Sea to Sky Highway

Highway 99 runs from West Vancouver up the eastern shore of Howe Sound, a fjord, and then inland and up to Whistler at about six hundred and seventy metres, covering roughly a hundred and twenty kilometres. It was a narrow and notoriously dangerous road until a rebuild before the 2010 Winter Olympics widened it, added barriers and cut the worst corners. The drive strings together most of the corridor's sights: Shannon Falls, the Stawamus Chief, the Sea to Sky Gondola at Squamish, Brandywine Falls and the Garibaldi trailheads. Interpretive pullouts along the route were developed with the Squamish and Lil'wat nations, whose territory it crosses.

History

The highway's number, assigned in 1940, came from the old U.S. Route 99, and it first ran from the Peace Arch to Vancouver; in 1956 it was extended across the Lions Gate Bridge, opened in 1938, to West Vancouver and the new Upper Levels Highway, the first step north towards the Sea to Sky section that now serves Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton (Wikipedia, British Columbia Highway 99).

What's there

• The fjord section - Howe Sound with islands and mountains across the water.
• The strung sights - Shannon Falls, the Chief and Brandywine within an hour.
• The Sea to Sky Gondola - a cable car and suspension bridge above Squamish.
• The cultural pullouts - interpretive stops developed with local First Nations.

When to go

May to October for clear driving and open trails; winter brings snow, chains requirements and heavy ski traffic to Whistler. Weekend traffic northbound is heavy in both seasons.

Before you go

Weekend and holiday traffic can double the driving time. Pullouts at the popular falls fill by mid-morning in summer. Winter conditions require proper tyres by law.

Nearby

Squamish is halfway; Whistler is the northern end.

Key facts