The Itinerary at a Glance
| Time | Stop |
|---|---|
| Morning | Fox & Oak → Downtown → Farmers Market (Sat) or Oceanfront Park |
| Midday | Fergie's → Brackendale Eagle Run Trail |
| Afternoon | Sea to Sky Gondola |
| Evening (optional) | Backcountry Brewing |
Getting There: The Drive Up the Sea to Sky
Squamish is about 65 km north of Vancouver on Highway 99, better known as the Sea to Sky Highway. On a good day with no traffic, you're looking at around an hour from downtown Vancouver or a bit longer from the suburbs.
The drive is genuinely one of the best in BC. You follow the coast north out of West Vancouver, and somewhere past Porteau Cove, the mountains start closing in on both sides until it opens back up to follow the Howe Sound the rest of the way to Squamish. A few practical notes for the drive:
- Leave early. On weekends, especially, traffic on the Sea to Sky can back up heading north in the morning and south in the evening. Leaving Vancouver before 8:30 am makes the whole day smoother.
- Gas up before you leave. Squamish has gas stations, but fuel is usually cheaper in the city.
- The highway is well-maintained but has some exposed sections that can be icy in early spring. Check DriveBC if you're going before May.
The stretch of road between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish is one of my personal favourites in the entire world. I've driven it in nearly every possible combination of season and weather and love it in almost all of them (thick fog is enough to ruin it). If you get a nice day, the trip up will be worth it by the time you're passing Britannia. Don't forget to give your windshield a clean because you will be taking lots of videos of the road.
Morning: Coffee and Downtown Squamish
First stop is Fox & Oak for good coffee and great donuts. This coffeeshop has one of the best vibes in town, partly because it is literally always busy. Year-round and every day of the week, you will see locals and tourists sitting on the patio and queuing out the door for a donut.
It's actually so busy that we don't come here as often anymore, but if it's your first time downtown, I think it's a great first stop.
From here, take a wander through downtown. It's compact enough to cover on foot in under an hour. A few places worth ducking into:
- Random & Co: A large consignment store that has a good selection of both men's and women’s clothing. It generally has a good selection of athletic brands like Patagonia, Lululemon and Arcteryx.
- Book Mountain: A comprehensive book shop with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Most books are new; however, they do have a selection of used books as well.
- Pearl's: An amazing thrift store with actual thrift store prices (half of the things in our new apartment are from Pearl's).
If you're visiting on a Saturday, you can also visit the Squamish Farmers Market before 2 PM. Great for vibes, baked goods, ceramics, and local produce. It has a relaxed energy, and it's an easy way to spend an hour before lunch.
Any other day, head to Oceanfront Park instead. The views of the Stawamus Chief and Howe Sound from the waterfront are incredible, and it's a nice place to get your bearings before heading north.
Midday: Brackendale (The Eagle Capital of The World)
About ten minutes north of downtown is Brackendale. It's a quick detour and worth it.
Fergie's Cafe
Next up is lunch at Fergie's Cafe. This is a brunch spot set in the trees with a big menu and a great reputation (sort of). Its reputation for food, drink, atmosphere, and location is incredible, but their reputation for their wait times is notorious!
It runs as quickly as they can, but this place is wildly popular. Weekends in the summer, the peak brunch wait can be a few hours, but they do open a coffee cart out in their yard, and they have little shops and picnic tables set up.
So my suggestion is to plan for this to take a while. Go put your name down, and then head down to the yard to lounge, shop, or grab a coffee. And if it's an especially long wait, take a short walk over to the river and go for a stroll along the bank.
In the summer, we will often actually go do this without even putting our name down. Just grabbing one of their to-go drinks and hanging around the yard or walking by the river is worth the trip over in itself.
Side Note: Parking is easy and free onsite in an unpaved lot. Sometimes there will be cars parked on the side of the road, but they aren't usually there for Fergie's, so still go check if there is space in the lot.
Brackendale Eagle Run Trail
After lunch, walk the Brackendale Eagle Run Trail. It follows the Squamish River and is an easy, flat walk suitable for all fitness levels. The trail is best known as one of the top bald eagle viewing spots in North America.
Between November and February, hundreds of eagles congregate along the river. In spring, you'll see fewer, but sightings are still common, and the views of the Tantalus Range across the valley are reason enough to come regardless of the season.
It's a short drive from Fergie's, and there is another unpaved lot across from the pub (Watershed Grill)
This is one of the most underrated trails in Squamish. It's pretty short, but the views are incredible the whole way. During our pet sitting days, this was one of our favourite places to take our dogs for a chill evening walk, and now we just go back dogless!
Give yourself 45 minutes to an hour here.
Afternoon: Sea to Sky Gondola (Squamish's Most Popular Attraction)
From Brackendale, head south for the main event. The Sea to Sky Gondola sits just south of downtown Squamish off Highway 99 and is hard to miss (if you're going the right direction).
We have a season pass for the gondola since we live just 5 minutes away, so we're up here a lot. It's best on a clear day, but it is still incredible in mixed weather. The viewpoint at Panorama Ridge is the highlight up here for me personally, but we've also come up plenty of times and just hung out at the lodge and watched the sunset, too.
Getting to The Gondola
The gondola parking lot is just off the highway, a few minutes south of downtown. Pulling in and parking is super simple, but you can only do that going northbound. We will be heading south for this part of the trip, so we will need to drive past the gondola to the intersection by Klahanie Campground. From this intersection, you can use the left turn lane to do a U-turn. If the traffic is too heavy for that, you can also make a right into the campground and turn around and wait for the light to let you turn left.
Once you're northbound again, just follow the signs into the parking lot.
Getting Up There
The gondola ride takes about ten minutes and covers 885 metres of vertical. The views on the way up are already excellent. You're looking straight out over Howe Sound with the mountains stacking up behind it.
The lift is in the middle of the parking lot, so you can't miss it, and the queue is just as obvious. If you've booked your tickets online, head straight into line, and they will scan you in and get you onto the next empty Gondola.
Tickets should be booked online in advance, especially on weekends and during the summer. Walk-up tickets are available but can sell out.
| Day Lift Ticket round-trip | Ticket Window Price from | Online Price from |
|---|---|---|
| Adult 19 - 64 | $76.95 | $71.95 |
| Senior 65+ | $71.95 | $66.95 |
| Youth 13 - 18 | $43.95 | $41.95 |
| Child 6 - 12 | $30.95 | $28.95 |
| Family (2 Adults, 2 Child/Youth) | $171.95 | $161.95 |
| Children 5 And Under | Free | Free |
| Ride Down Only | $25 | $19 |
What to Do at the Top
Once you're up, the main things to see and do:
- Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge: a hanging bridge with big views of Sky Pilot Mountain one way and Howe Sound the other. It's decently long and has a massive drop below that it sways over with every step, so it will challenge any height fears you may have.
- Summit Lodge Viewing Deck: a large wooden deck with ample seating and a full panorama of Howe Sound and the surrounding peaks. This is the best spot for an amazing photo with minimal walking.
- Spirit Trail: an easy loop through old-growth forest, good for winding down after the bridge. It takes about 45 minutes at a relaxed pace.
- Panorama Loop: an easy to medium loop through old-growth forest that leads to an epic and sweeping view of The Chief and the Squamish Valley.
- Summit Lodge: the lodge at the top has food, drinks, and seating with big windows. It gets colder up top than it feels at the base, so head into the lodge if the wind picks up.
Timing the Sunset
If the weather cooperates, stick around for the sunset. The light on Howe Sound in the late afternoon is worth the extra hour. Check the sunset time before you go and plan to be at the top at least 30 minutes before it. The last gondola down usually runs after dark, so you won't be stranded, but always make sure to check the last download time before wandering off.
Evening (Optional): Backcountry Brewing
If you're not ready to head back yet, make one last stop at Backcountry Brewing in downtown Squamish. The pizza is better than most pizza places in town, and there are a lot of local regulars, which is a great sign. End the day with good beer and a relaxed atmosphere before heading back to the city. They have lots of great non-alcoholic options for your designated driver as well.
It gets busy on weekend evenings, so either go early or expect a short wait.
Practical Info
- When to go: Squamish is a year-round destination. I'd recommend planning around the weather more than the season if you can. Squamish looks great in the summer sun or covered in winter snow, but where you can really go wrong is visiting when the snow has become a slushy mess, or when low-hanging clouds hide all the good stuff. So prioritize visiting on a clear skies day any time of year.
- How long do you need: A full day is ideal. If you're leaving Vancouver at 8 am, you can comfortably fit everything in this itinerary and be back in the city by 9 or 10 pm.
- Getting around Squamish: You'll need a car. The stops in this itinerary are spread out enough that walking or transit between them isn't practical.
- What to bring: Layers are essential. It's always colder at the top of the gondola than you expect. Comfortable walking shoes cover you for both the Eagle Run Trail and the gondola trails. If there's any chance of rain (and in Squamish, there usually is), a waterproof layer is worth throwing in the bag.
Final Thoughts
Squamish is probably more passed through than it is visited, but that's just a lot of people making a mistake. If you've passed through town a dozen times and never stopped, I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised when you do.
This should be a pretty relaxed itinerary with no pre-dawn alarms, no scrambling up a peak, and no late drive home. The main thing I feel is worth saying twice: go on a clear day. Squamish in the sun and Squamish under a low ceiling of cloud are two pretty different experiences, and this itinerary leans heavily on views. Check the forecast, pick your day, and leave early.
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