Last year my Girl Guide group did a backpacking series and we hiked to Viewpoint Beach, 3 Brothers Mountain, and Elfin Lakes. This year we decided to focus on a water series and selected 3 different activities to try: kayaking, rafting, and canoeing. The first activity in our water series was a 1 day paddling trip with Deep Cove Kayaks to Twin Islands in Indian Arm.
Even though I’ve been to Twin Islands once before as a day trip, I always think of it as being pretty far away, when in reality, even a group of 10 girl guides can do the entire trip in just 5 hours. We arrived to Deep Cove Kayaks at 8:30am to prepare for our trip, which started with some on-land instruction about paddling. Most people are probably aware of Deep Cove Kayaks already as they’re incredibly popular, but I have to do a shout-out for their group activities as well, because their school program is absolutely fantastic. They were thrilled to take our group out on the water and they gave us an unbelievable discount as an educational group.
We all got situated in our double kayaks and practiced some turns in the water before heading over to Jug Island. I frequent Jug Island a lot in my personal kayak, but I usually visit it from Belcarra. We played paddle roulette on the beach before departing again for Twin Islands. My favourite kayak trip is to paddle from Belcarra to Jug Island then over to the 8 corners tea room, but it’s not much further to paddle to Twin Islands via Racoon Island, so I think I may have to start doing it more.
The last time I visited Twin Islands it was absolutely packed with other kayakers – it was still busy on this visit, but no where near as bad. We landed on the south island to stop for our lunch. It was one of the girl’s birthdays, so we celebrated with none other than the infamous Honey’s Donuts from Deep Cove! I know Honey’s Donuts are pretty legendary, but I’d actually never had one before and I couldn’t get over how large they were! They’re very cakey (which is my favourite) and I had the maple dip donut (my other favourite), so it was the perfect kayaking snack!
There was a race happening the same day we visited the island and people were racing from Deep Cove, around Twin Islands, and back, so we made sure to stay out of their way. We paddled back the same way we’d come, but at a bit of a reduced pace since it was getting windier. We got back to Deep Cove around 2pm – we stopped for about a half hour at Jug Island and 45 minutes at Twin Islands, so it was under 4 hours of paddling in total. The girls all did great and I could barely keep up with them!
So it’s a pretty short trip report, but I really think this makes for a great day trip if you have the time to commit to it. I’d recommend getting to Deep Cove early because parking is very intense, or alternatively, you could also paddle from Belcarra and rent from Takaya. Parking is challenging in Belcarra as well, but you don’t have to be quite as early as Deep Cove, which is the more popular of the two. But overall, a great trip to do with either friends or family! I highly recommend!
If you’re thinking, “didn’t she just post her 10 favourite hikes last week?” You are correct, I did. But I have a severe backlog of trails to post about, so Part III featured my favourite trails from 2019-2020, while this post focuses on my 2021-2022 era. Part III was my “covid era”, so it featured a lot of trails closer to Vancouver. In my opinion, Part IV has some really scenic hikes because post-covid, all I wanted to do was hike and I discovered some real gems! Check out Part I, Part II, and Part III.
