Route: Squamish, Sea to Sky Gondola
Area: British Columbia, Canada
Date of walk: 22nd August 2025
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 3.3 miles
Ascent: 400 feet
Weather: Sunny and very warm (30c)
Another travelling day took us from West Vancouver to our next base in Whistler following the spectacular Sea to Sky Highway. Along the way we passed through Squamish, which is home to the Sea to Sky Gondola. The gondola permits easy access to numerous high level walks, some gentle and some serious. Click here for the official trail map. There are several intersecting trails and navigation can be a little confusing. We downloaded the free trail map app which has gps functionality and this proved to be very useful
We parked in the official car park (charges apply) and bought our tickets for the gondola, which whisked us up the steep mountainside to the summit area. The wonderful views on the way up included the famous Stawamus Chief, the subject of a memorable walk last year. The Chief looks formidable from any aspect, but seen from the gondola it looks especially challenging
On arrival at the gondola station (‘Summit Lodge’) we crossed the wobbly Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge, a thrilling experience. We then set off along the Spirit Trail, from which there are superb views over Howe Sound and the twin peaks of Sky Pilot Mountain and Co-Pilot Mountain. After completing that we then followed the Panorama Trail, with more views of The Chief, the Wonderlake Boardwalk and the Wonder View Spur, all of which were easy and well waymarked, enjoying more spectacular scenery. On arriving back at Summit Lodge we caught the gondola back down to the start
It had a great way to break our journey
Click on the icon below for the route map
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
On board the Sea to Sky Gondola from Squamish, which takes us to a height of about 3,000 feet
On arriving at the summit area we make our way to the Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge
We cross the bridge which sways disconcertingly, especially in the middle section
Howe Sound from the Spirit Trail viewing platform
We follow the circular Spirit Trail
Wonderful views over Howe Sound as we follow the trail, which crosses huge slabs of granite along the way...
Sky Pilot Mountain and the Co-Pilot, about 6,600 feet high
Having completed the short Spirit Trail Loop we then follow the Panorama Trail
Mount Garibaldi, which is a dormant volcano standing at 8,786 feet
We head for the Garibaldi Lookout
Mount Garibaldi from the lookout
Further along the Panorama Trail
The Stawamus Chief, one of the largest granite monoliths in the world
Howe Sound
Mount Garibaldi again
The granite walls of The Chief
We cross Ghost Creek
We retrace our steps along the Panorama Trail
Howe Sound comes into view again
We now follow the Wonderland Lake Loop
At the end of the short Wonderland Lake Loop there's an option to follow the Wonderland Spur, which we decide to follow
The spur is a rougher trail than the others and crosses large slabs of granite...
A final view of the Sky Pilot Mountain and the Co-Pilot before we retrace our steps back to the Sea to Sky Gondola to end a very enjoyable walk
On the way back down we look across to The Chief, which we climbed last year. Happy memories - in retrospect
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