Where to Eat & Drink in Squamish

After a long day of outdoor adventure, chances are you’ll work up quite the appetite. Luckily there are plenty of great options in Squamish for a hearty meal.

Our favorites are The Copper Coil Still & Grill and Howe Sound Inn & Brewing. We ate at both of these spots after long days of hiking and enjoying a meal here while looking out at the Chief was one of our favorite things on our trip to Squamish. For quick bites, consider visiting Steve’s Poke Bar or Saha Eatery.

Squamish

The Copper Coil Still & Grill

Best Time to Visit Squamish

There’s a lot to do outdoors in Squamish but planning your activities will depend on what time of year you visit. You’ll find plenty of snow in the valley during the winter months, and trails higher up into the mountain will still be snow-covered as late as March and April.

The best time to visit Squamish is from June to October. Temperatures will be perfect for a long day outdoors (average highs around 68°F/20°C) and the snows will be mostly melted higher up into the mountains.

Spring and fall also make great times to avoid the crowds. You’ll still be able to complete almost everything on this list (you’ll even be able to snowshoe at higher elevations), and temperatures will be cooler but still comfortable. We visited in mid-March and had a fantastic time.

If you have any questions about the best things to do in Squamish, let us know in the comment section below.

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