#10 Hut Lake – Let’s start off with a really obscure hike. The snow pack was insanely high in 2022, which postponed my alpine hiking season. In our desperation to find somewhere low elevation to camp, we stumbled upon Levette and Hut Lake outside Squamish. Levette is well known by the locals, but if you continue past Levette, you’ll eventually come to the much less popular Hut Lake Rec Site. It seems to be mostly used by the 4×4 community, but we had it to ourselves on a weekend in mid-July. The hike is entirely in the forest and it’s not the most memorable lake, but I still had the best time swimming in the insanely warm water and recommend it as a good Spring hike or rainy day trail. (8km, 500m elevation gain, 4 hours)
#9 Bedwell Lake – Bedwell Lake is a popular trail in Strathcona Provincial Park. It’s located at the back of the park and ease of access can depend on the current state of the road. When we visited, a normal AWD SUV would access it fine, but I’ve heard sometimes you need 4WD or high clearance. Parts of the trail are a bit technical, with some ladder sections, but you’re rewarded with beautiful views of the lake and surrounding mountains. We wanted to continue on to Cream Lake, but unfortunately we got rained out on our visit. I’m keen to return to see it in the sun! (10km, 600m elevation gain, 6 hours)
#8 Slesse Memorial Trail – There are some real gems in Chilliwack Valley. Slesse is a challenging one to get to as you definitely need 4WD and high clearance. It’s a bit of a somber hike because it’s the location of a plane crash, but it also has gorgeous views of Chilliwack Provincial Park and across the border. With over 1000m of elevation gain, it is a slog to get to the top and the views are relatively limited until the summit. But once you hit the ridgeline, there’s a glacier in front of you and a wall of mountains behind you, so you really get a pay-off. (15km, 1100m elevation gain, 9 hours)
#7 Barnet Trail – One of the things I love about living near Vancouver is that you don’t have to go way into the wilderness to hike and the Barnet Trail on Burnaby Mountain has become one of my favourite semi-urban hikes. We hike here regularly with Sadie and I love the views from Burnaby Mountain Park and through the forest. We always start at Burnaby Mountain Park, and I have to admit, the best view of the hike is at the trailhead, but it’s the perfect hike to get your body moving when you don’t want to drive anywhere or have limited time. (9km, 300m elevation, 3 hours)
#6 Myra Falls – I debated for a long time about whether to put this on this list or not. At 1.5km, it barely qualifies as a hike and is definitely more of a walk, but it’s such a beautiful waterfall! It’s also located in Strathcona Provincial Park and it’s so beautiful Brandon and I had to visit it twice! It’s an easy walk down to the Falls from the parking lot and then you can explore around the area. Definitely exercise caution as there are some steep sections, but after swimming in the waterfall, Brandon and I hiked down over the rocks to also swim in Buttle Lake. (1.5km, 50m elevation gain, 1 hour)
#5 Seed Peak – I did this trail in the late Fall of 2021 and even before I finished, I knew I’d have to return some day. There was already snow on the ground when we visited and I was having a rough day physically, so we didn’t even finish the hike, but I was still astounded by the views. Access is a bit tricky for this one as it’s way off the beaten track outside Squamish and I’d recommend 4WD and high clearance. Part of the trail is actually located in the far north end of Pinecone Burke Park (which starts in Coquitlam) and there are gorgeous views of the backcountry everywhere you look. We only made it to the base of Seed Peak, but I definitely need to return for the rest of the hike! (13km, 800m elevation gain, 8 hours)
#4 Tricouni Meadows – My apologies for including so many 4WD access hikes on this list, this is the last one, but I couldn’t leave it off! Tricouni Meadows is located way up in the wilderness north of Squamish Valley. It’s a slog to get to the trailhead and another slog to get to the lake, but you are rewarded once you get there. There are several lakes at the base of Tricouni Peak and it’s a bit technical travelling between them, but there’s space for several campsites. We visited Pendant Lake (my favourite), Spearpoint Lake, and Reflection Lake. From reflection Lake, you can continue up to the top of Tricouni Peak, which I didn’t do, but would like to return and complete as a backpacking trip. It’s a surprisingly busy campsite for such challenging access, so get there early! (8km, 500m elevation gain, 8 hours)
