Six Hikes in Vancouver You Can Get pleasure from Yr-Spherical

1. Cypress Provincial Park

Simply half-hour by automobile from downtown Vancouver, Cypress Provincial Park is a year-round playground for locals and guests. If the title sounds acquainted, it’s seemingly as a result of the ski resort on the park’s namesake mountain was a venue on the 2010 Olympic Video games hosted by Vancouver.

Get an summary of the park on the basic Bowen Lookout Path. The two.9-mile out-and-back route traverses rainforest, meadow, and groves of old-growth bushes. Cease at Yew Lake for a photograph op about half a mile into the hike earlier than the path begins to climb.

If you attain the lookout, get pleasure from views of town, Howe Sound, and Mount Baker within the close by Cascade Vary. Whereas this path is accessible year-round, chances are you’ll want snowshoes or microspikes to succeed in the lookout within the winter. 

In case you’d relatively skip mountain climbing on the snow, take a look at Cypress Falls Path within the adjoining Cypress Falls Park. As a result of this 1.8-mile route stays in decrease elevations, it stays snow-free all year long. Hike into the canyon for a number of viewpoints of Cypress Creek and the higher and decrease falls.

2. Howe Sound

In West Vancouver, the rugged shoreline of Howe Sound is dotted with oceanfront parks simply ready to be explored. 

Residence to one of many metropolis’s few remaining old-growth forests and a chosen rockfish safety space, Lighthouse Park performs an essential function in preserving pure ecosystems inside metropolis limits. Alongside 500-year-old bushes, the Level Atkinson lighthouse stands out as an iconic landmark and a big piece of Vancouver’s historical past. Wander alongside 6 miles of interconnected trails to expertise the pure and cultural sides of the park. 

Farther up the coast, go to Whytecliff Park — considered one of Canada’s first marine protected areas and a preferred launching level for scuba divers. Head to Whytecliff Seashore at low tide, when an uncovered rocky outcrop grants entry to Whyte Islet. Test the tide charts so that you received’t get stranded by the incoming tide. Or head to the inland portion to hike a brief path that gives panoramic views of Howe Sound beneath.

3. Murrin Provincial Park

Journey north on BC-99 — the Sea-to-Sky Freeway — to Murrin Provincial Park simply south of Squamish. On this scenic route, the views from the automobile window are nicely definitely worth the journey, however to actually take within the coastal mountain panorama, you’ll need to discover on foot.

The brief however steep Quercus Lookout Path guarantees an enormous reward for a 1-mile hike. From the trailhead, hike alongside the shore of Browning Lake, by the rainforest, and previous granite slabs earlier than ascending to the lookout, the place jaw-dropping views of Howe Sound to the west and the encompassing mountains to the east.

In case your ears perked up on the point out of granite slabs, you may need to carve out some additional time to discover just a few of the greater than 250 climbing routes scattered all through the park.

4. Mamquam River

Drive a bit farther up the Sea-to-Sky Freeway, about an hour outdoors Vancouver, to Squamish. Whereas this mountain city provides seemingly countless entry to out of doors recreation, the Mamquam River is an area favourite.

On the mile-long Mamquam Falls Path, comply with the river by lush forest till you attain Mamquam Falls. Famend for its distinctive colour, which ranges from milky blue to vibrant turquoise, this waterfall achieves its distinctive look due to finely floor rock sediment from the Mamquam Icefield upriver. 

In case your car can deal with off-road situations, proceed on the 33.5-mile Mamquam River Forest Service Highway past the trailhead for much more scenic views of the river valley and surrounding mountains.

5. Quarry Rock

Enterprise northwest of town to discover an area favourite: Quarry Rock Lookout Path. This well-maintained 2.4-mile path packs a punch price greater than its mileage, with gorgeous views of Indian Arm Fjord. Catch the path from Panorama Park within the city of Deep Cove. Then, hike by the rainforest and alongside wood footbridges earlier than climbing the rocky bluff that opens as much as reveal the fjord beneath.

Enjoyable truth: The path overlaps with the Baden-Powell Path, which traverses the Burrard Peninsula — hugging town’s northern boundary — over 27.1 miles from Deep Cove to Horseshoe Bay to Indian.

6. Pacific Spirit Regional Park

For a nature repair within the coronary heart of Vancouver, head to Pacific Spirit Regional Park on town’s western aspect. This 2,000-acre park encompasses a number of ecosystems, together with seashores, streams, wetlands, forests, and meadows. 

Select from a number of routes all through a virtually 35-mile community of trails that weave by these numerous areas. Observe the 7.6-mile Foreshore Path alongside the coast of Level Gray Peninsula to get pleasure from views of Burrard Inlet and the Strait of Georgia. Or go for the Pacific Spirit Internal Loop, which provides 4.3 miles of forest exploration.