I had arrived at the Shannon Falls parking lot just outside of Squamish, BC at 11am. It was a Tuesday and the weather was perfect…clear skies and not too hot. As I left my car and started walking up the trail, I had the same sense of anticipation and elation that one gets when they are about to leave everything behind and embark on a vacation. I had of course heard about the Stawamus Chief and its popularity from friends and other hikers. Some had also mentioned that there was some challenging rock scrambling so I felt a touch of uncertainty as well. I was already a pretty experienced hiker and had done some pretty advanced hikes back east so I looked at this hike as more of a challenge than anything.
Most of the people walking up from the parking lot seemed to be headed for the Falls for a brief look with no intention of going any further. I noticed a few, though, were wearing hiking boots and had a look of determination that suggested that they were continuing on up, like me.
As I continued on past the Shannon Falls viewpoint, I passed a sign with the ominous headline: “This trail is NOT a walk in the park!” The sign also included a number of other warnings, including that “Search and Rescue Services assist many hikers on this trail.” Although I have seen other warning signs, this sign was the best…and no doubt necessary.
I reached a series of stairs and finally started gaining some serious elevation. The Stawamus Chief has an elevation gain of 600 metres and is about 11km long if you do all three peaks. Each peak is different both in terms of getting to the top and the views you have once you get there. I was unsure whether I would climb all three peaks and decided to play it by ear.
Hiking up to the first peak was pretty standard until I got past the ladder. After continuing on a little further, I came up out into the open on top of a giant slab of granite. With stunning open views of Howe Sound and Squamish below, my mouth was agape in awe. Climbing further up with the help of some chains attached to the mountain, I came up to the very top of the peak. There, in addition to the views looking south and west towards the water and Sea to Sky Highway, I could also see what awaited me if I decided to continue on. A little higher in elevation, the second peak loomed about 100 metres away, separated by a steep cliff. I could see others making their way up the peak.
I was hungry at this point so I decided to have lunch and enjoy the scenery with the other 20-30 hikers laid out on the rockface. Joining us were a scurry of extremely brave (and aggressive) chipmunks. These guys thought nothing about climbing down the side of the cliff or walking right up to you to inspect your sandwich. Although I think chipmunks are very cute, I am a little uneasy when rodents come right up and invade my personal space. As a result, when not taking in the views, I was busy keeping a vigilant watch.
Since it had only been a little over an hour since I started, I decided to continue on to the second or “Middle” peak. As I came up to a section with some serious looking rock-scrambling, I exchanged glances with a group of girls (seemingly still in high school) who were following behind me. As I climbed my way up the narrow section, I felt glad that the weather had been good the last few days with no rain. Given the steepness of the rockfaces, this is not a hike you want to do with rain or ice. After climbing up further with the help of another chain, I got to the top and felt….WOW! This view was even better than the first peak. Looking south-west, I could see the top of the first peak where I had squared off against the chipmunks. Looking to the north, I could see the third peak, which was even higher. And over the edge on the west side were views of Howe Sound and Squamish again. Of course, my little furry friends were sharing the views with me again and getting a little too personal, as usual.
As this point, I decided to continue on to the third peak because…why not? I wouldn’t even have to hike back to the main trail, as was required to get to the second peak from the first peak. Two young guys, also seemingly still in high school (or maybe I’m just old), were sitting next to me and mentioned they were also going on to the third peak but said the route involved backtracking a short distance. Having never done the trail before, I didn’t want to steer them the wrong way, although my map indicated you had to continue on north.
So I continued on north and, after a few minutes, found the trail to the third peak. Compared with the first peak and especially the tougher second peak, the third peak was fairly easy. At the top, I could see the first and second peaks in the distance and Howe Sound in the background. Climbing down the peak, I came across the girls who had followed me up the steep trail on the second peak. I had not seen them on top of the second peak but we smiled as we all had a feeling of accomplishment. I notice that with hiking, especially on longer and less crowded trails, you feel like you have a bond with the other hikers on the trail.
At this point, I would now bypass all three peaks, which were likely becoming bottlenecks as the day went on, and hike down a separate trail that would eventually connect with the original main trail I had taken at the beginning of the day. 30 minutes into the trail, I came across the two young guys who had told me they were headed to the third peak. They had continued all the way back down the second peak and past the trail to the first peak and then headed up this back trail. Although I felt bad that they had ended up going way out of the way, they were obviously in good shape and and could make it to the third peak in no time.
About 30 minutes later, I was continuing down the back trail when suddenly a hiker passed me. I had not heard a sound from him and thought I was alone but realized then that he was BAREFOOT. In addition, he was somehow managing to go at a very fast pace. I have seen others hike with minimalist running shoes like the Vibram FiveFingers but never barefoot.
Not longer afterwards, I made it down to the parking lot, a little sore but totally ready to hike the Stawamus Chief again. Very soon.
Wayne R
Best hike in Van…views vs hours hiked can’t be beat
Hayley N
Yes, I’ve done all 3 peaks in about 5-6 hours (with breaks) but the first one only takes an hour or two.
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Anonymous
Hi, Just wondering, if you take the chains and ladders to go up do you use the same path to go down? Ie use the chains to climb back down.
Thanks,
Sue
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