Squamish: Valley flightseeing tour with local pilot

4.96

(73 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t really expect my stomach to drop before we even left the ground at Squamish Airport — but there’s something about watching that little plane get ready, propeller spinning, that makes you realize you’re about to see the world differently. Our pilot, Jamie (who grew up here), handed us headsets and grinned like he knew a secret. The air smelled sharp, almost metallic, and I could hear gulls fighting over something behind the hangar. It was colder than I thought it’d be for late spring.

Once we lifted off, everything just sort of fell away — roads, houses, even the idea of time. Jamie pointed out the Tantalus Range first; I kept mixing up which peak was which until he laughed and said most locals do too. The glaciers looked like someone had dragged frosting across the mountains, and there were these impossible blue lakes tucked into folds of rock. He slowed down near Lake Lovely Water (that’s really its name), and honestly, it looked fake from above — way too perfect. My headphones crackled as Jamie explained how old some of these valleys are, but I got distracted by the way sunlight bounced off a waterfall far below us.

There was this moment — maybe halfway through — where all you could hear was the hum of the engine and your own breathing. No traffic noise, no phone buzzes. Just sky and snow and green everywhere. I tried to take a photo but gave up; it never captures how small you feel up there. We circled over Garibaldi Provincial Park and I remember thinking: people hike for days to see this stuff, and here we are floating right above it in thirty-five minutes.

Back on the ground, my legs felt wobbly (not sure if it was nerves or excitement). Jamie asked if we’d spotted any mountain goats; apparently they blend in so well most folks miss them. I still think about that view over Lake Lovely Water sometimes — not sure if it’s possible to forget it.