There are very few activities around Vancouver, BC that offer real outdoor adventure with a few local comforts. Sure, there are pretty parks such as Stanley Park and Lighthouse Park, or activities such as Grouse Mountain or the Capilano Suspension Bridge, but our favourite spot to take our little ones is the Sea to Sky Gondola, just outside Squamish, BC.
About 45 minutes from downtown Vancouver, the Sea to Sky Gondola offers people of all ages and abilities the chance to experience the beauty of the BC coast mountains without the usual heavy effort to get there. Within 10 minutes the gondola whisks visitors up the mountain to over 800m above sea level, offering views of Howe Sound, the Squamish Valley, and a beautiful panorama of the Coast Mountains.
The Summit Lodge
At the top of the Gondola is the Summit Lodge. In actuality it’s nowhere near the summit; but those semantics are for another day. The lodge is beautifully crafted, with everything you’d expect in a tourist destination: A cafe, bar, and of course, a gift shop. Everything is kept pretty clean and the staff are friendly. It’s a great start and finish point for some fun on the mountain.
The star of the Summit Lodge is the patio that offers sweeping views of Howe Sound and Sky Pilot mountain. Fridays in the summer become a ton of fun with live music and the sea to sky community getting out to enjoy the late afternoon/evening.
Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge
Right at the patio is the suspension bridge offering a beautiful view of sky pilot mountain. It’s nowhere near the vertical drop of the Capilano suspension bridge, but it still offers enough to look down upon as you walk over the tree tops. But the views in the distance are the real treat, especially late in the afternoon as the sun begins to hide behind the mountains.
From there, it’s a short loop to get back to the base, where a variety of other hiking trails are available. There are also a few play structures for kids to play on; as well as a picnic area. As I’m sure you all know, when you have kids, it’s important to break up an outing with snacks, and the folks here have designed a great zone to break up each hiking loop with some other activities—including eating.
Front Country Hiking Trails
There are several trails within the patrolled boundary of the Sea to Sky gondola that all loop back to the gondola. They are much more mellow and suit the more casual crowd who isn’t a hardcore hiker.
Alpine Alley
This is the best hiking trail for kids is Alpine Alley, which is a simple loop trail with a few (fake) furry surprises. The trail starts and ends right next to the gondola, allowing for an easy exit if emotions get the best of a little one (or their adult). There are a few challenging sections for the bigger kids, but all the steep bits have a walkaround section if it’s a bit too much.
You can get a specialized map for Alpine Alley at the entrance to the trail, which also offers clues to all the different items you can find along the way. If you have only one trail to do with the kids, this is the one.
Panorama Trail
This trail is a bit longer, so smaller children might get bored, but it’s doable. It’s well graded and has nice construction along the bridges, offering a beautiful lookout before returning back. It’s still more of a walk thank a hike, but perfect for bringing little ones along without too much fuss.
Backcountry Hiking Trails
While I don’t have any official statistics, I’d guess that at least 90% of the guests at the Sea to Sky Gondola don’t venture beyond the main area and manicured front country trails. Those trails are nice and will suit an outing very well, with most people being more than satisfied for a day trip.
BUT… if you’re the type who wants to venture a bit further, then it’s well worth a bit of extra effort to go up the backcountry trails to make a whole day (or longer) out of it.
There are two mountains within a short jaunt of the top of the Sea to Sky gondola: Mt. Habrich and Sky Pilot. Habrich is very similar to what you find on The Chief: big granite cliffs that point straight upward. Sky Pilot, on the other hand, has much more jagged rock and is a different landscape altogether. It’s pretty remarkable that these mountains are so different and coexist right next to one another. But that’s the amazing varied geology of Squamish. You get a lot in a relatively short amount of space.
Mt. Habrich
Al’s Habrich trail is a fantastic loop that is similar to the Chief, only much larger in scale. The loop to the subalpine meadows takes about 5-6 hours at an intermediate pace, but you can go much higher than that. The peak is another story altogether and we wouldn’t recommend that for a family adventure. But you can get a bit further up from the “Neverland Loop” which is well worth the extra effort for the views.
Sky Pilot Mountain
This hike is definitely a bit more technical, and one we don’t recommend taking young kids on. That said, we took our daughter here when she was about 10 months old. Smaller babies are actually easier since they aren’t mobile, but we didn’t make it to the alpine since that would be a bit too dangerous for our liking. But the views still made it worth it.
Allow yourself a few hours as the trail (once the logging road ends) is a bit steep. But once you get to the subalpine you get a fantastic subalpine environment to explore.
Events and Activities
The other beauty of the Sea to Sky Gondola is the programming they have. It seems as though there are always fun organized events happening. One regular event worth going to with a baby is the parent and baby hike. This can be a great way to meet local parents (mostly moms) and have a casual walk around without much pressure to push it, yet still get some exercise. Those happen on Thursday mornings, but it’s best to check with them for sure.
We already mentioned it but it’s worth a second nod: in the summer months, Fridays are hoppin’ with live music. The legendary Hairfarmers usually play a few times a year, but those events are so popular they eventually stop letting people up. So make sure you get up early for that one if so.
Winter at the Sea To Sky Gondola
Winter is also a great time to visit the Sea to Sky gondola. Not only do you get out of the rain at sea level to (usually) a snowy mountain scene, but you will also find some of the best easy access backcountry skiing available. The 2km road to Sky Pilot is groomed, making for some quick access to the vertical. It’s easy to do a half day here and still get your fill for powder with such an easy turnaround.
For the kids, there is a tubing hill that costs $5 (at the time of posting) and is actually pretty thrilling—it’s easy to pick up some speed. It’s not suited for smaller children but bigger kids and adults will definitely get their money’s worth.
For those who want some softer activity, there is always snowshoeing and you can rent snowshoes from the summit lodge.
Helpful Links
Here are some links that will make your visit to the Sea to Sky gondola a bit easier:
