Local tips and info about Squamish:
Squamish is the “Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada” and for good reason! The climbing is amazing, and considered the best in all of Canada! We hope this page helps with your planning and gets you fired up to visit Squamish and climb with us!
Getting to Squamish:
The Stawamus Chief from the Squamish Estuary
There are a variety of ways to get from Vancouver to Squamish, the easiest and most flexible being a rental car for which many options exist...
For bus services you have 3 options:
The Squamish Connector is our top recommendation, they provide a reliable and comfortable shuttle service which will drop you at the Squamish Adventure Center, where you can arrange to meet your guide, please consult their website for their current schedule and prices.
Pacific Coach and Perimeter Transportation also provide bus services to the Adventure Center if the Squamish Connector’s schedule doesn’t line up with yours.
A dirt cheap but less reliable option is to join the Squamish Rock Climbing Facebook group and post to see if anyone is heading up people are often happy to split the gas with another climber.
Where To Stay:
There are a wide variety of options for accommodation from camping to upscale hotels:
Climbers campsites are the Chief Campground which is run by BC Parks and is first-come first-serve. Or the Mamquam River Campground which takes bookings in advance.
For hostel/budget hotel accommodations we recommend the Squamish Adventure Inn, with it's central location and variety of affordable rooms, from dorms to private hotel rooms, it makes a great budget option. There are a variety of other options too including the Crash Hotel, the Oasis Hostel, and others.
For a more upscale option we recommend the Howe Sound Inn, with award winning beer brewed on site, great views and luxurious rooms how can you go wrong?
Airbnb also has plenty of options, we recommend wherever you stay that you book somewhere relatively close to downtown to make things easy.
For a full list of accommodation options check out the Squamish Tourism Website
Where To Eat and Drink:
The Zephyr Cafe is one of the best cafes in town they have great coffee, spacious and artistic atmosphere, wholesome food, and early opening hours.
Sunny Chibas is our favorite roadside Mexican spot dishing out big burritos, tasty tacos, and our personal favorite the taco salad. They don't have a website but you can't miss them, they are on the side of the highway between the Chief and downtown.
Sushi Sen has the best sushi in town.
Bisla Sweets has the best Indian food in town, very authentic and delicious, they offer take out and delivery, and even have a cheap samosa deal popular with dirtbag climbers.
For pub food it is hard to move past the Howe Sound Brewing Company they are the original brew pub in Squamish and a longtime local favorite. But other breweries have sprung up in the last few years, both Backcountry Brewing and A-frame Brewing have delicious cold beverages great for icing your hands with after a day of climbing!
Buying or Renting Equipment:
The best place to buy gear in Squamish is Climb On Equipment, they have by far the best selection of climbing gear anywhere on the coast, and have a consignment section of used gear where you can often find a good deal! They also stock a good selection of rental gear but unless you're booking a big group with us please remember that we provide all gear for you if you need it.
Mountain Equipment Co-op has locations in North Vancouver and downtown Vancouver carries a wide variety of gear for all outdoor sports and their downtown location is the best place to rent mountaineering gear contact them directly for more information.
