Ossa Mountain

Ossa Mountain in Squamish is one of those routes you only tackle if you genuinely like suffering. This 24.5 km out-and-back with around 2375 m of gain is an extreme objective that usually takes 11–14 hours, and that’s for strong, experienced parties. Long, steep, and remote, it feels more like a full-value mountaineering mission than a typical Squamish hike.

The day starts on the A200 road before pitching sharply into the forest, with a quad-burning climb and sections of thick brush and minor bushwhacking. You’ll pass views of Crooked Falls, then grind up through forest and subalpine to a major creek crossing that can be fast, thigh-deep, and genuinely serious in early season. Beyond that, the route climbs past moraine and glacier camps onto the west ridge, with ridge walking, false summits, scramble sections, and huge views over the Tantalus Range, Garibaldi, and the Sunshine Coast peaks if you hit it in good weather.

Recent reports on Ossa Mountain say to expect a slow, overgrown approach, a missing bridge, and a cold, tricky creek crossing where you’ll likely be taking shoes off and committing to wet legs. Most people now recommend camping below the glacier instead of at the three small ponds, with water plentiful and decent tent spots. Early season means snow from just above the creek, fast glissades on descent, and real hazard on the glacier and corniced summit ridge, so crampons, ice axe, solid self-arrest skills, and good route-finding are essential; save this Squamish epic for late spring to early fall and only go if your fitness, scrambling, and decision-making are dialed.