#3 Skywalk North – This hike is north of Whistler and better known as Iceberg Lake. It’s a popular hike, but most people only hike to the lake and back. It’s a bit longer, but I recommend turning it into a loop hike by doing with the Skywalk North or South trail. We chose the North Trail, it’s longer, but more scenic. It’s a long hike through the trees, but once you hit the lake, you continue hiking up to another summit above the lake with incredible views looking back. From there you continue through several meadows before arriving at Screaming Cat Lake and returning through the trees. Pay special attention to the trail stats though, this is a rewarding, but challenging hike. (22km, 1200m elevation gain, 10 hours)
#2 Opal Cone/Mamquam Lake– If you go back to my previous posts, you’ll find Elfin Lakes on my first list. Elfin Lakes remains one of my favourite hikes to this day, but I can finally add Opal Cone and Mamquam Lake to the list! This are both continuation hikes from Elfin Lakes and are not intended to be done in a day. Camp at the lake and do either one or both of these as a day hike. Personally, I like Opal Cone better, which is in peak alpine terrain, but it was rewarding to finally make it to Mamquam Lake after a failed attempt back in 2018. (14-22km, 1000m elevation gain, 9 hours)
#1 Sunshine Coast Trail – No other trail had any chance of the number one spot with the Sunshine Coast Trail in the mix. I hiked this entire 180km trail in 2022 and I’m in love with every inch of it! You don’t need to hike the whole thing, there are so many highlights on this trail and lots of them are accessible as day hikes or 2-3 day trips. The backcountry huts are what make this trail so special, but my favourite sections include Tin Hat, Walt Hill, Manzanita Bluff, Sarah Point, Appleton Canyon, Inland Lake, Rainy Day Lake, and Fairview Bay – basically the entire trail. (180km, 7-12 days)
I moved to BC in 2014. In late 2016, I wrote a post sharing my top 10 favourite hiking trails in Southwest BC, which I followed up with Part II in late 2018 with 10 more of my favourite trails. I’ve been wanting to write a follow up post for a while, but I’ve hiked well over 100 more trails since my last post in 2018, so it’s a lot a trails to choose from! I decided to break it into two more posts. Part III will cover another 10 of my favourite trails that I hiked between 2019 and 2020, while Part IV will cover 2021 to 2022. Is this a bit excessive? Maybe… but my blog, my rules! I like the symmetry of a top 10 post for every 2 years I’ve been here, so I guess you’ll get Part V at the end of 2024!
Without further ado, here’s a few of my favourite hikes from the 2019-2020 era!
#10 High Falls Creek – Squamish has a few hidden gems and in my opinion, this is one of them. It’s located about 30 minutes out on Squamish Valley Road and after a quick ascent, boasts beautiful views of both High Falls Creek and the Squamish River. It’s a bit of a scramble on the way up, so I would save it for a fair weather day. The waterfall is the main highlight, but my favourite part is the viewpoint after the waterfall and the peaceful forest walking. Turn this into a loop by walking back the Forest Service Road, which has more incredible views of the Valley! (10km, 500m elevation gain, 4 hours)
#9 Mount Norman – I stumbled upon this short little hike when I kayaked around Pender Island. The formal hike starts just past the bridge to the South Island and it’s a short uphill hike to a viewpoint over Bedwell Harbour and the surrounding Gulf Islands. It’s only 3km round trip, but if you’d like to extend it, take the left branch before you get back to the road and hike down to the Beaumont Campground, which has gorgeous views out over the bluff and along Bedwell Harbour. (3-6km, 300m elevation gain, 1-2 hours)
#8 Viewpoint Beach – This hike is located in Golden Ears Park and has been gaining a lot of popularity since the pandemic as a good beginner backpacking trail. Because of it’s low elevation, it’s snow free in the Spring and is an easy 8km round trip hike along Gold Creek to Viewpoint Beach. It makes for a great day trip, or an overnight trip, though it can get busy. I’d recommend hiking in Friday night or early Saturday morning. The trail continues on to Half Moon Beach if you’d like to extend the trip, but it’s not well maintained, so be prepared for a bit of route finding. (8km, 200m elevation gain, 3 hours)
