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Stawamus Chief Park
Categories: Active Life Hiking Active Life Parks Hotels & Travel Campgrounds Hiking, Parks, Campgrounds [Edit]
Highway 99Squamish, BC V0N
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
12 reviews for Stawamus Chief Park
12 reviews in English
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Review from Alice A.
8/5/2011
Oh yeah summer fun!
Over BC Day, there must have been hundreds of hikers on the Chief. We had to wait in line, pass people and give way just to get to the top.
But the minute you get there, it's all worth it. The endless view is scenic and relaxing.
Definitely a do, and it isn't as hard as the Grouse Grind. -
Review from Meredith M.
Vancouver, BC
8/4/2011
Climbing the Chief is a great experience! Having done the Grouse Grind several times within the past year, by boyfriend and I were ready to try something new. I was jealous of everyone else's pictures of the peak and feeding chipmunks!
I made a huge mistake before starting and ate a Tim Horton's breakfast sandwich about 10 minutes before starting, which caused me a lot of pain and necessity for breaks for the first half of the climb. Thank god for endorphins! I felt really bad for the guy I saw as we were leaving and he was just arriving, chugging a 4L jug of chocolate milk. Do you have a death wish??
We skipped the first peak and went straight for the second and then the third. I'm short, with short legs, so my advice would be to wear long clothing. I had to use a lot of my upper body to pull myself up certain rocks, and I scrapped my arms.
I like this hike better than the Grouse Grind, because there is more variety during the climb, and the climb down is a lot of fun! We climbed down the trail other than the main trail (I don't know what it's called), and really enjoyed it.
I have to say that this is okay for older kids, as we saw a lot of families and I think somehow kids don't feel the pain! -
Review from Kate A.
Vancouver, BC
8/15/2011
I hiked the second and third peaks in early August. It was my first time on this trail, and I like it a lot !
As the elevation gain is only 600 meters ( comparing to the 853 meters elevation gain at The Grouse Grind), going up the Chief is not as challenging as doing the Grouse Grind. The last quarter of the second peak hike requires the use of chains and ladders. This is the fun part! The view on the second peak is SPECTACULAR!!! I spent 30 minutes enjoyed my lunch and the great view up there before heading to the third peak. Then I rested for another 10 minutes on the third peak. Later, I realized that the rest on the peaks was very necessary because hiking down took me a lot more effort. My knees started shaking at the last 20 minutes of the downhill hike. I managed to finish the hike within 6 hours ( including water and lunch breaks), and went back to my car with tiring legs.
Some notes for people who plan to hike the Chief:
1. A pair of hiking shoes and gloves with good grip (for chain/ladder and big rocks) will be very helpful
2. Most of the hike is in the shade, but the peak areas are quite barren, with limited shaded spots. Wear hat and sunscreen for the peaks
3. The short-cut between peaks 1 and 2 is quite challenging. There are many narrow and high ladders. If you are afraid of heights or a rookie hiker, think again before doing it. Even my friends who are experienced hikers rated this part strenuous. -
Review from Lea Q.
Burnaby, BC
5/24/2011
This is why they call BC the most beautiful place in the world. There is so much to choose from! This is one of my favorite intermidate hikes. I only have good memories from this place. If you've been dreaming of going rock climbing without experience or gear then this is the closet you're gonna get! Complete with huge natural rocks and chain along the way this is a out of breath but feel good climb.
Great hike but not as difficult as the Grouse Grind.
There is a huge sign, parking and a hiking trail map as soon as you come off the highway.
Plus you can get reception for your cellphone even at the top! -
Review from Teresa M.
3/30/2011
Great scenery. The 1.5 hours of stair stepper (read, big stairs!) that lead up to a dodgy, slick, chained summit are definitely worth it. We went up second peak about 3/20 and were wearing hiking boots. Bring a warm jacket for the summit, as well as waterproof gloves if you plan to summit and use the chains. Trust me you probably will unless you're going in summer. Be cautious about bringing kids on this climb. There's a kind of crevasse at the top where we were stepping on melting snow and wet rock and wet tree roots, so the chains are necessary. There is also a ladder. From the 2nd peak trail there is also a rebar ladder to go up the first peak. Don't use it! Just go the easy way.
Climbing here looks impressive in good weather. We didn't have trouble parking. There are 2 picnic tables in the parking lot, a portable toilet, and about 6-8 camp sites in terms of amenities.
