Mountain Project Logo
To save paper & ink, use the [Hide] controls next to photos and comments so you only print what you need.

The Valley of Shaddai

International > N America > Canada > British Columbia > Squamish
Warning Access Issue: Camping DetailsDrop down

Description

This is an area where you are almost guaranteed solitude and privacy. While it's very close to Murrin Park, it's rarely visited due to the stout approach: the distance isn't great, but it's pretty rugged. The payoff is a beautiful valley, isolated from road noise, cool temperatures on a hot day, and some very nice routes.

This valley has never been logged and has a Lost World feel. My partner commented that he half expected pygmies with bones through their noses to shoot poison darts at us while we were there.

Of the crags in this area, some may be overgrown and lost, but Donny's Roof and The Pillar of Payan, at least, look good. According to various blogs by local hardpeople, the route Zap Crack (12d crack) has seen a fair number of redpoints in the last few years.

Getting There

Park as for Murrin Park, cross the road (carefully!) and walk south past Leviticus and past Browning Bluff (the cliff just south of Leviticus and opposite the lake). Less than 50 feet south of Browning Bluff a rough trail heads up into the woods.

Follow this steep trail until you see a scraggly crag ("Above-the-Lake"). Head right and then up steeply for ten minutes. You will pass through a narrowing referred to as the Quail's Gate in McLane's book. One of the areas, Entrance Exam, is left of the gate. After passing through the Quail's Gate, you will reach the top of a North-South ridge. You can head north to access two crags (Closing Number and Fan the Flame), south to The Needle or the Mountianeers Cliff, or continue east into the Valley itself.

The descent into the Valley is steep. While there are many hand-lines on Squamish trails, climbers tend to ignore them, but this is one that you'll use and get some rope burn from.

At the bottom of the gully you'll see the Donny's Roof crag on the left and Gym Dandy on the right. Further south is Alex's Room, The Pillar of Payan, Emmies Landing and the Wonder Wall.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Valley of Shaddai beauty
[Hide Photo] Valley of Shaddai beauty
Valley of Shaddai
[Hide Photo] Valley of Shaddai

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Glenn Payan
[Hide Comment] Great to see pics of people still enjoying the valley. Good to see that this place hasn't totally succumbed to the moss, and that our work there was not in vain.


Hint: Have a look at the huge unclimbed left facing corner just south of "Em".
As well there's some great looking cracks on the wall to the right of the corner. (likely best viewed from the west side ridge.
Surprised no one has nabbed them Sep 4, 2008
Peter Spindloe
BC
[Hide Comment] Hi Glenn. I thought it was a great place to visit and although we only got on one route, it was great fun.

I was thumbing a magazine two days ago and saw your name. There was a photograph of one of your paintings and a little write-up.

For the benefit of anyone else, check out Glenn's website at glennpayan.com his paintings are stunning, and often feature areas and peaks familiar to climbers. Sep 4, 2008
Peter Spindloe
BC
[Hide Comment] Picture flickr.com/photos/squamisha… of Jason Kruk freeing Zap Crack 5.12d. Dec 31, 2008
Dave Ellison
Squamish, BC
[Hide Comment] These days it is much easier to approach by parking at a pullout just past Murrin Park when driving South on hwy 99. Same parking as for Seal Cove. Cross the highway and head straight into the forest and pick up a faint trail that will lead you into the Valley. Jul 8, 2021
Chris Small
[Hide Comment] A major new area was added to Valley of Shaddai in Sept 2022 - the Soul Asylum. Topo posted here: seatoskyclimbing.ca/s/Soul-…. As Dave said the original approach is very rugged and approaching the way he describes or from Murrin Park as I describe in the above topo is the way to go. Sep 23, 2022
gyokuro
[Hide Comment] If you're looking for Soul Asylum, the approach description via Murrin was a bit tricky for us to follow, so here are a few additions in case it helps: Follow the hiking trail toward Splitsville (Petgill Lake Trail). Follow the trail under the power lines and back into the forest. Head uphill about 5 mins until you reach a mossy slope / cliff of mossy rock. At that point the hiking trail goes left, but instead you go right, and follow the sometimes clear, sometimes not so clear trail. As you go uphill at one point it’s not clear if it goes left or right, but stay left as you go uphill. Then it flattens out. Continue to walk through the valley for quite a while with cliffs on both sides, until you reach a bog with water in it, and skunk cabbage. The crag is visible on the right. It helps to input the GPS location which is located in the Soul Asylum topo :) Oct 20, 2022