#7 Zoa Peak – I’ve attepted Zoa Peak twice now, once in the Fall (where I got smoked out by wildfires) and once in the Winter. For this reason, I’ve never made it past the sub-peak, but I still recommend it as a good all year hike. I think the Coquihalla Summit Rec Area is vastly underrated and Zoa makes for a scenic hike in the summer and a relatively safe snowshoe in the winter. Don’t go past the sub-peak in the winter without your Avalanche Safety Training, but it’s a popular area for ski touring in the winter! (10km, 700m elevation gain, 5 hours)
#6 Elk/Thurston Mountain – Elk Mountain is a popular hike in the summer and especially in the Fall when it gets a pop of colour. There’s a lot of elevation gain, but it’s a relatively simple trail until close to the top, when you pop into the woods for a steeper ascent to the summit. It’s 8km round trip to the Elk Mountain Summit, but 800m in elevation gain, so don’t underestimate it! If you have the time, I recommend continuing on another ~2km as the hike continues along the ridgeline to Thurston Peak. It’s an 16km round trip to go all the way to Thurston, but there’s no view from Thurston Peak, so if you’d like to save yourself a bit of time, just enjoy the ridge walk for a few kilometers and then turn around. From Elk Mountain onwards are beautiful views of Chilliwack Valley and Mount Baker. (8-16km, 800-1000m elevation gain, 4-8 hours)
#5 Pinecone Burke Provincial Park – Pinecone Burke was one of my best pandemic discoveries. When we weren’t allowed to leave our neighbourhood in 2020, I spent a lot of time hiking around Eagle Mountain, Minnekhada, and Pinecone Burke. Pinecone Burke is located right on the northern edge of Coquitlam (in the Burke Mountain area) and it’s BC Parks least funded park. As a result, it has no infrastructure (not even a toilet) and gets few visitors. It’s mostly frequented by mountain bikers, but there are some truly lovely trails in this park! My personal favourite is to extend the Woodland Walk up to Sawblade Falls, but the Coquitlam Lakeview Trail is also reasonably popular. The park is primarily forest views, so it’s a perfect rainy day or Spring hike. You can hike the Woodland Walk year round, but the Lakeview Trail usually has snow until June. (8-14km, up to 700m elevation gain, 2-6 hours)
#4 Brew Lake – Brew Lake is another relatively unknown trail off the Sea to Sky Highway, just before Whistler. Even I discovered this trail by accident when the Rainbow Lake trailhead was closed due to an aggressive bear. We decided to hike to Brew Lake instead and spend the night in early Fall and were rewarded with beautiful lake views and an empty trail. We didn’t know what condition the road was in, so we parked at the Whistler RV Park and hiked the full 17km round-trip trail. But if you have the proper vehicle, you can considerably shorten the trail along forestry roads. If you have time, extend the hike a little further to Brew Hut, which I still have to return for. (17km, 900m elevation gain, 9 hours)
#3 Minnekhada Regional Park – Minnekhada Park was my other pandemic discovery and remains one of my favourite places near the city for a leisurely hike. The highlight of the park is High Knoll, which is known as the “Quarry Rock of Coquitlam” and has beautiful views down to the Pitt River and Pitt-Addington Marsh. Part of the park burned down in 2022, but it recently re-opened and is great for bird watching along the lakes. (5-8km, 200m elevation gain, 2-3 hours)
#2 Cape Scott and the North Coast Trail– This is where I stretch the boundary of “Southwestern BC” just a little bit. Cape Scott and the NCT are at the far northern tip of Vancouver Island, but I feel this was one of the defining hikes I did between 2018 and 2020. We hadn’t planned to do this hike, but when our Assiniboine trip got cancelled during the pandemic, we decided to hike 85km along this intense and remote coastal trail instead. This trail is a real challenge and is not for the faint of heart. Be prepared for an incredibly slow pace and knee high mud, but boy is it a rewarding hike. One of my most memorable. (85km, 5-7 days)
#1 Howe Sound Crest Trail – This is another incredibly challenging trail that tested my endurance when I did it in 30 degree weather, but it’s a trail I think about often. It was on my bucket list for 3 years before I finally did it over the course of 2 nights and was able to soak in every inch of this scenic trail. The trail provides the opportunity to summit the West Lion, Mount Harvey, and Mount Brunswick. I didn’t summit any of them, but I camped beneath the Lions and lounged in vibrant Brunswick Lake instead. I’d like to return one day for each of these summits, but this was a trail where it was more about the journey than the summits. (30km, 1500m elevation gain, 2-3 days)
The Road Goes Ever On 