Easy Hiking Around Vancouver

By Jean Cousins

Easy Hiking around Vancouver presents sixty-two of seasoned hiker Jean Cousins’ favorite destinations. For quick reference, hikes are arranged in nine geographic regions in and around the Vancouver area. Easy to follow directions take hikers north as far as Pemberton, east to Manning Park and the Fraser Canyon, or south to Mount Baker in Washington State. Trailheads for many hikes can be reached from downtown Vancouver in less than an hour.

This edition includes easy-to-read new and updated maps, quick access to hikes by duration and level of difficulty, specially marked family hikes, seasonal tips, advice on clothing and equipment, and notes on plants and animals along the way. Written for both the novice and the expert, this best-selling guide will be the most important item in any hiker’s backpack.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Greystone Books
• Release date: Jul 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781926685168

Book preview

EASY HIKING AROUND VANCOUVER

Revised & Updated

AN ALL-SEASON GUIDE

JEAN COUSINS

EASY HIKING

around

Vancouver

9781926685168_0003_001

Copyright © 1980, 1983, 1990 by Jean Cousins and Heather Robinson

Copyright © 1995, 2001, 2005 by Jean Cousins

Sixth edition published 2005

First U.S. edition published 2005

First ebook edition published 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For a copyright licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.

Greystone Books

An imprint of Douglas & McIntyre Ltd.

2323 Quebec Street, Suite 201

Vancouver, British Columbia V5T 4S7

www.greystonebooks.com

Cataloguing information available from Library and Archives Canada

ISBN 978-1-55365-085-0 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-1-926685-16-8 (ebook)

Editing by Ruth Wilson

Cover design by Jessica Sullivan

Cover photograph by Trevor Bonderud/First Light

Photographs by Vi Wall, Norman Cousins and Jean Cousins

Maps by Eric Leinberger from information supplied by the author

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, and the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP) for our publishing activities.

The author wishes to acknowledge

the contribution of the late

HEATHER ROBINSON,

coauthor of the first three editions of

Easy Hiking around Vancouver.

Her practical input

and great enthusiasm will always be

a substantial part of this work.

