Whistler Train Wreck Cultural Centre and more
After our 5 days in Vancouver we headed up the Sea to Sky highway to Squamish, the next stop on our trip.
Squamish is located halfway between Vancouver and Whistler, where the mountains meet the mouth of Howe Sound. There are many outdoor activities to do in all seasons. To find out more check out this website
Sea to Sky Gondola
The Gondola is approximately 2 km south of Squamish and offers views over Howe Sound. It is located inside of Stawamus Chief Provincial Park and the upper platform is on Mount Habrich. While riding the gondola you can see Shannon falls and the Stawamus Chief Climbing area.
We took a ride up the gondola, unfortunately there wasn’t much snow but we still managed to do some sightseeing. If you are into back country skiing, tubing or snowshoeing then these activities can be done when there is ample snow.
Exploring the area we had a walk on a couple of the many trails and crossed the Sky Pilot suspension Bridge. We did the Spirit Trail which is approx. 400 metres and gives one perspective looking over Howe Sound. Then we did the Panorama Trail which is approximately 1.6 km and gives another perspective.
Shannon Falls
After we got back down to the gondola carpark we walked to Shannon Falls Provincial Park via a trail which is approx. 1.6 km return. The falls were spectacular and there are at least 3 view points to see the falls from. Shannon Falls is the 3rd highest waterfall in British Columbia.
Bald Eagles
The Squamish area has become one of North Americas largest congregation of the Bald Eagle in winter. This is the time of year that salmon make their journey upstream to spawn hence the large number of birds.
We managed to see the Eagles in two spots, Fergie’s – Cheakamus River and the Tenderfoot Creek hatchery. Read more about where to spot the Eagle here
Next Stop Whistler
We headed to Whistler in the hopes of a white Christmas. There hadn’t been much snow, even the ski fields looked a bit sparce. As New Zealanders we don’t have snow at Christmas so we had our fingers crossed. Something must have worked because we where lucky that we had snow on Christmas eve and throughout Christmas day.
Lost Lake
Lost Lake Park has over 25kms of trails that can be enjoyed in both winter and summer some of the activities that can be enjoyed include hiking, biking, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The lake freezes over in winter and I think the day I visited the lake so did all the influencers there were a number of people talking to their phones including me but I’m not sure I’m on influencer level!
Whistler Train Wreck – Outdoor Art Gallery
Located near the Cheakamus River is the Train Wreck which has sat in the forest since 1956. The wreck happened due to three boxcars loaded with lumber jammed in an area constricted by rock cuts. You can read more on the Whistler Museum website
The train wreck has now become an outdoor art gallery.
Previously, to access the wreck you had to walk on the railway tracks to get to the site but updates have been made with a new suspension bridge so if you want to know how to get there make sure to have a read here
Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre
“The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) is the first centre of its kind in Canada, located on the shared, traditional territories of the Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation. ” Whistler.com/arts
It was nice to be immersed in the art work, traditions and more from another culture. Of note was the collaboration between Maori artist George Nuku and Squamish Nation Artist Cory Douglas. Which is shown in the video below.
Whistler Olympic Plaza
Whistler was host mountain resort for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and where the medal award ceremonies were held has now become the Plaza. The Olympic rings and other information can be seen at the Plaza. If you want to find out about other things in the area related to the Olympics then this blog post is a great read
We had planned on some snowmobiling and going on the Gondola but the weather didn’t play ball and also not enough snow. The rest of the family did do some tubing which had its good points and bad – disorganization I think being the main bad one.
Have you ever visited Squamish and Whistler I would love to hear your take on it. Watch out for the last installment of our trip to British Columbia.