COOL ROCK!!! Also, good free fun :) The drive from Vancouver is about 1 hour. Stop at Galileo Coffee on the way. -
Review from Mariko P.
9/21/2010
Warning, non-local, post-back from a hike about a month ago...
The Stawamus Chief is an impressive granite rock face popular with climbers and hikers and is located right off of Highway Number 1 on the way from Vancouver to Whistler in the BBC (Beautiful British Columbia, Canada).
Pre-hike thoughts
Driving up to the Chief, I thought to myself, "This is an impressive piece of rock!" I commented to my partner in crime that it looked like a bald eagle's head with its beak facing west. She looked at me puzzled in a sort of what-are-you-talking-about way and kept on driving :P
The other thing that the chief reminded me of was a similarly impressive and unique piece of rock sitting in the waters of Morro Bay, located off the Central California coastline. We drove by it on our quintessential Cali road trip down Highway 1 from San Francisco through Big Sur and the Central Valley down to the OC. This was a delightful trip that is consistently ranked as a top road trip for people to do.
Post-hike thoughts
The hike was harder than I thought it would be... and not necessarily due to the Chief itself!
We hiked up the backside (the face is pure vert, and you'd have to be either a seasoned climber or insane), and the terrain could be steep and required some agility to maneuver large rock, root and tree formations. Appropriately, the trailhead sign warned, "This is NOT a walk in the park."
The real reason though that I found the hike challenging was because of my partner's maniacal pace. Hiking the Chief is like ALL of our hikes or fitness runs. She has the amazing ability to start off fast... and sustain it. I, on the other hand, am like an aging automobile caught in a blistery Chicago winter. You need to warm me up before I can perform. So I was pretty much tired 10 minutes into it!
The Chief has three peaks. My partner had already done the first during a previous excursion, so we charged to the second. Interestingly the terrain changes as you ascend, with the bottom third being quite rocky requiring very amateur rock climbing ability, the second third was magical forest, and the last third felt like we had landed on top of the moon or some volcanic summit. It was awesome.
We made it up in probably less than an hour, and it was stupendous. For one, I got a workout and a well deserved, delicious, healthy picnic at the top (bring your own picnic btw), and we dined to magnificent views of Squamish, the sound, and heavenly blue skies (only available during summer months apparently).
I give the Chief a solid "Recommend." Take it at your own pace, bring water, food or snacks. While I wouldn't drag my parents up there (although there were much older seniors up there with walking sticks), the Chief is a great adventure for pretty much everyone. -
Review from Michael H.
Calgary, AB
9/15/2010
The hike, although all uphill, is one of the easier hill hikes I've done. Not too strenuous at all.
At the end, you're rewarded by gorgeous views (given that it isn't a cloudy day.)
There are three "peaks" to choose from. The first peak is the busiest. And involves a lot of chains and such to assist getting up some of the rock faces.
My suggestion to head straight to the third peak, stop, eat your lunch, then make your way along the Chief (not back to the hiking trail) to the second peak. From there you can get back down to the trail via a series of chains. A lot of fun. If you have time, you can head down the trail a bit and make your way to the first peak (I usually forgo the first peak, simply because it is the busiest and offers not much more in the way of views.)
For ease of hiking, this offers some of the best views available within an hour of Vancouver. Highly recommended, even for first timers.Listed in: Top of the Heap - Other
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Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
10/5/2009 3 photos
Blustery, gusty and windy, baton-down-the-hatches style!
With quads a burning, I sit here safe and sound at home after what was an epic climb to summit the Chief's first peak. Just kidding, it's not as hard as the Grind, in my humble opinion, however, it's also not for the faint of heart.
With a couple of ladders, chains and sheer faced terrain, this is not for fashionable sneakers and flip flops.
For the intermediate (ie. the "dudes" who were running, yes, I said running down the mountain; or the guys who were boasting of their 40 min summits) maybe all you need is a 2 hrs. But, for the beginner (ie. me, who takes breaks, enjoys the scenery while catching my breath, summits and eats a nice little lunch on top) I'd give a solid 3 hr window, plus some travel time on either side.
I've now hiked to the first and second peak and can honestly say that even though it's a longer hike to the second, I prefer it. There's more trees, more ladders, more chains, but less sheer drops offs and vertical scamperings up open face rocks to deal with.
And jeesh, man up bros, bring that water bottle. You don't look uncool carrying a camelback or a SIGG, you just look damned dehydrated ;p -
Review from Jenn W.