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Mystery Lake, Mount Seymour

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Clothing and Equipment

Throughout the Seasons

On the Trail

Hazards and Survival

Trail Information

Key to Maps and General Map

VANCOUVER AND EAST OF VANCOUVER

1 Pacific Spirit Regional Park

2 Burnaby Lake

3 Burnaby Mountain

4 Burns Point

5 Woodhaven-Sasamat Trails

6 Buntzen Ridge

7 Buntzen Lake Circuit

8 Minnekhada

9 Burke Mountain Woodland Trail

NORTH VANCOUVER

10 Capilano Canyon

11 Goat Mountain Trail

12 Lower Grouse Circuit

13 Old Lillooet Trail

14 Lynn Headwaters

15 Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve

16 Vancouver Lookout

17 Dog Mountain

18 Mystery Lake

19 Grey Rock

WEST VANCOUVER

20 Blue Gentian Lake

21 Forks-Skyline Circuit

22 Hollyburn Lakes

23 Hollyburn Mountain

24 Black Mountain

25 Howe Sound Crest

26 Cypress Falls Circuit

27 Eagle Creek Ramble

28 Lighthouse Park

HOWE SOUND

29 Killarney Lake

30 Mount Gardner

31 Deeks Creek Bluffs

NORTH OF SQUAMISH

32 Four Lakes Trail

33 Skyline-Copperbush Circuit

34 Brohm Lake Forest

35 Whistler Interpretive Forest Trails

36 Cheakamus Lake

37 Joffre Lakes

FRASER VALLEY NORTH

38 Pitt River and Marsh

39 U.B.C. Malcolm Knapp Research Forest

40 Gold Creek Lookout

41 East Canyon Trail

42 Hayward Lake

43 Rolley Falls and Lake

44 Weaver Lake

45 Hicks Lake

FRASER VALLEY SOUTH

46 Brunswick Point

47 Boundary Bay Dyke

48 Campbell Valley

49 Aldergrove Lake Regional Park

50 Derby Reach

51 Fort-to-Fort Trail

52 Matsqui Trail—Western Section

53 Chadsey Lake

54 Vedder Mountain

55 Elk Mountain

56 Cultus Lake Trails

HOPE / MANNING PARK

57 Skagit River Trail

58 Hope-Nicola Valley Trail

59 Heather Trail

MOUNT BAKER

60 Excelsior Pass

61 Heliotrope Ridge Trail

62 Lake Ann

Reading List

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The Easy Hikers

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PREFACE

HIKING ROUTES AND TRAILS are subject to change: brush grows up, trees fall, creeks flood and sweep away bridges, roads and buildings encroach on open spaces—all having an effect and making the re-checking of trails an ongoing necessity.

To ensure that this sixth edition of Easy Hiking around Vancouver remains a reliable guide, I have tramped the trails once again, revising descriptions and maps where necessary. Some hikes have been removed, either because the trails have deteriorated or to make room for the 19 new trips presented in this edition.

The ongoing labour of updating a guidebook would not be possible without the help of many people and organizations. Foremost among these are my easy hikers—friends and trail companions for three decades; without them there would be no book. Their suggestions and common sense keep me on track; their joie de vivre ensures that our expeditions are fun. I appreciate, too, the efforts of other friends, including my husband, who donned their hiking boots to accompany me on exploratory trips. Special thanks, again, to Vi Wall—always ready to go the extra mile for Easy Hiking.

I am also grateful for the help and material provided by the staff of provincial, regional and city parks, B.C. Forest Service and the District of Mission Forestry Department, and for the willingness of the hiking fraternity to share information and experience. In particular, I thank Sharon Jones of the Valley Outdoor Association for offering helpful ideas and suggestions from her vast knowledge of local hiking.

Vi Wall and Norman Cousins loaned photographs for the book, and this also is greatly appreciated.

Finally, though not least in importance, I wish to recognize the work of the various hiking groups, organizations and individuals who create, maintain and fight for our precious wilderness trails. Without their dedication, we could not go forth, book in hand, for a great day’s hiking.

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Log stairway on Skyline-Copperbush Trail

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INTRODUCTION

THIS BOOK IS INTENDED for anyone who is interested in hiking in the Vancouver area. It is a guidebook designed to show the beginner how to set about hiking, and where to go. In particular, it is an invitation to the nonexpert to venture along wilderness trails.

The novice or out-of-practice hiker can find his or her own level among the hikes suggested. Those with children can choose a short, designated family hike, on which there are likely to be picnic facilities or things of historical or natural interest. Elderly walkers can explore many of the trails suggested; alternative destinations are often given for those who do not want to go all the way. The midweek hiker can use the book as a guide when club outings are not available, and the more advanced hikes can be enjoyed by enthusiasts according to their level of energy and fitness. For visitors to Vancouver, the hikes may be an introduction to the various wilderness areas within reach of the city.

More than 30 of the hikes are within one hour’s driving time of Vancouver. (I have used City Hall as a central location.) Of the remainder, only five lie beyond a two-hour drive and may entail staying a night in a nearby town or campsite. The hikes are graded according to the degree of difficulty, but all come within the ability of the nonexpert.

Notes on recommended equipment, survival, walking techniques and natural history are included as an aid to the enjoyment of hiking.

We hear enough these days from doctors and physical fitness experts on how we must walk more to stimulate our hearts and loosen up our joints; but there is also psychological healing that comes with walking. Striding out into the wilderness satisfies the spirit of adventure so rarely appeased by urban life, and provides an antidote to stress. Moreover, walking is fun.

However out of practice you are today, this book will encourage you to begin walking—and to walk regularly for the rest of your life.

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CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT

WHEN YOU BECOME a dedicated hiker you will enjoy acquiring some of the excellent and sophisticated gear available, but the truth is that walking requires very little special equipment. Good footwear, comfortable clothes, some weather protection and a light rucksack are all you need.

