The Trail Criterium is on for arc'teryx Academy week. Four routes, seven days, GPS proof or it didn't happen. Complete the card, claim your prize. Everyone who finishes wins. However fast or far you move, there's a card for you. See you out there.
Summer Jaunts
No summits on this one. Instead: old cedar, deep moss, that green-filtered light that only exists under a Pacific rainforest canopy, and trails that roll more than they climb. This is Squamish at ground level, which is arguably where it's prettiest.
Pick this card if you like your running conversational. If you're new to trails, easing back in, chasing a stroller-free hour, or just firmly of the opinion that a run should end in a lake instead of a scramble. Several of these loops pass water cold enough to make you gasp and clean enough to make it worth it.
There's no lesser card here. Same week, same forest, same stamp, same prize. The "Mini Peak Bags" Card people will come back with cooked quads. You'll come back with wet hair and time for a second coffee. We'll let you decide who won.
Cat Lake
5.2km, 215m D+
Normally, what goes up must come down. Running from Cat Lake flips the convention on its head with an easy, flowing descent down Cheshire Cat, followed by a gradual climb back up to the lake. Work up a sweat and earn your cooldown swim at Cat Lake.
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Smoke Bluffs
5.7km, 290m D+
Circumnavigate the closest hilly trail network to downtown Squamish. Where else in the world can you get 100m/km of forest trails from the Main Street?
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Alice Lake
5.8km, 175m D+ -
For all its virtues, Squamish trails are notoriously difficult to navigate. Four Lakes Loop is the exception here, with clear signage at every possible junction. If you like lush forest, warm lakes and struggle with navigation, Alice Lake is for you.
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Brohm Lake
4.9 km, 215m D+ -
Take in the majestic Tantalus mountain range from Brohm Lake's twisty and turny single track trail. Finish off with a swim from one of Brohm's many great swimming spots!
Mini Peak Bags
That one's for the peak baggers: Debeck's Hill, Slhanay, Stawamus Chief, Mt Crumpit. None of them crack 700 metres. All of them are steep. Together they add up to a proper week of vert, most of it on the quieter trails, the ones you can still have to yourself any morning of the week.
These aren't just training hills. This is the unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw, the Squamish Nation, and two of these summits carry names worth knowing before you tag them. The Chief is Siyám Smánit. Siyám refers to a deeply respected elder, teacher, or role model, and smánit means mountain. It's a place of profound significance to the Squamish people. Slhanay means woman, a name restored in consultation with the Nation to replace an older colonial one that had no business on a map. Run these trails the way you'd move through someone's home, because you are.
Debeck's Hill
7.5km, 450 D+ -
The 2025 Dryden Creek wildfire on the west side of Debecks Hill was a reminder of how important it is to take care when moving through the forests we're so lucky to recreate in. The wildfire gave us quite a scare but we were fortunate to come away with little more than a few hectares of burns. Go up and appreciate the local mountain we're fortunate to still have!
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Mt Crumpit
9km, 500 D+ -
Mt Crumpit may be the most under-appreciated hill in the corridor. Its terrain is rugged and steep like a much larger mountain without the large approach usually required. Crumpit's accessibility and proximity to the neighbourhood should make it much busier than it is, yet it remains relatively quiet and remote. Enjoy this mountain of contradictions.
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Slhanay
8km, 690 D+ -
Explore the Chief's rugged northern neighbour and all of its beautifully steep and slabby surfaces. South Squamish residents can't get enough of this gem, go see why for yourself!
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Stawamus Chief
8km, 780 D+ -
3, 2, 1 - as it is colloquially referred to - is the best mountain running loop on the planet. We'll defend that to our deathbed against anyone who dares contest this claim. But don't take our word for it, see for yourself!
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