Whistler BC excursion, part 1 of 2, Squamish

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The album features photos taken between Vancouver & Whistler along the scenic Sea to Sky Highway. It mainly features our interesting visit to the town of Squamish halfway between Vancouver & Whistler. Part 2 will feature the Whistler photos. More info:

Sea to Sky Highway image gallery: http://tinyurl.com/q3td6d7




SQUAMISH, population about 17,000, is a community & district municipality located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway, halfway between (60 kms) Vancouver & Whistler.

The town of Squamish had its beginnings during the construction of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway in the 1910s. It was the first southern terminus of that railway which is now part of CN. The town remains important to that rail line and also the port.

Forestry has traditionally been the main industry in the area. The town's largest employer, the Western Forest Products pulp mill, ceased operations on January 26, 2006. Prior to the pulp mill, the town's largest employer was the sawmill & logging operations of International Forest Products (Interfor). They closed a few years before the pulp mill's closing.

In recent years, Squamish has been attracting former Vancouver & Whistler residents' wishing to escape the increased cost of living in those locations.

Tourism is an increasingly important part of the town's economy, with an emphasis on outdoor recreation. Known as the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada, Squamish's huge cliff-faced granite massif named Stawamus Chief Mountain, is popular for rock climbing & bouldering (rock climbing without the use of ropes or harnesses). Other popular outdoor activities include mountain biking, kiteboarding, windsurfing & river rafting.

More info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squamish,_British_Columbia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouldering

http://www.exploresquamish.com/

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Photos

PORT MANN BRIDGE
This new 10-lane cable-stayed bridge on the Trans Canada Highway through Vancouver opened to traffic in 2012. It is currently the 2nd longest cable-stayed bridge in North America. It was also the widest bridge in the world until the opening of the new Bay Bridge in California.

The old bridge is being dismantled on the right
The new bridge replaced a steel arch bridge that spanned the Fraser River connecting Coquitlam & Surrey. It was the longest arch bridge in Canada and third-longest in the world at the moment of inauguration. More info:
ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Mann_Bridge
Image gallery of old & new bridge: http://tinyurl.com/q4sm6gr

Falling ice issues
Sadly, falling ice issues from the cables stays have raised serious questions about the design of the bridge. More info:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/port-mann-bridge-reopens-after-ice-damages-cars-1.1279220

BRITTANIA MINE MUSEUM
This National Historic site is located 10 miles south of Squamish on the Sea to Sky Highway.

The mine opened in 1900 & operated until 1974.
It was the biggest copper mine in the empire at one time. More info:
http://www.britanniaminemuseum.ca/
Be sure to check the PDF file for the interesting history of this mine & former company town.
We had visited the mine on a previous visit to Vancouver so we just stopped long enough to snap a couple photos.

Scenic views along the highway
Looking north, I think.

SQUAMISH -View of Mt Garibaldi
& the marina as we approach the town turnoff.

Stawamus Chief Mountain
is the second largest free-standing granite outcropping in the world, after the Rock of Gibraltar. The granite dome, adjacent to the town of Squamish, towers over 700 m (2,297 ft) above the waters of nearby Howe Sound. It is popular for rock climbing, bouldering & mountain biking. See into text for more jnfo.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stawamus_Chief
http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/stawamus-chief/

Sikh Gurdwara (Temple)
Sikh & other Indo-Canadians lived in Squamish for over a quarter of century before the temple was built. Many Sikh men first came to work in the logging industry at the beginning of the 1900s. At first it was just men who stayed in camps and whose families usually resided in Vancouver.
Then with the completion of the highway to Vancouver in 1958 and the opening of a new sawmill by Weldwood in 1962, there was an influx of people moving to Squamish. As Squamish grew, so too did the number of Indo-Canadians and particularly the Sikhs.

O'Siyam Pavilion,
the multi-purpose outdoor structure designed to accommodate outdoor performances, art exhibits, yoga classes, awards ceremonies and community events. The structure is split into 2 metre grids of undulating waves inspired by the locale where the mountains meet the ocean. More info/pix:
http://www.formline.ca/O-SYIAM-PAVILION

One of the stone sculptures
in Pavillion Community Park. More info:
http://www.whistlereh.com/squamish-parks/pavillion-park.html
There was a busy farmer's market in this park when we were there.

Comments

[Ben H]

Love the mountain view of Squamish
Thanks for sharing.