We offer the following suggestions to get you started. After a few hikes you will discover what gear you are comfortable with.

BOOTS ARE BEST

Sneakers or sturdy rubber-soled shoes are fine for a short walk on a well-kept path, but wilderness trails, even when maintained faithfully, are rugged by nature. You need boots to support your ankles, cushion your feet and keep them dry: boots that will give you a grip on rock, snow, mud and scree.

Proper hiking boots are best, but some of the lighter, less expensive boots sold in department and shoe stores are adequate for the occasional hiker. Look for lightweight, 16-cm (6-inch) high boots with leather uppers (avoid those with a lot of stitching) and Vibram soles. Buy a pair of leather laces; they can be pulled tight wherever the foot needs it and they don’t slip.

When you buy your boots, wear the socks you will be hiking in. Allow room for your feet, and especially your toes, to spread, but be sure the boots fit snugly at the heel and are not so short that your toes push against the front of the boot at every downhill step.

Wear the new boots around the house and on a few short walks before tackling an all-day hike in them. A drastic baptism for difficult-to-break-in boots is to soak them in warm water, then wear them as they dry. The wet leather will tend to conform to the shape of your foot.

You will come to love your boots as old friends. No other piece of equipment is more important to your hiking enjoyment. Take care of them: wipe them off after use and dry them gently away from direct heat, then treat them with a good waterproofing compound or wax and they will be ready for your next hike.

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Rainy-day picnic

ABOUT SOCKS

You will find that most hikers are particular, opinionated and argumentative about socks. I recommend wearing two pairs of woollen, or mostly wool, socks. These socks should fit you, not someone else in the family. One pair should be light to medium weight and should go on first. Over them, pull on a thick, heavy pair, a half-size larger. This combination seems to prevent blisters and sore feet. An alternative to this arrangement is to wear the somewhat expensive walkers’ socks with reinforced toes and heels over a light polypropylene liner.

DRESS IN LAYERS

You will be coping all day with changing conditions—weather, terrain, your own physical stamina. At first you may be chilly, then after 10 minutes you may be perspiring. The sun comes out and goes in again. The breeze that felt so wonderful on your face as you were climbing seems to go right to your bones when you stop to rest. The idea is to keep your body temperature even, which is easier to do if you wear layers of lightweight clothes that you can peel off and put on as needed.

For the hiker, there is no substitute for wool, which is light, moisture-resistant, breathes and provides warmth even when wet.

A SUGGESTED WARDROBE

Wear woollen, or partly wool, pants, not cut so full they inhibit your stride. Jeans are not warm enough in winter and are horribly binding and heavy when wet. In summer, loose-fitting cotton pants are a good choice.

A sleeveless wool or fleece vest worn over a long-sleeved cotton or wool shirt is a satisfactory outfit that can be worn year-round. In addition you should carry a long-sleeved all-wool sweater, preferably Shetland or lamb’s wool. The bulky fisherman’s knits are too heavy for hiking.

Essential is a waterproof windbreaker or anorak, light enough to carry in your pack. The ones that are made for sailing are excellent; they have useful pockets and are long enough to cover your seat. Most ski parkas are too warm for walking.

Never go hiking without a woollen hat and gloves. They should be the first things you put on if you are feeling chilly. One of the first principles of comfort is that if the head, neck and extremities are warm, the rest of the body stays warm.

Rain gear is a matter of preference. Plastic rain suits that go over your clothes will keep you dry in a deluge, if you can stand the restriction and shooshing noise. A poncho is better and has other uses besides, such as a ground sheet or a lean-to emergency shelter. If you don’t want to bother to carry added gear, be sure to have a change in the car so that you won’t have to drive home in wet clothing.

RUCKSACKS AND WHAT TO PUT IN THEM

All you will need for a one-day hike is a small rucksack, sometimes called a day pack. Rucksacks are available at sporting goods