Tuesday, July 21, 2020 (Peace Arch RV Park, Surrey, BC)

It was another beautiful, warm (hot actually) day today...a perfect day for our day-trip up the Sea-to-Sky Highway...There are few highways in the world with as much awe-inspiring scenery as the Sea-to-Sky Highway. Officially known as BC Highway 99, this legendary route from Vancouver to Whistler and beyond is a drive with incredible sights at just about every turn. It's also filled with fun stops, including outdoor destinations, cultural points of interest and historic sites.

We were on the road shortly after 8:00...heading northwest. Here we are crossing the Alex Fraser Bridge...

After driving through New Westminster, we caught highway 1 west in Burnaby...driving through North Vancouver and West Vancouver. Highway 1 ends in Horseshoe Bay (ferry terminal where you cross to Vancouver Island)...we continue north on highway 99, known as the Sea to Sky Highway.

The views are breathtaking...

Stawamus Chief Mountain just beyond our destination...

Today, however, we aren't driving all of the way to Whistler...our destination is the Sea to Sky Gondola, just south of Squamish, BC.

They have stringent Covid-19 protocols in place which made our decision to go easy. They encourage you to purchase tickets on-line, which I did yesterday...$111.20 taxes in...not cheap! Once up there they have made the popular trails one-way. There were also many "physical distancing signs" as well as staff everywhere wiping down surfaces.

Only COVID-19 bubble groups will be riding the gondola together. Simply put, if you’ve driven here together you can load the gondola together.
Unrelated groups must not ride together in cabins.
Each cabin will be disinfected between usage.
Hand sanitizer must be used prior to loading into a cabin.
In addition to our increased cleaning protocols, the Sea to Sky Gondola facilities including the gondola cabins have been treated with an antimicrobial surface protection product. This odourless product kills germs on contact for an added layer of protection for our guests and staff. 

It was early when we arrive just before 10:00 so we had no waits to get on a gondola up the mountain... 

Unfortunately the sun is directly behind our route up the mountain...you can't see the top from here. 

Up we go!

 Once at the top, many other adventures await. You will have access to a wide array of outdoor experiences, including two different interpretive loop walking trails with cantilevered viewing platforms, the spectacular Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge, numerous hiking trails, rock climbing, access trails to backcountry routes and much more.

We hope to have a brew here at the Summit Lodge deck later on...

View of Howe Sound from the viewing platform...

This end of the Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge is an exit only so we're going to take the trail to the other end...

This is the Spirit Loop Trail that takes you to the suspension bridge...

This will be a challenge for me later...

View of the suspension bridge view point from the Spirit Loop Trail...

 (Click on photo to enlarge)

Great views!

End of the Spirit Loop Trail. Of course we ran into a few people that can't read the one way signs which are impossible to miss unless you are totally blind.

Steve took this 1:51 minute video as he walked across the Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge. As you can see, I made a valiant attempt, but once it started bouncing...

The trail becomes one way here as you loop around Wonderland Lake...more of a pond.

We had packed our own lunch so we took a break then headed off on our third trail...

Everyone took turns on the viewpoint platform...

 Howe Sound...

Farther up the valley the town of Squamish...

 Display signs of birds in the area...

We tried to get an outside table for a brew back up at the Summit Lodge but there was a considerable wait so we went behind the lodge to the Backyard Bar. Yikes...$18.40 for 2 beers...Steve can buy 30 cans of Bud on sale for that amount in the US!

It was starting to get much busier on the mountain and we felt we had enough hiking, so decided to head back down.

View of the Backyard Bar from the Gondola platform...
After the attendant wipes the car down she comes to get you...

This 8:50 minute video is of the ride down the mountain...

Stawamus Chief Mountain on the left. What a fabulous place to spend a day!

We took a quick tour around Squamish and came across the Rope Runner across from the Visitor Centre. Never seen one of these obstacle courses before...looks like it would be a fun challenge!

 Front view from Squamish of Stawamus Mountain where you can do some challenging hikes...

Our next destination...Shannon Falls...

 Our last view of Stawamus Chief as we enter Shannon Falls Provincial Park...

We got one of the last parking spots so were a little concerned about social distancing, but everyone here for the most part were respectful of one another...

Shannon Creek below the falls. There were far too many people a little further up directly below the falls to get a photo...

We took a trail to the upper viewpoint...

Halfway down the trail with lots of stairs...my knees are doing great!

On our way home we pass the Britannia Mine Museum another tourist attraction we would like to see one day...

It was just before 4:00 when we got home...a fabulous day!