10 Easy Day Paddles near Vancouver

July 28, 2026 / Maria / Leave a comment

The main focus of this blog is definitely backpacking, which is one of my favourite summertime activities. But I also spend a lot of time kayaking and have slowly been working my way around the easy paddling trips near Vancouver. My husband and I own two sea touring kayaks and for this post, I decided to compile some of our favourite day trips near the lower mainland! It’s easy to rent boats for a lot of these trips, but there are a few where it’s easier if you have your own.

Jug Island / Twin Islands

A kayaker paddles towards Jug Island on a sunny day with calm waters in Indian Arm. Jug Island is located near Belcarra Regional Park in Vancouver, BC.

Jug Island is by far our most frequented kayak day trip. It’s located near Belcarra Regional Park and can be accessed from either Belcarra or Deep Cove. We always choose Belcarra since we live in Coquitlam, but it’s a ~5km round trip from both starting locations. There’s a large beach where you can land your boat and an outhouse, so it’s a nice place to stop. It usually takes us ~45 minutes to paddle there from Belcarra and we’ll often take a break and then continue on to explore Bedwell Bay or Twin Islands. Twin Islands makes for a longer day, as it’s a ~9-10km paddle, but it’s very beautiful there and it’s fun to swim from the south island. If you’re renting, you can choose from Deep Cove Kayaks or Takaya in Belcarra. Alternatively, you can also rent from Cates Park for a slightly longer paddle.

Barnet Marine Park / Rocky Point

A female kayaker wears a lifejacket and holds a paddle while smiling next to her yellow Boreal storm kayak on the rocky beach of Barnet Marine Park with the ocean and mountains in the background in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

There are a few options for where you can paddle from Barnet Marine Park. I usually just use it as an alternative access point for Jug Island since it’s located in Burnaby and is sometimes a closer drive, but you can also paddle between Rocky Point and Barnet Marine from either location. Rocky Point is located in Port Moody and is a very easy access point. The annoying thing about Barnet Marine is that they now limit parking to 4 hours, which is difficult if you’re looking to do a longer trip. If you leave from Rocky Point, parking is also a challenge in the summer, but it’s easier to rent boats from Rocky Point than Barnet.

Buntzen Lake

Buntzen Lake is located super close to the city, in the town of Anmore. It’s the perfect place for beginners because the lake isn’t that long, but it’s big enough to make for a nice paddle to the end and back, roughly 10 kms. Plus you can also explore around the river and hang out on either end of the lake. A day pass is needed in the summer, which is free, but must be obtained 2 days in advance from BC Hydro. There are often canoe rentals available along the south beach.

Whytecliff Park

Whytecliff Park is located in West Vancouver near Horseshoe Bay and is one of many paddling options in West Vancouver. You can launch your boat from Whyte Cove, which is located in the park, or from Batchelor Bay or Horseshoe Bay. If you don’t mind a longer paddle, you could also launch from Eagle Harbour, at the beach next to the yacht club. There are no rental options from this location that I am aware of, but it’s a fun place to explore. Watch out for ferry traffic if you are paddling around Horseshoe Bay.

Bowen Island

I haven’t actually done this trip myself, but I’ve heard Bowen Island is great for kayaking. The best option is to walk on the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Bowen Island and rent boats from Snug Cove on the other side. From here, you can paddle around the edge of the island. I recommend heading north as there are more beaches to land at in this direction. I believe more experienced paddlers will cross from Horseshoe Bay on their own, but I don’t recommend this.

Keats Island

Keats Island is a great destination from Gibsons. You can launch from the marina and paddle across the straight to Keats Island. Follow the coast north past the Shelter Islets until you reach Plumper Cove Marine Park, which is a great place to hang out for the day or to camp overnight. It can be windy crossing the straight, so I recommend doing this trip early in the morning. Rentals are available from the marina in Gibsons.

Widgeon Creek

Widgeon Creek is a very popular summer paddling destination in Pitt Meadows. Park at the main lot on Pitt Lake and paddle across the Pitt River to Widgeon Creek, which is a leisurely 6km paddle to the campsite. From there you can do a day hike to Widgeon Falls. This area is very busy in the summer, but head out in April or May to avoid the crowds. Be careful crossing the Pitt River, which can have strong currents, and leave early to avoid the wind. You can rent boats from Katzie in the summer, or through independent operators that deliver the boats to the lot.

Alouette Lake

Golden Ears Park is most popular for paddlers in the Gold Creek area, especially for SUP. But I think all of Alouette Lake is a great option for paddling. The easiest location to launch from is the boat launch at South Beach, and then you can head north on either shore of the lake. But pick one or the other because it gets windy on the lake and it’s not easy to cross back and forth. I regularly like to go out for a few hours and paddle up to Gold Creek and back. You can usually rent canoes on South Beach in the summer.

Harrison Lake

Harrison Lake is somewhere that you need to be really careful paddling, but can make for a fun trip in the right conditions. It can be very windy at the lake, so my recommendation is to stick to early morning paddling and stay near to the edge of the lake. We camped at Bear Creek on a rainy weekend in June and stumbled into premium kayaking conditions. It was dead calm on the water and mystical with the cloudy skies. But exercise caution on a nice day.

Lightning Lakes

Lightning Lakes is a pretty safe place to kayak and is incredibly scenic. It’s located in E.C. Manning Park, east of Hope, and comprises two lakes connected by a small creek. It is possible to navigate between the two lakes, but it is narrow, so exercise caution. The views are beautiful and there’s no power boats, so it’s a great place to explore and enjoy the water and the mountains.

Pump Peak Backpacking Trip

July 18, 2026July 8, 2026 / Maria / Leave a comment

Considering how long I’ve lived in Vancouver, it’s a bit shocking that this was my first time hiking to Pump Peak though it’s not been for lack of effort. Back in 2019, I tried to hike via Pump Peak on my way to Elsay Lake, but I ended up on the wrong trail and because of the time crunch to get to Elsay Lake, I ended up skipping Pump Peak entirely. I’ve also made several attempts to visit Pump Peak in the winter, but I always find myself completely exhausted by the time I reach Brockton Point and I’ve abandoned Pump Peak on more than one occasion.

I had to cancel a trip at the last minute in mid-June of this year, but I still wanted to get outside and do something, so I decided to make another attempt at Pump Peak, this time as an overnight objective. I was solo hiking with my dog, Sadie, so I thought Pump Peak would be a good option since it’s popular and so close to the city. I ended up having the best time, I can’t believe I waited so long to hike there!

I did this hike over the summer solstice and I had lots of daylight, so I didn’t end up leaving my house in Coquitlam until 5pm. Me and Sadie were ready to start hiking at 6pm and by 7:30pm, we were at the top. I knew it was a short hike, but I was still astounded at how quickly I went from my house to the summit. It’s a very achievable objective if you make a last minute decision to go backpacking.

For those who aren’t familiar. Pump Peak is located in Mount Seymour Provincial Park in North Vancouver. It’s very popular in all seasons because of its proximity to the city. In the summer, you can park in the main ski resort lot, unless you’re going overnight, in which case you need to park in Lot 2. In the winter, you need to park in the lot along the road (also known as Lot 1) since the ski resort is in operation. You also need to get a day use permit from BC Parks in the winter. These release 2 days in advance of your trip, at 7am. They are free, but they sell out fast. No permits are required in the summer.

The hike involves climbing the trail along the edge of the ski resort, or in the summer, you do have the option to walk right up the ski trails. I opted to take the side trail since there is more shade. The trail goes to Brockton Point, which also has great views of the city. In the summer, it took me an hour to get to Brockton Point, but in the winter, it takes me closer to 90 minutes. It’s approximately 2.5km and 250m of elevation gain, closer to 3km in the winter since the parking lot is farther away.

After Brockton Point, the trail continues for another 1.5km and 150m in elevation gain to the top of Pump Peak, also known as 1st Peak. In the summer, this took me another 30 minutes, but I’d budget for another hour in the winter. It is the steepest part of the trail as it winds along the back of the peak. There were a lot of mosquitoes in the summer, so be prepared with fly spray and a thermacell. Please be aware that in the winter, the portion of the trail between Brockton and Pump Peak is in challenging avalanche terrain. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the crowds, you should have AST1 training and travel with the appropriate equipment in this area in the winter.

While Pump Peak is very popular for camping, please be aware that there is no campground and it is considered wild camping. This means there is no outhouse or bear cache. You should be prepared to dig a cathole if you need to poop, and you should bring a bear bin or bear bag for your food. There are not many trees, so it’s not really possible to do a bear hang. My sense was that most people camping in the area were not practicing proper bear safety and it’s important that we do, otherwise the area will become dangerous to bears and humans.

Finding somewhere to pitch your tent can be a little bit challenging because there are no established tent pads. Most likely you will be pitching your tent on bare rock. However, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be because there is so much space available to chose from. There were quite a few people camping, but everyone was very spread out and I didn’t have too much trouble finding somewhere to set up my tent that wasn’t crowded. I opted to set up near some of the trees so that I would have privacy when I needed to pee.

