Stawamus Chief is the mammoth rock face that towers over Squamish. Though hardly believable from looking at, the summit is a fairly easy, though very steep hike. In fact there are three peaks, South (First), Centre (Second), and North (Third). Each accessible from the single trailhead. Growing in popularity as the newest brother to the Grouse Grind in Vancouver because there are quite a few stairs and considerable elevation gain.
Incredible views from the topEnjoyable, but very steep hikeFamous rock climbing destinationLots of terrain to wander at the topConvenient trailhead on Hwy 99Busy, but organized trailsDog friendly hiking trailsFree access & free parkingNice campsites at the trailhead
No camping at the top
Alice Lake 
Ancient Cedars 
Blackcomb Mountain Black Tusk 
Brandywine Falls Brandywine Meadows Brew Lake 
Callaghan Lake Cheakamus Lake 
Cheakamus River 
Cirque Lake Elfin Lakes Garibaldi Lake Garibaldi Park Helm Creek High Falls Joffre Lakes Keyhole Hot Springs Levette Lake Logger’s Lake Madeley Lake Meager Hot Springs Nairn Falls Panorama Ridge Parkhurst Ghost Town Rainbow Falls Rainbow Lake Ring Lake Russet Lake Sea to Sky Gondola Sea to Sky Trail Shannon Falls Skookumchuck Hot Springs Sloquet Hot Springs Sproatt East Sproatt West Stawamus Chief Taylor Meadows The Lions Train Wreck Upper Shannon Falls 
Wedgemount Lake Whistler Mountain
Stawamus Chief, more often referred to as The Chief, is well know as one of the largest granite monoliths in the world. The Chief attracts rock climbers from around the world to its many incredible climbing routes up this granite dome that towers over 700 metres(2297 feet) above Howe Sound. The Chief covers an area roughly three square kilometres and the original granite dome is fractured into several separate summits. The three main summits are the First Peak, Second Peak and Third Peak. All are accessible by the park's maintained hiking trail network. First Peak is 1.5 kilometres long, with an elevation gain of 540 metres. Second Peak is 1.7 kilometres from the trailhead and with an elevation gain of 590 metres. Third Peak is 1.8 kilometres from the trailhead and has an elevation gain of 630 metres. Another notable summit, just north of Third Peak is the Zodiac Summit. No maintained trail leads to the Zodiac Summit, though finding the route to it is not too difficult. The Zodiac Summit is a quiet oasis in this often bustling park. Most hikers head straight to First Peak, though all three summits get a considerable amount of hiker traffic on an average summer day. Zodiac Summit remains off the radar for almost all visitors to the park.
Along with hiking and climbing, Stawamus Chief Provincial Park has quite a large campsite adjacent to the start of the hike. The campsite has 16 drive-in sites and 58 walk-in sites. Though the campsite is only operational from mid April to mid October, outside these dates you can walk in and camp in the campground for free. When operational, the fee for camping is $10 per person, per night Cold water taps are available in the campground as well as several outhouses throughout the campground. There are no shower facilities in the park. Dogs a welcome in Stawamus Chief Provincial Park, though they must be on a leash at all times.
The Chief is featured a bunch of times in the amazing movie The Alpinist. This incredible movie follows Marc-André Leclerc from his home in Squamish, then around the world as he climbs mountain routes previously considered impossible.
From Cleveland Avenue and Highway 99 in Squamish (McDonalds is on this corner), drive south for about 2 minutes and watch for signs on your left. You can either park at the Stawamus Chief trailhead or the Shannon Falls trailhead. Both are close to each other but the Shannon Falls is much better for a day hike if you want to see both. Seeing both only takes a few minutes more than hiking just The Chief. If you are planning to camp overnight then The Chief trailhead is better to park as that is where the campsites are.
