Hike ti straws us chief is a really good one! Not too difficult, not too easy! Absolutely fun to do!! I know for some it will be a challenge but the view on the top will pay for your hard work up there!!!The 360 degree view is absolutely beautiful!!!!! Trail is well marked!
We climbed up to Second Peak and then looped back down via North Gully; it took about 3 hours. It was wet so we were grateful for the chains and ladders across the steep parts at the top. The trails were well marked so we were fine without a map.
a good hike to do during the fall. Not too many people so we didn't too long to take the chains/ladder/very narrow ways. A great view on Mount Garibaldi and on Howe Sound. + with a good rythm, it's a good work out!
My 13 year old daughter and I zip up this trail usually every week. It's such a nice drive up from Vancouver to reach the trail head. Check out the climbers on wall above before heading up. 2nd peak is our favourite. It's nice and big on top so there's room to spread out. Watch out for the fearless hungry chipmunks. They're cute for awhile. Until they're crawling up your arm trying to get a bite out if your sandwich. Anyway, it's a great hike up and adventurous too, not to mention interesting and beautiful. We never tire of this hike and it's quite social too. Avoid the weekends though. It can really jam up on those days in the upper "single lane traffic only" sections. If you have time I recommend heading across from 2nd peak over to 3rd. That's a nice little jaunt.See you up there!
I've done this hike many times and I would that this is the one hike near Vancouver that you should do. It's not steep enough to ruin your time but steep enough to be challenging. The first peak is great but if you have time do the second peak as it's much more interesting and has fewer people climbing it. Unless you want to say that you've finished all 3 peaks I would skip the 3rd peak as the climb down is brutal on the knees. Hiking the first peak there are 3 solid viewpoints where you can enjoy Howe Sound and surrounding environment. It's best to start early as it's easier to find parking and don't forget to bring a light snack and plenty of water!
This is the best place to watch the rock climbers in action. They look like ants up there so take some binoculars . You won.t be able to see some of them without them. There NUTS!
Skip the grouse grind and come to Squamish. There is more here to do than can be done in a lifetime and the Chief should be your first stop. Try to tackle all three peaks if they are accessible if you want full street cred. Also, watch out for all the little side paths and hanging ropes since a lot of them lead to top-out areas for climbs up the face and other areas. These can make for cool look out points but just be careful, it can be easy to misjudge and get hurt. Otherwise, awesome spot. I strongly recommend cutting cross and doing Upper Shannon falls instead of going back down. Take a quick plunge in the ice cold water to refresh and cool down. You've hopefully earned it.
Overrun by people itching to go for a hike but no sense of adventure to try something new. If you want Grouse Grind #2 (with a better view, admitedly) then this is for you. If you DON'T want to be in a long line of people climbing stairs for an hour (some of whom are smoking??), go elsewhere.
We hiked to the Chief 2nd peak in Jan!! No snow.Stopped off in Squamish on the way to Pemberton and decided to hike up to see the view. Almost vertical steps to start with and then rock steps and then chain bolted into rock and ladders to assist near the top. Bit of a challenge but loved it!! Beautiful view birds eye view of Squamish and also down Howe Sound from 2nd peak.
The hike is somewhat intense in that it’s relentlessly uphill. Expect to be stopping frequently on the ascent, even if you’re fit. After all you’ll gain about 550 meters of elevation (the height of the CN Tower) in under 2km of trail. It’s rare to be able to accomplish such a stunning feat in a comparatively limited amount of time or effort and with such a payout in terms of view. Given the precipitous slopes, the park has gone above and beyond to give you stairs, signage and ropes/chains where needed which also means this hike is highly attainable for even casual hikers. The view is peerless and gives you the unmistakable sense of being in a high place. MY RECOMMENDATION:The chief has three peaks,First Peak or the South Summit (610 m (2,001 ft.))Second Peak or the Centre Summit (655 m (2,149 ft.))Third Peak or the North Summit (702 m (2,303 ft.))I recommend avoiding the first summit. Because it’s the closest and easiest it gets by far the most amount of traffic. Instead consider hiking to the third summit first, not only is it the highest and true summit, but its far less busy, I did this on a sunny fall Sunday morning all had the whole summit all to myself, from there continue in a loop to the second summit and descend afterwards. You’ll avoid the worst of the crowds, enjoy greater solitude and a better sense of accomplishment. As a bonus you’ll probably find it easier as you do the ascent over a more gradual slope and then do the decent on the steepest portions of the trail. *FREE MAP care of BC Government:http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/stawamus/stawamus_brochuremap.pdf