12 Epic Dog-Friendly Hikes near Vancouver

May 30, 2026June 10, 2026 / Maria / Leave a comment

My previous post covered 12 easy hikes to explore with your dog near Vancouver, but if you’re looking for something a little more adventurous, there are lots of epic hikes to do with your dog too! Remember, while all of these hikes are dog-friendly, they have varying on/off leash rules, please make sure to respect them, they exist for many reasons. In addition, please also make sure to pick up after your dog. Dog poo is not natural and carries lots of harmful bacteria that has been proven to lead to e.coli in waterways. Here’s some great trails within a few hours drive that make for a fun hike with your furry friend!

Three Brothers Mountain

Location: E.C. Manning Park (East of Hope)
Season: July – September
Terrain: 21km, 500m gain
Leash rules: on-leash
Description: Skip the climb by driving all the way to the top of Blackwall Road. From there, it’s a scenic hike through alpine meadows, culminating with a ridge walk to the peak of First Brother Mountain. This is a popular trail, be prepared for it to be busy, especially when wildflowers are in peak bloom.

Snow Camp Mountain

Location: E.C. Manning Park (East of Hope)
Season: July – September
Terrain: 18km, 900m gain
Leash rules: on-leash
Description: The trail leaves from Strawberry Flats on the Skyline II Trail. Start with a 5km hike uphill through the forest before arriving at the most scenic viewpoint of the trail looking towards iconic Hozomeen Mountain. Continue on to climb to the top of Snow Camp mountain, a great place to see wildflowers. This trail is less well known than Three Brothers Mountain, but gaining popularity.

Flatiron

Location: Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area (north of Hope)
Season: July – September
Terrain: 10km, 850m gain
Leash rules: on-leash
Description: This is a steep hike through the forest until you reach the junction for Needle Peak. Needle Peak has several rope sections and is not recommended for dogs, but continue past it to the small lake below the Flatiron and climb up to the large plateau with phenomenal views.

Zoa Peak

Location: Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area (north of Hope)
Season: Year round
Terrain: 8km, 650m gain
Leash rules: on-leash
Description: This is a great trail to explore all year round. In the summer, drive to the parking lot for Falls Lake and follow the trail up an old forestry road and then through the forest to views at Zoa Subpeak and Peak. In the winter, park at the highway pullout and snowshoe the road to Falls Lake. Continue up the forestry road, but follow the winter trail through the woods. Do not go past Zoa Subpeak without avalanche safety training and equipment, as the final peak is in challenging avalanche terrain.

Zupjok Peak / Ottomite Peak

Location: Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area (north of Hope)
Season: Zupjok: July – September; Ottomite: Year round
Terrain: 10km, 700m gain; 8km, 350m gain
Leash rules: on-leash
Description: Zupjok is a steep climb through the forest in the summer, but offers fantastic views from the summit, where you can continue along the ridge to Llama and Alpaca Peak, if desired. Zupjok Peak is not recommended in winter due to challenging avalanche conditions, but Ottomite Peak can be accessed year round. Follow the trail at the branch for an easier day of hiking or snowshoeing.

Elk / Thurston Mountain

Location: Chilliwack
Season: June – October
Terrain: Elk: 8km, 800m gain; Thurston: 16km, 1100m gain
Leash rules: on-leash
Description: This is a popular trail located east of Chilliwack. Hike uphill through the forest until you reach the fabulous viewpoint at the top of Elk Mountain. From there, you can continue along the ridge to Thurston. The trail dips in and out of the forest, with some of the best views before the peak. There is no view at the actual peak.

St. Mark’s Summit

Location: Cypress Provincial Park
Season: June – October
Terrain: 10km, 550m gain
Leash rules: on-leash
Description: One of the most popular trails on the list, this hike attracts locals and tourists. Park at the main Cypress lot and get a free backcountry tag from the lodge to attach to your pack. Hike through the forest to an incredible view of Howe Sound from the top of St. Mark’s. It is essential to keep your dog on leash at the summit as there are very dangerous drops. Some people do this hike year round, but avalanche safety training and equipment is highly recommended.