There is nowhere to set up on the actual summit and it will be crowded with people, so do not attempt to pitch your tent up there. Be aware that there is also no water source. There were a few small tarns around, which was helpful to Sadie, but I would not recommend trying to drink or even filter that water. Just hike up all the water you need for your trip, including for your dog.

It’s a beautiful place to camp though. There are incredible views of both the city and the backcountry. From the peak, you can enjoy a 360 degree view in all directions. We arrived well before sunset, so after setting up the tent, me and Sadie went up to the peak before looking for solitude underneath, in which to enjoy the sunset. Because it was the solstice, it was a particularly long sunset and the wind kept the mosquitoes away.

What was really annoying was that the summit is also a popular destination for sunrise enthusiasts. This would be fine, but on this particular day, a group a very noisy boys decided to hike up to the summit at 4:30am and were not shy about yelling and laughing very loudly. Sound travels really well in the alpine, so everyone on the mountain was privy to their conversation and it was very annoying. I had a similar experience when I did Golden Ears last year and it’s always men who act this way, so please try and have a little consideration that at 4:30am, most of the people in the nearby tents might be trying to sleep and they can definitely hear you.

My thermacell was definitely essential to enjoy breakfast the following morning as the mosquitoes returned in full force with the sun. A lot of people packed up their tents quickly to escape them, but me and Sadie were able to hang out for a little bit before heading back down the mountain.

What I really loved about this trip was the ability to start hiking late (I wouldn’t recommend going too early because the mosquitoes will drive you crazy) and the ability to arrive home early the following day. I felt like this trip enabled me to have a fun night outside while still leaving most of my weekend available to relax or pursue other interests. I’m used to driving so far away for my backpacking trips and having them take up the entire weekend, it was nice to still have lots of time to myself with this trip.

In conclusion, this is a really safe and convenient trip for those living in the lower mainland. I would definitely recommend it, but please respect the backcountry. Practice proper bear safety and leave no trace when wild camping. I did notice that people were also camping on Brockton Point and I’m not sure if that’s allowed. The BC Parks website says you can camp anywhere north of Brockton Point, but I’m not sure if that includes the Point itself.

Lightning Lakes Backpacking Trip

July 11, 2026July 8, 2026 / Maria / 2 Comments

Last week I wrote about Keats Island, which was the first in a slew of backpacking trips I did in late Spring. Many people are familiar with Lightning Lakes, which is a popular location for day trippers in Manning Park. I’ve done a lot of backpacking and car camping in Manning Park and I love spending a day relaxing at the lake in the summer. At this point, I think I’ve hiked the majority of the popular trails in Manning Park, including many times hiking around Lightning Lakes, but I’ve never done the Lightning Lakes Chain Trail. I’ve been wanting to do it for years and I finally made it happen in early June.

Lightning Lakes Chain Trail starts at the main parking lot and includes hiking around the first two lakes before continuing 11km into the backcountry, passing 3 more lakes along the way. It’s a good hike for early in the season because the trail follows the river through the valley and has minimal elevation gain. So even though the hike starts at a pretty high elevation (1200m), all the snow melts at once, meaning the trail is usually completely clear by June. I first became aware of this hike in 2018 when I did the Skyline II Trail from Strawberry Flats to Mowich Camp. That trail hikes up to the top of the mountain and then follows the ridge through Despair Pass and up to Snow Camp Mountain. From there, you can see Thunder Lake, which is the final lake on the Lightning Lakes Chain Trail, located in the valley below.

On this occasion, I left my house on Saturday morning with my dog, Sadie, to meet my friend in the park. I haven’t seen very much online or on social media about this trail, so I wasn’t expecting it to be busy. We met at noon and started hiking around 1pm. It was a pretty hot day for early-June, especially in Manning Park, which can be cold. I find that you never know what you’re going to get in Manning – you’ll either get beautiful sunny weather, or it will be cloudy and absolutely freezing (more common) – but it feels like there’s no in between.

So I was thrilled to get warm weather. Even though it had been nice in the city for weeks, Lightning Lakes was my first real mountain hike of the summer and I felt a giddy anticipation for the season to come. This was enhanced by the fact that the trail was filled with wildflowers! I can’t ever recall seeing wildflowers in June before, but we saw common paintbrush, lupin, arnica, columbine, valerian sitka, spreading phlox, pentstemon, and violet (among others I couldn’t identify).

