Hiking Slhanay Peak & The Chief Traverse in Squamish
Contents
Slhanay Peak & The Chief Traverse Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 16Km
Elevation Gain: 1,325m
Highest Elevation: 702m
Average Gradient: 16.56%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 7 – 8 Hours
– Moderate: 6 – 7 Hours
– Fast: 5 – 6 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes, but don’t take them.
Season: Year-Round
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Several roped climbing sections up vertical cliffs with some exposure. Many ropes, chains and ladders throughout.
Slhanay Peak & The Chief Traverse Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°41’42.9″N 123°07’48.6″W
Slhanay Peak & The Chief Traverse Overview
Slhanay Peak and the Stawamus Chief are a pair of summits located in Stawamus Chief Provincial Park near Squamish. As individual hikes these are both great days out, but it’s actually possible to combine these two hikes into one fantastic outing by using a via ferrata traverse from Slhanay Peak directly over to the third peak of the Stawamus Chief, before descending down to the second and first peak and back to the trailhead in one long, looped hike.
While this is a challenging hike, it’s easier to do these summits as one big trip than it is to do each of these hikes individually, though the traverse over from Slhanay Peak to the Chief has some challenges that may put some people off.
Sections of the traverse include a via ferrata, otherwise known as an iron road, which is essentially an assisted rock climb through the use of fixed iron bar steps and ropes. These sections are brief but will require some nerve and upper body strength to pull yourself up a cliff face to the summit of the third peak of the Stawamus Chief.
While each of these hikes individually are year-round hikes, I would only attempt this traverse in dry conditions when there is no chance of snow or ice on the summit of the third peak, so I’d avoid the midst of winter or any rainy/damp day. I would also advise doing this hike starting from Slhanay Peak and traversing to the Stawamus Chief. Going the other way would mean descending the via ferrata from third peak, which would be considerably harder than ascending.
The views throughout this hike are almost constant and phenomenal. You’ll start with multiple viewpoints of the Stawamus Chief from the Slhanay Peak trail, before dropping into the col between the two summits and ascending the granite goliath, only to look back in awe of where you just came from. It’s a real adventure and provides a lot of satisfaction once you reach the top of the Chief.
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Is Slhanay Peak & The Chief Traverse worthwhile?
If you have the confidence to tackle this hike I strongly recommend doing so. While both Slhanay Peak and the Stawamus Chief are excellent hikes in their own right, combining them both into one hike makes for a truly epic day out. The views throughout this hike are constantly breathtaking on a clear day.
How difficult is the Slhanay Peak & The Chief Traverse?
Physically speaking the hike has its challenges but at 16km it’s certainly not the longest hike. There are certain sections that are very steep, namely the very beginning on the ascent up Slhanay Peak, as well as the ascent to the third peak of the Chief from the col between the two summits. The section between the second and first peak of the Chief is also fairly challenging, particularly as it’s towards the end of the hike. If you start early and take your time though there’s no reason to be concerned. I only took 5.5 hours to complete the entire hike.
Technically speaking there are obviously multiple challenges for this hike. The via ferratas require a decent amount of nerve, so a comfort for heights and some exposure is a requirement (see the gallery for photos of examples). You will also need some upper body strength as you will be pulling yourself up cliff faces using ropes and iron bars. Taller people will find it easier than shorter people as some of the bars are fairly spaced apart. There are also some exposed sections on the Slhanay Peak trail, and the general terrain throughout the hike is quite technical, particularly on Slhanay Peak. The Chief has multiple sections requiring the use of chains and ladders, though these are not exposed to any drops and are very straightforward.
Slhanay Peak & The Chief Traverse Route Information
The trail begins on the Slhanay Peak trail just off the Mamquam FSR, which a 2WD can access just fine. The first hundred meters or so of the hike is just a narrow trail through the forest, before you reach the gruellingly steep section. The first 500m will involve clambering up boulders and roots, following the sporadic orange markers up the steep hill. The route should be pretty evident as foot traffic has trampled a pretty obvious trail for the most part, but some sections may not be so obvious.
At around the 500m mark you will reach the base of a gigantic cliff, and you’ll actually find yourself standing on the top of this within an hour or so. The trail now takes a turn to the right beneath the cliff, and continues to climb at a relentless gradient. At around the 600m mark you have finished most of the steep ascent, but the trail ahead is challenging in other ways. The trail now traverses across a steep slope to your right, and at times it can be quite technical footwork. One section is particularly exposed above a high drop, and the trail is very narrow.
Once you’re past this section that’s the end of the exposure for now. Just ahead will be your first viewpoint. It is not marked in any way so be careful not to skip past it, there is a short trail to your right that provides a great view over Squamish, the Chief and the Howe Sound.
Shortly up ahead you will reach a junction, going straight will take you on the traverse over to the Chief, for now you’ll want to go left to continue on the Slhanay Peak trail. The trail will now continue to climb gradually into the forest. You’re about to come up to the sections which most people miss, to a couple of fantastic viewpoints, so have your map ready as these are not marked very well, if at all, on the trail.
