Sea To Sky Gondola
The Sea To Sky Gondola in Squamish is fast approaching its first year anniversary on May 16th and so far response from hikers, trail runners, skiers, and tubers has been very positive. The ride to the Summit Lodge located at 885 metres takes only approximately 10 minutes and once there every amenity you could ask for is at hand. If you’re already prepared for a hike you’ll find a well maintained extensive network of trails.
(click images for larger view)
From the Summit Lodge, Ledge Mountain (1964m) and Sky Pilot (2031m) are more ambitious objectives while Skyline Ridge and Goat Ridge are closer and more tame for the average hiker. I only had time to hike out to the Chief Viewing Platform via Panorama Trail which is a very easy 1.6km walk. While the views from the Summit Lodge are pretty spectacular the Chief Viewing Platform offers a different vantage of the nearby Stawamus Chief. You’ll also want to walk the Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge located right off the Summit Lodge deck for better views of the surrounding peaks.
Of interest to backcountry skiers is the new tree line and alpine terrain that the Sea To Sky Gondola opens up. There are over 3000+ acres to explore including four alpine bowls. You’ll want to talk with Sea To Sky Guides to get some expert advice and guidance for your adventure or book their one day package that includes a full day of ski touring with possible descents of up to 5,000ft.
An annual pass to ride the Sea To Sky Gondola is $179 for adults and for the summer pass (May 1 - Nov) it’s $109 which are both great deals when you consider a single ride is $33.95. If you choose to hike up the Summit Lodge it’s a grind style climb which takes about 2.5 hours on a trail called ‘Sea To Summit”. You can then treat yourself to a ride down for only $10. The Sea To Sky Gondola is about an hours drive from Vancouver and the first ride up is at 10:00am in the summer with the last ride down at 7:00pm and on weekends at 9:00pm.
