Squamish
49°42′ N 123°09′ WCoach 1 hLast home 8:00 pm
A day in Squamish suits walkers and eagle watchers who want granite walls and a working town at the head of Howe Sound, and two coaches run there from downtown Vancouver. The trade-off is the ride home, because the walk-on Squamish Connector heads south by mid-afternoon and the later YVR Skylynx coach stops in Squamish only on reservation.
Closed
The Sea to Sky Gondola shuts for its annual maintenance in November
The Sea to Sky Gondola's hours page closes it for annual maintenance from 16 to 26 November 2026, and its FAQ starts the closure on 9 November. Both put the reopening on 27 November, with the gondola running daily from 9 am to 5 pm, and the gondola's shop sells dated tickets only up to 15 November, which matches the hours page. The FAQ says Guest Services and the Basecamp shop stay open every day through the closure. Hikers finishing the Sea to Summit Trail and ski tourers heading for Sky Pilot depend on the gondola, so plan those trips outside 9 to 26 November.
Checked 2026-10-16 · seatoskygondola.com
Photo James Abbott · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Field card · Day trip · No. 007 · checked 16 Oct 2026
The Squamish Connector heads south by mid-afternoon.
Catch the last way home
The last coach home leaves at 8:00 pm from Squamish Adventure Centre, 38551 Loggers Lane, on the YVR Skylynx Standard coach (Monday to Thursday; the Friday to Sunday coach leaves at 9:00 pm). It reaches Vancouver Downtown, Melville Street by Burrard Station at 9:00 pm.
YVR Skylynx winter and spring 2026/27 timetable, 22 November 2026 to 19 April 2027; the summer and fall timetable to 21 November also sends its last coach south from Squamish at 8:00 pm. Checked Oct 16, 2026 from the published timetable. Timetable
Choose how you get there
| Way | Time | Cost | With |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | 1 h | $32 per adult (2026) | YVR Skylynx The Standard coach leaves Melville Street outside the Hyatt Regency by Burrard Station and reaches the Squamish Adventure Centre on Loggers Lane an hour later. Skylynx stops in Squamish only when you reserve the stop. |
| Coach | Not published | Not published | Squamish Connector From 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027 the Squamish Connector leaves 660 West Cordova Street at Waterfront Station at 9:50 am on weekdays and 8:50 am at weekends, and walk-ons are welcome there. It drops off at the Squamish Adventure Centre on every run and at the Sea to Sky Gondola by reservation. The schedule prints no arrival times. |
| Car | 1 h 8 min | Not published | Source The routing engine gives 64.7 km and 68 minutes from Waterfront Station in free-flowing traffic, over the Lions Gate Bridge and up Highway 99 from Horseshoe Bay. Highway 99 is a signed winter tire route from 1 October to 31 March. |
Getting there
From Waterfront Station to Squamish
YVR Skylynx Standard coaches run from Melville Street by Burrard Station to the Squamish Adventure Centre in an hour, and the stop needs a reservation. The Squamish Connector leaves 660 West Cordova Street at Waterfront Station and takes walk-ons, and drivers follow Highway 99 north from Horseshoe Bay.
Door to door
1 h 2 min
from Waterfront Station
One way from
$32
adult fare
Book ahead
Advised
Day trip
Yes
YVR Skylynx Standard coach from downtown
1 h 2 min · $32 one way
Waterfront Station
Train12 minTransLink's station table gives 2 minutes for the one stop, and the coach stop on Melville Street is outside the Hyatt Regency.Squamish Adventure Centre, 38551 Loggers Lane
How often · In the 2026/27 winter timetable the first coach leaves downtown for Squamish at 6:00 am and the last at 11:00 pm, with Standard coaches through the day.
Bikes · Skylynx carries one boxed or bagged bike free on each ticket.
Boards and skis · One set of skis or one snowboard travels free on each ticket.
Squamish Connector from Waterfront Station
660 West Cordova Street, Waterfront Station
Bus1Walk-ons are welcome at Waterfront, and the Sea to Sky Gondola drop-off works by reservation.Squamish Adventure Centre, Loggers Lane
How often · From 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027, buses leave Waterfront three times on weekdays from 9:50 am and four times at weekends from 8:50 am.
Drive Highway 99
1 h 8 min
Downtown Squamish
Booking. Book the Skylynx seat with the Squamish stop ahead, since that coach calls in Squamish only on reservation. The Squamish Connector takes walk-ons at Waterfront and at the Adventure Centre.
As a day trip. Squamish works as a day from downtown Vancouver on the coach. In winter 2026/27 the last Skylynx south leaves at 8:00 pm from Monday to Thursday and 9:00 pm from Friday to Sunday.
Weather. Highway 99 is a signed winter tire route from 1 October to 31 March, and wildfire smoke and closures shape Sea to Sky plans from July to September.
Sources: yvrskylynx.com, yvrskylynx.com, squamishconnector.com, squamishconnector.com, translink.ca, routing.openstreetmap.de · checked 2026-10-16
Is it for you?
Squamish rewards a winter day of eagles and brewpubs an hour up the coast, and it asks you to plan the ride home.
You’ll love Squamish if
- You want to watch wintering bald eagles from the Brackendale dyke in November or December.
- You like a long lunch on Cleveland Avenue after a morning outside.
