The popularity of Squamish within the #vanlife community has increased to the point that there is great concern about the group’s collective environmental impact. “Wild” or “Freedom” camping has become unmanageable environmentally because of the high numbers of campers. This is a serious issue that causes conflict between locals, home owners, and climbers!
VAN CAMPING / WILD CAMPING
Within District Boundaries
The
District of Squamish PROHIBITS camping within the municipal boundary. This includes sleeping in a vehicle anywhere within District boundaries. A
bylaw gives the District the power to issue tickets for contraventions.
Camping on urban / residential streets is prohibited under pre-existing bylaws.
The “hot spots” that have been of most concern are below.
· The whole of the Mamquam Forest Service Road under the North Walls of the Chief between the junction with the 99 and junction with the Stawamus/Indian Arm Forest Service Road (as a salmon run and sensitive riparian area, camping close to the Stawamus River is especially inappropriate)
· The Powerhouse Springs Road including the parking area for the Fern Hill cliff
· The dirt road to the kitesurfing “Spit.”
Outside of District Boundaries
If you explore forest roads in crown land outside the municipal boundaries, it may be possible to find discreet roadside sites suitable for tents or van camping. However, the provincial authorities do have
some restrictions ;
· Stays are limited to 14 days.
· Campers should follow
Leave No Trace principles. HUMAN WASTE is a major issue.
· Strictly observe any
current fire bans.
DESIGNATED CAMPGROUNDS
Please see the
District of Squamish website for a comprehensive list of designated campgrounds.
Recommended affordable camping:
- At the Chief:
Stawamus Chief Provincial Park Campground BC parks site, spots start at $10.00 CAD/person. No reservations.
- 7 minutes north:
Mamquam River Campground A non-profit site, spots start at $15.00cad/night for a drive-in site. Reservations recommended, not required.
- 20 minutes north:
Chek Canyon Recreation Site A public site; no fees, no reservations and world class sport-climbing. No running water. The road is steep and rough but 4x4 not required
Access Issue: SIGNIFICANT ROCK FALL CLOSURES - UPDATED Feb 29th 2024
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Climbmore, USA
Bend, OR
It was a bit mossy on the bottom, but every is there. Makes for a slightly more interesting lead ;) We wished we had brought some brushes up to help scrub it.
More beta on the rappels!
Pitch 3 only has hangers. But pitch 4 is close to climb to.
We rappeled from the 4th pitch (5.8)
Our 70m rope made it a few feet above the anchor of the beautiful belay spot the end of pitch 2. Some long slings and creativity, and we were ok to set up the next rappel safely. Tie knots! Seriously.
There was a short rappel (10m-15m or so) straight down from the pitch 2 anchors. It was on a fairly mossey face, has shiny newish hangars and chains, with a tiny foot ledge for comfort. It is to the right of pitch one anchors.
Set up your next rappel there to ensure you will touch ground.
We might have gone a funny way, but in case anyone else ends up in the same
situation, there is the beta.
Have fun! :) Jun 22, 2017
Richmond, BC
APPROACH BETA!!
The bridge has been removed, and the Shannon falls trail has been re-routed past the gondola and will take you to the wrong area, DO NOT TAKE THE SHANNON FALLS TRAIL. Also a staircase has been added lower than the old "first staircase"
You take the chief peak trail until partway up the second wooden staircase and then cross the creak (hop across rocks) if you hit the sign that says "no access drinking water source" you went too far. after crossing the stream you can basically follow the trail uphill to the left until you hit the wall.
We linked pitches 1/2 and pitches 3/4 and did pitch 5 as well, might have been able to link pitch 5 with 3/4 hard to say. Great belay spots made for a very enjoyable multipitch. Pitch 5 is very well bolted and I enjoyed the entire climb. Jul 18, 2018
Cambridge, MA
All anchors are bolted. Assuming you do Wire Crack: instead of rappelling down the route, go directly down with one 70 m rope. There are nice bolted stations the entire way and none of the rappels will be close to the end.
Rack: single to 4", doubles from 0.3-#3, triple 0.5.
P1 (Thriller on the Pillar): A cool pitch. As noted by others here, it is wide at the bottom and narrows at the top. Finding your way can be a bit confusing due to all the moss. I hopped back and forth between all the cracks. Save a purple (0.5) and gray (0.4) camalot for the top. This crux is mostly about finding the right body positioning--it is not strenuous.
P2: Easy 5.7 crack. Should be linked with P1 if you have any gear left. There is indeed a memorable belay seat here.
P3: Although graded easier than P1, this felt like real 5.10 to me and the crux of the route. This is a strenuous and flared hand crack. I recommend tape for this pitch (and only this one). There is a two bolt anchor here with quick links (but no rappel ring).
P4: Short 5.9 (easy for grade) up and right to a ledge.
P5: Wire Crack! Another 10a flared fingers to tight hand crack, but much easier than P3. Pad up an easy slab with no protection to the top (you don't need it, either).
Enjoy the view from up there! There's a cool-looking route near/right of the rappel line. Anyone know what it is? Aug 14, 2018
Squamish, BC
The route to the right of the rappel line is Castle Grayskull. squamishrockguides.com/cast… Jun 16, 2019
Squamish, BC
P3 is awkward and always the crux of the route for me, the crack alternates between bottoming and flaring making it feel insecure. It’s not overly difficult, just not as straightforward as the other pitches.
Wire Crack is the preferred finish now for most parties. It’s excellent although short. I think it’s easier than Mushroom on the Papoose, so more like 5.9 but an absolute gem all the same. Aug 2, 2021
Salt Lake City, UT
Vancouver, BC