Despite its extraordinary mountain-ringed location, Squamish is not much to look at and, with one notable exception, its facilities are very poor. Yet for the outdoor enthusiast, this is a veritable Mecca. Meaning ‘Mother of the wind’ in Coast Salish, Squamish has come to be recognized as the country’s windsurfing capital. There’s also excellent hiking and mountain biking, and plenty of fishing and kayaking. Once you get beyond the sprawl emanating from Squamish, the journey to Whistler is a delight, giving an idea of the incredible scenery contained within Garibaldi Provincial Park to the east. Frequent buses from Vancouver bus station, also steam train May-Sep leaves North Vancouver at 1000 and takes two hours. By boat, MV Brittania leaves Vancouver Harbour at 0930 and takes three hours. SightsStawamus Chief Above all, Squamish is famous for its climbing, with some 200,000 international hopefuls visiting annually to take on the 95-million- year-old Stawamus Chief, the second biggest granite monolith on Earth, and an awesome spectacle towering over the Squamish sprawl. Those same massive rock walls that are so good to climb also act as a funnel, channelling the Howe Sound’s perpetually strong ocean winds straight into town. The mighty chief is not just for climbers. It makes a great hike to fantastic views that is within the capabilities of occasional hikers, and it is snow-free as early as March and as late as November. Most people make for the first (south) of the three summits, so try heading for the second or third, or even hike to them all. Descending is more fun via the second summit than the East trail (6-11-km round trip, 612-m elevation gain. Trailhead: Shannon Falls Provincial Park, just south of Squamish, or 1.2 km further north). Another worthwhile hike is to High Falls Creek (12-km round trip, 640-m elevation gain). Ten and a half kilometres north of Squamish take the Squamish Valley Road. At Km 24.2 stay right on Squamish River Road. Park at Km 3.1 and look for sign 100 m further on the right. As well as falls and gorges, this sometimes steep route offers views of the glacier-clad Tantalus Range. Continue as far as the logging road and descend to make a loop; first-class views compensate for the lack of trail aesthetics. Brackendale 10 km north of Squamish. Brackendale is visited by more bald eagles than any other place on earth. Attracted by the spawning salmon, an estimated 10,000 of these majestic birds stop by every winter, now protected by the creation of the 550-ha Brackendale Eagles Provincial Park. The best places to get more information are the Brackendale Art Gallery on Government Road, north of Depot Road, T 8983333, http://www.brackendaleartgallery.com, and the Sunwolf Outdoor Centre at 70002 Squamish Valley Road, 4 km off the Sea to Sky Highway, T 8981537, http://www.sunwolf.net The latter has 10 riverside cabins and arranges eagle-watching trips by raft and kayak. Canadian Outback Adventure Co, T 1800-5658735, also offer eagle-watching river-raft trips with transport from Vancouver. Incorporating the official Eagle Count, the Brackendale Winter Eagles Festival will enjoy its 18th year in January 2004. Garibaldi Provincial Park Close to Highway 99, between Squamish and Whistler; entry is mainly on foot, for hiking trails. This is the nearest thing to a wilderness park you’ll find within such easy reach of a major city and two prime sporting Meccas. Too popular for some people’s taste, it still boasts magnificent scenery, and hiking is some of the best in the country along trails that are clearly signed and well maintained. Walk-in campsites are primitive and tend to be self-registration, so take some cash.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
 |
 |
Vancouver - £5.99
|
|
||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
 |
||||
|
| ||||
|
||||
 |
||||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
||||||||