7/17/2009
I've never done the Grouse Grind, but I'm going to pretend I know what I'm talking about and say that the Stawamus Chief is far superior.
Located off of highway 99 just south of Squamish, Stawamus Chief Park is a mecca for rock climbers who tackle the 700 meter granite cliff face. There's a campground here, tent camping only & no fires - must be for hardcore rock climbers only!
I'm not a rock climber; the park also features trails that you can death march, I mean hike, to the Chief's three summits. The climb is rather painful, but at the top you are rewarded with sweeping views of Howe Sound and adorable alpine chipmunks that will run right up your legs and eat out of your hand.
Bring some beer and a picnic (raw nuts for the chipmunks) and relax on the granite summit until you can gather the energy to (my favorite part) race back down.Listed in: Bright Shining Stars (BC)
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Review from Shannon M.
North Vancouver, BC
8/6/2010
Definitely the most advanced hiking I've done. Love it!
This hike doesn't mess around. I would suggest you take the big boulder filter right at the beginning of the trail seriously. As in, if you have a really hard time climbing over those rocks, maybe consider not checking this one out. Like the BIG sign says, "This is not a walk in the park!" (and I really wish that all the random people who I saw attempting this completely unprepared last time I did it had paid attention to that little note).
The first bit is all big steep stairs which tends to leave me questioning my sanity. But, there are lots of rest points, and it does get better! Once you get past that first climb there is a lot of interesting and varied terrain to scamper over and I found that about a third of the way up I really found my stride. And there's something oh so satisfying about getting over the more challenging bits. Plus the reward at the end! Oh my! Last time we went we were completely in a cloud and rather than the famous (spectacular) view of Howe Sound we could only see the second peak peeking back at us. Surreal and super cool. Plus, the cutest chipmunks you ever did see like to hang out up there making big eyes at your trail mix.
If you've got bad knees, do be very careful with them on the way back down as it's quite tough on the legs. And I would definitely recommend hitting this hike up as early in the day as you can - the closer you get to the afternoon the more crowded (and therefore annoying) it gets. There's nothing quite like needing to take your time to make sure you don't misstep while you've got a herd of people right behind you and another herd coming up the other direction. But in the morning? Aahhh, so nice.Listed in: Do Stuff!
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Review from Daniella F.
Vancouver, BC
5/23/2010
After trying to hike up to Garibaldi Lake (in very late May) and finding that there was still a lot of snow on the trails and like 6 feet of snow in the campsite, my friends and I had to resort to Plan B since we lacked the cold weather gear for that sort of camping...
After climbing back down from Garibaldi, we decided to head back towards Vancouver and look for campsites on the way. Thank You Stawamus Chief Park! For $5, you get a clean, shady and sheltered campsite with a nice view over the water and of The Chief. Bathrooms are pretty clean for outhouses, and there is fresh drinking water on tap near the entrance of the camping grounds.
The nice thing about the campgrounds is that they are reserved for tent camping. A number of (non-BC Parks) camping areas around Squamish are primarily for RVs, which gives the place a different vibe. Some of those campgrounds had pretty permanent looking / sketchy mobile homes. So, camping at The Chief was just great. There aren't any showers, but that's ok. -
Review from Shirley C.
Burnaby, BC
8/28/2010 1 photo
Myself, my husband and my two boys, 12 and 14 did this hike for the very first time and we loved it! Well worth the effort and the view from the top is breathless! The climb is steep and made up of jagged granite rock, dirt trail, tree roots and near the top are steel ladders (welded into the rock) and steel chains (to help you climb up the steep parts of sheer smooth rock face) Once at the top, we went up to Peak 1 of 3 and each point offers a different view. From peak 1 you can see Eastward and look down on the sea to sky highway, Howe Sound and We didn't hike up to the other Peaks, but we're planning to do them on our next trips out, so I can't really comment, but I'm sure the views are just as spectacular.
If you like challenging hikes this is a great one to do and much more enjoyable than the Grouse Grind, although not as steep, its a great way to develop those 'buns of steel'. Great for the legs and if you go fast enough, gets your heart rate pumping too. Be sure to pack a granola bar and lots of water, comfy exercise clothes, not jeans and good hiking boots or grippy runners. I'd say this is an intermediate hike for someone who is in relatively good shape (excercises 3 or 4 times a week?)
