Sea to Sky Gondala

Today we wanted to head out and try something new. Earlier this year the Sea to Sky Gondola opened near Squamish. 

Because it was a Saturday the roads were busy but then as we were driving we remember, oh yeah it is the Squamish Music Festival too. But the park was not too bad and we arrived around noon after about an hour and a half drive from our home. About 45 minutes from downtown Vancouver I would guess.

Bernie bought the tickets and we had a very short wait to get in the gondola. Each gondola can hold 8 people but going up we were just 5 and coming down we were 6. They will group families/groups together and ask for smaller groups to go together.

The ride was stunning. The length of the ride is ten minutes and it is 1920 metres long, it rises 850 metres and in total the summit is 885 metres above sea level.

Once up at the top there is a lodge that serves food and has a gift shop and washrooms. If you feel adventurous you can travel across the suspension bridge to the Spirit Trail platform for a stunning view.  

We continued on along the Spirt Trail 400 m, then once we were back at the summit plateau we decided to head along the Panorama Trail which is is only 1.6 km and very easy to walk. There are a few view points and a stunning platform view from the Chief.  

We even ventured along the Look Back Trail that was marked difficult, but I really would say it was moderate. The end of the trail takes you out to the View Point with a stunning vista of the gondola and a bit of the town of Squamish.

We didn't see much wildlife today, but that doesn't mean they are not around. I am sure with all the noise from the people they were not interested in coming too close.

There are numerous other trails you can take while you are there but we were late in the day and the sun was hot and we had hiked around for about 2 hours. We would definately like to come back and we even talked about actually hiking up the Sea to Summit Trail which is about 4-5 hours one way and about 10 km with an elevation gain of 916 m.

But today is not that day.  

For more information about the attraction you can visit their site at Seatoskygondola