The first time I hiked the Sea to Summit Trail, I was visiting Vancouver from Toronto for work. My poor Ontario legs were in for quite the shock. The trail felt long. Very long. And very hard.
My calves were burning the entire way, but there was a perk, and it was a big one: I got to cruise down on the gondola at a fraction of the price of a regular lift ticket.
The descent, I was told, was truly terrible: steep, rooty, rocky, bouldery—pure ankle-rolling fuel. But if you’re into that kind of thing, then who am I to stop you?
For most folks, though, my guess is that by the time you reach the top, you’ll be spent and not particularly keen on tackling that same challenging terrain on the way down.
Plus, you just gotta ride the gondola. The views are incredible, and there’s something pretty satisfying about sitting back and enjoying the scenery after such a hard effort.
Difficulty
I would say this hike is much harder than doing all three peaks of the Chief, given the length and amount of elevation. There isn’t much flat terrain, and because so much of it is technical—like many of the hikes in Squamish—it can be slow-moving.
I’d like to say it gets easier, but after completing it well over twenty times now, it still feels very hard.
But the return-to-work ratio is worth it, and if you’re someone who loves a good challenge, this one will hit that sweet spot for ya.
The trail is beautiful, and you get a little taste of everything: forest, waterfalls, a crystal-clear pool to refill your waterbottle, ropes, boulders, viewpoints and a challenge that will make you feel damn satisfied when you reach the top.
Oh, and it’s very dog-friendly. But if your pup isn’t the most agile, they might need a bit of help through a few sections.
The Route
The Sea to Summit hike starts near the base of the Sea to Sky Gondola. You can park at the gondola or at the Stawamus Chief day-use area and connect to the trail from there.AllTrails lists the Upper Sea to Summit Trail route as 12.2 km with 957 m of elevation gain, but that’s for the full out-and-back. If you’re hiking up and taking the gondola down, my Garmin usually clocks the climb at around 6 km.
The pro of parking at the Chief is that it’s free, but the con is that if you take the gondola down, you’ll need to walk roughly 1-1.5 km back to the parking lot. If you park at the gondola, it’s much more convenient, but parking is now paid unless you have an annual membership.
The Sea to Summit starts up the Chief’s famous stairs before you eventually veer off to the right at a junction to continue on the Sea to Summit trail.
Keep an eye out for the trail signs—it can be easy to miss a junction if you’re sweating it up and gasping for air from those infamous stairs. From there, you’ll want to keep following the light green Sea to Summit trail markers.
After the steady climb up the Chief stairs and turning toward Sea to Summit, you’ll get a bit of a reprieve with some flatter sections before reaching your first opening and view of the gondola. It’s beautiful and a great place to take a picture before continuing back into the forest.
The next short stretch is actually a bit runnable, and you can move kinda quickly here if you desire. But soon enough, you’ll be going up, up, up again before eventually hitting a boulder field that looks much more intimidating than it actually is.
When you hit the boulder field, there’s a faint trail you can follow, but make sure you keep looking for the trail markers that eventually lead you to the right.
I’ve made the mistake a few times of just going straight up, losing the trail and then having to climb back down sharp rocks to get on track. It ain’t fun—even for type-2 lovers like myself.
You’ll descend again briefly through a few flatter sections with lots of rocks and roots, but in the distance, you’ll start to hear the faint sound of a waterfall. This is one of my favourite parts of the hike.
There’s a lookout where you can stop to take a photo or just enjoy Shannon Falls from a different angle.
If you continue up and to the right, you’ll pass a beautiful clear pool. I’ve filtered water here on past hikes, but as with any backcountry water source, make sure you’re carrying an appropriate filtration or treatment system and don’t rely on it being available year-round.
After that, you continue climbing until you eventually hit a section with some ropes.
You’re just over the halfway point now, and after getting up another steep section with boulders, you’ll reach my favourite part of the hike: a beautiful open viewpoint looking out over the valley, with incredible views of the Chief to your right.
This is a great spot to take a bit of a break, have a snack, eat some lunch and soak it all in.
When you’re ready to keep on keepin’ on, you’ll climb over the big boulder and follow the trail back down into the forest for some more chill terrain before—surprise!—going up once again.
I find this section a bit more boring, and for some reason it always feels kind of long.
Keep following the trail markers and eventually you’ll reach a wider forest service road-type trail and a junction where you have two options for continuing toward the summit.
You can stay on the more direct Upper Sea to Summit route, which is shorter but steeper and more technical, or take the longer, less technical route through the Shannon Basin.
If you want to tack on some extra mileage, take the Shannon Basin option. If you’d rather get to the top sooner and don’t mind more climbing, stick with the direct route. Both are great, but most of the time I opt for the shorter, steeper route.
If you take the shorter option, you’ll continue along a gradually inclined forest service road before going up again.
At this point, I’m usually pretty tired and looking forward to just getting it done, but I try to refrain from thinking that it’s almost over.
Because it ain’t.
Even though there are only a few kilometres left to the top, they can stretch on forever when most of it feels like it’s going straight up.
You’ll eventually come to a boulder with some chains to help you climb up and get another glimpse of the gondola from afar.
I always feel like I’m basically done at this point, but I remind myself that I still have some time to go, so I stop looking at my watch and try to stay present as I keep on motoring.
After what seems like forever, you’ll do a little switchback and eventually see the final few stairs leading right up to the gondola.
No matter how many times I do this hike, I always feel that same sense of accomplishment—and relief—when I get to the top.
At the Top
The views from the top of the gondola are insane, but if you have a dog, there are a few restrictions to know about.
Dogs aren’t allowed on the viewing decks and platforms, suspension bridge, Backyard eating area or the gondola’s front-country trails. There is a designated Dog Parking area, but if you don’t want to leave your fur babe there, you can always head straight for the gondola. Dogs are allowed on some of the backcountry trails if you want to keep exploring, but I’d suggest checking AllTrails to be sure. And on a similar note, dogs are not allowed up the gondola, only down. And you gotta pay for it (more on this in a second).
The summit can get pretty busy, so I love starting this hike early. Here’s a hot tip: the gondola currently opens at 9 am, so if you start early enough to reach the summit before then, you can sometimes enjoy some of the best views before the crowds arrive.
Just make sure you check the current gondola hours before heading out. Hours change throughout the year, and the gondola periodically closes for maintenance.
Pricing
If you want to keep going once you reach the summit, there are plenty of other hikes to explore depending on how much energy you have left. Otherwise, you can just make your way down
As of 2026, a ride-down ticket is ~$20 online and dogs require their own ride-down ticket as well (also $20).
When I moved here, I ended up buying annual passes for both Billie and myself because we do this hike so often. If you’re local and plan to use the gondola regularly, it can be a pretty great deal. The regular annual membership also includes complimentary parking and a bunch of other perks.
Because ticket prices, membership benefits and operating hours can change, I’d recommend checking the Sea to Sky Gondola website for the latest information before heading out.
Final Thoughts
Sea to Summit has gotta be my most frequented hike since moving here, and it’s one I do almost year-round.
No matter how many times I do it, it still feels hard, and it never feels exactly the same depending on the time of year or the weather.
It was one of the first hikes I brought baby Billie on in her little backpack, and now it’s one she frequents with me most often.
It’s one of those magical places where anxiety and stress can dissipate. If you go early, you likely won’t see many people, so if you’re someone who enjoys a little solitude while hiking, this might be a better bet than the ever-popular Chief.
Definitely give it a go if you haven’t already.
Just check those gondola hours before you leave so you don’t find yourself stuck at the top!