It was busy along the first Lightning Lake, but the crowds tapered off when we hit the second Lightning Lake. We stopped for a snack at the end of the second lake, before continuing along the rest of the chain trail. From that point onwards, we saw very few people, I can only recall passing one or two groups of day hikers. The trail continues to Flash Lake and Strike Lake, with the campsite located just past Strike Lake. The challenge is that this trail doesn’t see a lot of trail maintenance and there is a fair amount of blowdown, so we did a lot of crawling over and under trees and my legs got pretty scratched up.

I wanted to swim in all the new lakes I’d never been to before, but Flash Lake wasn’t particularly nice. It’s a bit scummy and I couldn’t see anywhere nice to enter the water, so I ended up skipping it. Strike Lake was a little bit better, but there’s still not a lot of good places for swimming. Close to the end of the lake, we found a decent spot and took another break. Colin had a snack while I went for a swim. The water was cold, which it always is in Manning, but surprisingly, I didn’t find it too bad. We were pretty sweaty from the humidity, so it was a nice break to cool off.

The campsite is just a few hundred metres past the lake, but what I wasn’t prepared for was how busy it was at the campsite considering the trail had been empty. It is a fairly large campsite, with several tent pads spread out along the river and through the forest, but they were all full. There was a school group that had hiked in on Friday that was taking up a large portion of the sites near the river, but even excluding them, there were still a lot of hiking groups. I do wonder if this campground is busy all summer long, or just in Spring/early Summer, since it’s a lower elevation hike. Either way, we couldn’t get a tent pad and wandered around for a while looking for empty space before squeezing in among the trees near the river. We had Sadie with us and there was another dog on the other side of the campground, so we mostly tried to avoid them. I think it ended up working out.

We arrived around 3:30pm, meaning it took us approximately 2.5 hours to hike in, including the swimming and snack breaks. I was keen to continue hiking to Thunder Lake, so once we set up camp, we packed supper with us and hiked another 3km to the final lake. Trail maintenance definitely didn’t improve after the campground. There was still a good number of trees blown across the trail, but what was more annoying was that some sections of the trail were very overgrown with shrubs, and in one area, a very prickly plant. I’m not sure what it was, but we quickly noticed it stinging us as we were walking through it, so shorts weren’t a great idea. It was probably only along 5 minutes of the trail, so we just suffered through it, but we both changed into pants on the way back.

As far as the trail goes, Thunder Lake is a bit of an anticlimactic way to end. It’s a beautiful lake, but it’s really hard to access. As you approach the lake, the trail goes through a very steep boulder field, with the river flowing along underneath. You end up getting pretty high above the lake and the area doesn’t look entirely stable, so it’s not a great place to stop. Eventually you reach the treeline at the edge of the lake and there’s a sign saying that it’s dangerous to go further. We did go a little bit past the sign and I can confirm that it’s not worth it. The trail got steeper and was very dicey with loose rock overhead, so I don’t recommend it. It’s too steep to get down to the water, so we backtracked to the sign.

It’s frustrating to be so close to the lake, but unable to access it. We did find a small side trail leading down to the edge of the water, but there’s limited space to hang out. Fortunately there weren’t many other people around because it was late in the day, so we managed to go for a quick swim and had an awkward time cooking supper along the slope. I couldn’t even set up my camp chair because there was nowhere flat enough. So if you hike all the way to the lake, don’t assume you’ll be able to get down to the water, and if you try, definitely be very careful. I think it could be easy to get into trouble here or cause a small rockslide. I did not feel comfortable when we were bumbling around in the forest trying to find a way down, which is why we came back.

Otherwise it was a pretty chill trip. We hiked back to the campsite, arriving around 8pm and hanging out for an hour before going to bed. There is an outhouse and a bear cache, though the outhouse is a bit hidden in the trees. When you arrive at the main sign, it’s up through the trees to the right. I spent some time reading before bed and slept well with the sound of the river next to my tent.

It took us another 2.5 hours to hike back to the parking lot the following day. I would have liked to go for a swim at Lightning Lake before driving home, but I had Sadie with me and she’s a lot to manage when there’s people around, so we opted to skip it. Overall, I did enjoy the trail, in spite of the blowdown. The hike is primarily in the trees and not one of the more breathtaking hikes in Manning Park, so I probably wouldn’t choose to do it in the middle of the summer, but it was a perfect early season hike! Manning is still my favourite provincial park in BC and I love any time I get to recreate there.