Squamish: Sea to Sky Gondola Ticket & Mountain Views

4.65

(383 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was the smell — salty, a bit piney, almost sharp in my nose as we stepped out near the base of the Sea to Sky Gondola. Squamish was quieter than I’d expected. There were a couple of kids chasing each other around the parking lot, and one of them stopped to point out how high the cables went. I tried not to look nervous (he grinned at me anyway). The gondola itself looked almost too clean — glassy windows, smooth seats — but once we started moving, all I could hear was this soft hum and then wind, just wind everywhere.

Our little group fell quiet halfway up. You know that feeling when you’re not sure if you should talk or just watch? That was us. The forest below looked endless, all those conifers packed tight like bristles. At one point, our guide — Sarah, who grew up here — pointed out Mount Habrich and told us about her dad hiking it every summer. She said on clear days you could see all the way to Howe Sound sparkling behind us. It wasn’t perfectly clear for us, but honestly, that made it feel more real somehow. The clouds kept shifting; sometimes you’d catch a flash of water or sun on rock and then it’d be gone again.

I didn’t expect to get nervous on the suspension bridge at the top (it wobbles more than you think), but there’s something about standing above all that green and gray that makes your knees go soft. Some people took selfies; I mostly just held onto the rail and tried to take it in. There’s a viewing platform nearby where you can see down into the valley — someone next to me said it looked like a painting. Maybe it does. Or maybe it’s just Squamish being Squamish.