Think twice if
- You want a late walk-on bus home, since the Connector's last run south leaves at 2:45 pm on weekdays and the later Skylynx coach needs the Squamish stop reserved.
- You have only summer tires, because Highway 99 needs winter tires from October to March.
Give it a day
See what the day takes in
By the 2026/27 winter timetable, the 8:00 am YVR Skylynx Standard coach leaves Melville Street outside the Hyatt Regency by Burrard Station and pulls into the Squamish Adventure Centre on Loggers Lane at 9:00 am. An earlier one leaves at 6:00 am. Reserve the Squamish stop when you buy the seat, because the coach calls there only on reservation. A Standard ticket from downtown costs $32 one way and $42 return for the season from 22 November 2026, and the last coach south leaves at 8:00 pm from Monday to Thursday and at 9:00 pm from Friday to Sunday.
The Squamish Connector gives a second way up from 660 West Cordova Street at Waterfront Station, and walk-ons are welcome at that stop. On its schedule for 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027 the first bus leaves at 9:50 am on weekdays and at 8:50 am at weekends, and every run drops off at the Squamish Adventure Centre. Its last bus south leaves the Adventure Centre at 2:45 pm on weekdays and 4:30 pm at weekends, so it suits a shorter day.
The town stands on the land of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) at the point where the Squamish River meets the top of Howe Sound. The Nation's own page puts its traditional territory at 6,732 square kilometres. The District of Squamish apologized to the Nation in public at O'Siyam Pavilion on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in 2026.
Winter brings the bald eagles. Chum salmon runs in the valley's rivers draw them in from November to February, and BC Parks puts the best viewing in November and December. BC Parks says Squamish set the world record in the 1994 winter count with 3,769 eagles. Watch from the Eagle Run viewing area on the municipal dyke across from 41015 Government Road in Brackendale, and turn off Highway 99 at Garibaldi Way to reach it. Brackendale Eagles Park lies across the river with no road in, and BC Parks closes it to all recreation other than fishing from 1 October to 31 March.
Downtown runs along Cleveland Avenue and Second Avenue, and the coach stop on Loggers Lane sits beside Highway 99. Howe Sound Brewing pours its own beer in a brewpub at 37801 Cleveland Avenue. Salted Vine Kitchen & Bar on Second Avenue cooks dinner from Wednesday to Sunday, so book it for a weekend. The Sea to Sky Gondola stands 2 km south of Squamish by the Connector's reckoning. The Connector drops off there by reservation and picks up walk-ons at 3:00 pm on weekdays and at 3:00 pm and 4:40 pm at weekends, and the gondola closes for maintenance from 16 to 26 November 2026.
Worth knowing
- Book the Squamish stop when you book the Skylynx seat, because the coach calls at the Squamish Adventure Centre only on reservation.
- Black bears usually den from December to April, WildSafeBC says, and feeding one or leaving food out for it breaks section 33.1 of BC's Wildlife Act.
- From July to September, check the BC Wildfire Service and DriveBC before you set off, since smoke and fire closures can change a Sea to Sky day.
Quick answers about Squamish
Can you do a day trip to Squamish without a car?
Yes. The YVR Skylynx Standard coach runs from Melville Street by Burrard Station in downtown Vancouver to the Squamish Adventure Centre in an hour, and in winter 2026/27 its last coach south leaves Squamish at 8:00 pm from Monday to Thursday and at 9:00 pm from Friday to Sunday. Reserve the Squamish stop, because that coach calls there only on reservation. The walk-on Squamish Connector also runs from Waterfront Station, and its last bus south leaves at 2:45 pm on weekdays and 4:30 pm at weekends.
How long is the drive from Vancouver to Squamish?
The routing engine gives 68 minutes and 64.7 km from Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver to downtown Squamish in free-flowing traffic. Highway 99 is a signed winter tire route from 1 October to 31 March.
When is the best time to see the eagles in Squamish?
BC Parks puts the best eagle viewing near Squamish in November and December, and the birds gather from November to February. Watch from the Eagle Run viewing area on the municipal dyke across from 41015 Government Road in Brackendale.
How much is the bus from Vancouver to Squamish?
A YVR Skylynx Standard ticket from downtown Vancouver to Squamish costs $32 one way and $42 return in the winter and spring 2026/27 season. From YVR the Standard fare is $55 one way.
Is the Sea to Sky Gondola open in November?
Yes, except from 16 to 26 November 2026, when it closes for maintenance. The Sea to Sky Gondola opens daily from 9 am to 5 pm from 31 October to 15 November and again from 27 November to 31 December. The last ride down is at 6 pm.
What is the last way home from Squamish?
The last coach home leaves at 8:00 pm from Squamish Adventure Centre, 38551 Loggers Lane, on the YVR Skylynx Standard coach (Monday to Thursday; the Friday to Sunday coach leaves at 9:00 pm). It reaches Vancouver Downtown, Melville Street by Burrard Station at 9:00 pm. That time comes from YVR Skylynx winter and spring 2026/27 timetable, 22 November 2026 to 19 April 2027; the summer and fall timetable to 21 November also sends its last coach south from Squamish at 8:00 pm.
Is Squamish worth a day trip?
Squamish rewards a winter day of eagles and brewpubs an hour up the coast, and it asks you to plan the ride home.
Within 10 km
Sights nearby
Within 10 km
Places to eat and drink nearby
Within 10 km
Hikes nearby
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