Around 700m after you leave the junction for the Chief there will be a trail going left, down into the forest. This is not an obvious trail, it is very easy to miss. Follow this trail down, it descends a couple of hundred meters but it ends up at the top of the cliff you were beneath as you were ascending. The views from this cliff are absolutely breathtaking of the Chief, the town and the harbour. After enjoying the view you’ll want to head back to the main trail and now continue along it. After just a couple of hundred meters more you’ll reach another junction. You might see some signs labeled “Viewpoint” or “Tony’s Lookout” and that’s where you want to go. This is another fantastic viewpoint of the Chief.
Heading back to the main trail you’ll again continue along it, after a couple of hundred meters you should see a faint trail going left into the forest. Follow this trail for around 700m at a fairly steep incline to the top of Slhanay Peak. The views are 360 degrees from the summit, but are fairly obstructed by trees. You will be able to see the Garibaldi range to the north, Anif Peak and Mount Mulligan to the east, the Chief to the south and some other mountains to the west.
Once you’ve finished up at the summit you just head all the way back down to the main trail and then to the junction you were earlier at where the trail to the Chief begins. You’ll immediately start climbing again, but it’s nothing technical to begin with. After a few hundred meters you’ll reach a junction with some signage, following the sign to the Chief.
The trail will continue in a steep but straightforward manner to the base of a gigantic cliff, where you’ll likely see some ropes dropping down for climbers to use. You’ll now be following the base of this cliff on an ill defined trail, keeping an eye on your map to make sure you’re going the correct way. Soon you will hit your first roped obstacle, a short, almost vertical climb with little exposure. Shortly after this you’ll hit another roped section requiring you to traverse across a small cliff using some fixed iron bars to step onto. Up ahead will be another section of two ropes that you’ll need to pull yourself up, which was quite slippery when I went so take care here.
After some more steep hiking you’ll reach the crux of the via ferrata and the final ascent up to the third peak of the Chief. This will be a vertical cliff with a rope dangling down, as well as several fixed iron bars. There will be exposure on this section so you don’t want to fall. One of the fixed bars is loose but holds up just fine. A short person may struggle to reach the first bar as it’s quite high up, and you’ll need to pull yourself up the rope using whatever footholds you can find. It sounds tricky but it was fine and I’m no climber. Towards the top of the cliff the iron bars and the rope stops and you’ll have to scramble up the remaining section of cliff face, at which point I was very thankful to be wearing approach shoes to help with grip. A damp cliff here will not be pleasant I assure you.
Once you’ve climbed this section you’ll be on the third peak of the Stawamus Chief, where I was surprised to find nobody. Take a look back towards Slhanay Peak, Garibaldi and the wall you just climbed, you’ll be pretty stoked I guarantee it. The views from the third peak are great, but not as good as the second peak. Thankfully the rest of the trail is technically straightforward compared to what you just did, so just follow the ridge between the third and second peak, passing by The Saddle on the way. It should be marked well enough, but check your map if not.
You’ll likely encounter people at the second peak as it’s a popular one, and rightly so as the views are breathtaking of the town, the Howe Sound and the first peak in front of it. After enjoying the views continue heading down the obvious route towards the first peak. You’ll hit a series of chains and ladders, as well as single file sections that may have some lines if it’s busy, which it likely will be by now. After the final ladder you’ll come out to a forested section in front of a cliff directly beneath the first peak. If you look to your right you will see another via ferrata going straight up the cliff face. I did not take this route and the trail does not go this way, but taking it will seriously reduce the distance and elevation of this hike if you are up for it. I’ve been reliably informed it’s easier than the via ferrata you took up to the third peak.
Assuming you follow my route and skip the via ferrata, you’ll now just descend significantly into the forest along the popular trail. After around 500m you should reach the junction where the trail either continues down to the trailhead or up to the first peak. By now you may want to just skip the first peak, but I went just so I could tick off all three peaks. It’s a slog up to the first peak again, steep and involving more ladders, chains and single file sections. Traffic will be very busy here so you’ll need to be patient with people coming and going. The views from the first peak are good but nothing on what you’ve seen already so you probably won’t stick around long.
Once finished you just head back down the way you came and once you’re back at the main trail you’ll descend all the way to the parking lot for the Chief. This will be a very steep descent on giant boulders and staircases, but it’s very quick if you want it to be. I likely only took half an hour to get back down to the trailhead, bombing it past the hoards of people coming up.
Once you reach the trailhead you’ll need to walk through the first parking lot, around the roundabout and through the second parking lot. There will be a trail besides the highway that climbers tend to use, directly beneath the Chief. After following this trail for some time you’ll eventually pass through the climbing only parking lot near the Mamquam FSR entrance, before hiking along the Mamquam FSR back to your car. Unfortunately this is a long, albeit flat, walk back the car, which is the only annoying part of this hike.
When should I hike Slhanay Peak & The Chief Traverse?
I’d only attempt this hike on an assuredly sunny day with dry conditions and zero snow or ice around. That typically rules out a lot of the winter, but the shoulder seasons should be fine and that’s when I completed it. The summer will be great too of course.
Top Tip
Other than ensuring to go under the right conditions I’d definitely suggest going with some solid grip on your boots, as parts of the via ferrata would be a lot more comfortable with it. I used approach shoes which helped a lot with confidence. You definitely want an offline map as many of the trails around Slhanay Peak are difficult to spot.
