Squamish's Street Art

Street Art is something that brings joy. It brings colour to otherwise grey days, piques interest in an otherwise boring building. You seek it out, admire it, photograph it, perhaps pose with it.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen more and more street art popping up around Squamish and it certainly adds some local flavour and fun to our buildings and public areas.

The Squamish Arts Council has created 4 different self-guided tours that you can explore:

Squamish Highlights Tour: A diverse tour of Squamish's public art. On this free, self-guided tour you'll discover carvings, murals, sculptures and more. You will require a vehicle for this tour as it extends throughout the Squamish area.

Downtown Walking Tour: This free, self-guided tour explores Squamish’s downtown public art- and you can experience it on foot! This collection features permanent artworks to keep the tour relevant, but you may also encounter temporary works along the way.

Adventure Tour: Embark on an adventure to explore Squamish’s lesser-known artworks on this free, self-guided tour. You will need a bike or car for this tour, as it ventures into areas that are unreachable by public transportation.

Cycling Tour: If you've got a bike and are willing to travel a bit further, this free, self-guided tour is for you! Discover an array of public artworks along cycle routes, where art comes to life at every turn. Grab your up-to-date cycling maps here.

For each, click on the tour name to find a detailed map as well as descriptions of each piece. The public art available to discover includes murals, sculptures, mosaics, window paintings, even public furniture!

Below are just some of Squamish’s local street art you can enjoy around town. We encourage you to get out and explore Squamish's incredible public art- you'd be surprised to see how much there is to discover.

Image: @tiffanyengel

Welcome to Squamish

Artist: Alex Fowkes

Location: Cleveland Ave in Downtown Squamish

Written in both English and Squamish Nation it features colours and symbolism of our local Indigenous heritage.

Image: @whatlynnlovesblog 

Squamish Wings

Artist: Leisel Peterson

Location: 2nd Ave in Downtown Squamish, beside Saha Eatery

An interactive wall mural perfect for selfies, this mural features an array of aboriginal patterns, colours and symbols as well as a nod to Mexican street art.

Image: The Watershed Grill

Squamish Salmon

Artist: Christina Nick

Location: Corner of Cleveland and Pemberton Avenue, on the Mamquam Boardwalk, the eagle viewing dyke in Brackendale

Part of a three-sculpture series, these three red welded steel salmon are installed on a rock beside the river. Discover each piece, made from welded steel, paint and resin and inspired by a Pacific Northwest Coast Aboriginal peoples’ legend.

Image: Tourism Squamish

Howe Sound

Artist: Leisel Peterson

Location: 1st and half Ave in Downtown Squamish, behind Saha Eatery

One of the first pieces of street art commissioned for this area, it added the bright hues of Howe Sound to otherwise bland wall.

Image: Tourism Squamish

Squamish Wings 2.0

Artist: Leisel Peterson

Location: Garibaldi Highlands, Cloudburst Café

Another beautiful set of wings, only these ones also show a phoenix rising through the ashes. Commissioned in Spring 2020, it symbolizes strength and hope.

Image: Downtown Squamish

Squamish Eye

Artist: Leisel Peterson

Location: Downtown Squamish

A symbol of Squamish, this mural is only visible should you hike up high to see it – it’s painted on top of a roof. Best vantage point is from the top of the Stawamus Chief or from a flightseeing tour.

Image: Tourism Squamish

Brackendale Unicorn

Artist: Jimmy Cummins

Location: Brackendale Art Gallery

Established in 1969 as a community cultural centre, the Brackendale Art Gallery can be spotted by the presence of a large white unicorn statue out front, which over time has become a celebrated symbol of Brackendale.

Image: Tourism Squamish

Squamish Adventure

Artist: Ken Skoda, R. Fox

Location: 2nd Ave in Downtown Squamish at Pemberton

Known for his incredible depictions of the wild wilderness areas of the West Coast, Ken painted this stunning paneled mural that features whales, eagles, a bear and the famous Royal Hudson passenger train.

This is just a handful of street murals and art you can find around Squamish. There are many, many more – both hidden and not-so-hidden. What an incredibly fun adventure to explore all of Squamish and try to find them all!