Stawamus Chief

The Stawamus Chief is a granite monolith standing about seven hundred metres above Howe Sound at Squamish, one of the largest exposed granite faces in North America and among the most important climbing walls in Canada, with hundreds of routes on the main wall. Non-climbers reach the three summits by a steep hiking trail that gains around six hundred metres in under two kilometres, using chains, ladders and cut steps on the upper sections. The rock is Squamish granodiorite, exposed by glaciers. Peregrine falcons nest on the face, and sections of the wall are closed to climbers during the nesting season to protect them.

What you actually see

• The granite face - one of North America's largest exposed granite walls.
• The chained trail - ladders, chains and steps to three separate summits.
• The Howe Sound view - the fjord and islands from the top.
• The climbers - routes worked on the wall through the season.

When to go

May to October; the trail is icy and dangerous in winter and the chains are not maintained for it. Start early, since the small car park fills by eight on summer weekends.

Honest expectations

The climb is steep and sustained, harder than the distance suggests, and people are injured on the chain sections. Parking fills very early. Summit ledges are unfenced with long drops.

Nearby

Shannon Falls is a short walk south; Squamish is below.