Mount Strachan

Location: Cypress Provincial Park
Season: June – October
Terrain: 7km, 550m gain
Leash rules: on-leash
Description: Park at the main Cypress lot and get a free backcountry tag from the lodge. This is a nice loop trail that circles around the ski resort. The trail hikes up Collins run to the top of the Sky Chair, and then you can take the trail down Christmas Gully to merge onto the Howe Sound Crest Trail back to the parking lot of the ski resort.

Diez Vistas

Location: Belcarra Regional Park and Buntzen Lake Rec Area
Season: Most of the year
Terrain: 14km, 650m gain
Leash rules: on-leash
Description: Hike to the top of the Diez Vistas trail from the Buntzen Lake parking lot to get *up to ten* views of Indian Arm, then hike back down to Buntzen Lake and circle back on one of the lakeview trails on either side of the lake. You will need a free parking pass for Buntzen Lake, which release 2 days in advance.

Crooked Falls

Location: Sigurd Creek Conservancy (northwest of Squamish)
Season: April – November
Terrain: 6km, 450m elevation gain
Leash rules: on-leash
Description: This is a forested trail north of Squamish that hikes up to a large waterfall. Best viewed in the Spring when run-off is high. Make sure to keep dogs on-leash near the waterfall as they could easily be swept away.

Brandywine Meadows/Mountain

Location: Whistler
Season: July – September
Terrain: Meadows: 6km, 550m gain; Mountain: 16km, 1500m gain
Leash rules: on-leash
Description: These hikes are accessible from the end of the Brandywine FSR, west of Whistler. They are both incredibly scenic, however, they do involve a very steep trail up through the forest to access the meadows. If you have 4×4 and high clearance, you can cut 400m of gain from the trail profile. Camping is no longer permitted at this location. Just hike to the meadows if you want an easy day, but if you want a challenge, head up towards the peak.

Semaphore Lakes

Location: Semaphore Lakes Rec Area (west of Pemberton Meadows)
Season: July – September
Terrain: 5km, 350m gain
Leash rules: on-leash
Description: This is the shortest hike on the list, but no less epic than the others. This trail has become very popular in recent years for its easy access to beautiful alpine landscapes and two lakes. The trail is primarily in the forest until you reach the lakes, from there you can explore further around the surrounding alpine.

Hiking Alpe di Siusi

May 9, 2026June 8, 2026 / Maria / Leave a comment

On my second day in Ortisei, I decided to hike the Alpe di Siusi, another very popular hiking area in Val Gardena. I would say it’s the second most popular area after Seceda. I debated whether I should do either hike, since they’re both so popular, I thought they might be overrated. I did Seceda on my first day and absolutely loved it, so I decided to just stick with the popular hikes and do Alpe di Siusi on my second day.

The weather was pretty hit and miss on the day I hiked the Alpe di Siusi, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as Seceda. It’s a beautiful area, but I did find it to be a little underwhelming compared to some of the other scenery I saw on this trip. I’m sure this was just a result of hiking fatigue or the poor weather or that it Fall and the meadows were a little past their prime. It was also towards the end of my trip and I think I was just over it at that point.

The Alpe di Siusi is essentially a high altitude plateau. If you’re visiting from Ortisei, you can take the Mont Seuc gondola right out of town. Ortisei is in the valley, so you ascend to the top and then you can spend the rest of the day walking around the plateau. However, the vibe is different from Seceda. Seceda is only accessible by cable car or foot, whereas the Alpe di Siusi plateau is accessible by car if you’re coming from the Seiser Arm. So you will see cars and buses driving around while you’re hiking. There’s also tons of hotels and restaurants up there, so it feels more like a walk than a hike. It’s not uncommon to explore the area by bike if you’re coming from Seiser Arm.

But I was coming from Ortisei, so I ended up planning out a 12.5km loop around the area. I’ve shared a map of my route below. My recommendation is to plan your route before you go because it’s not intuitive where to go otherwise. There’s no obvious hiking trail and a lot of my walk was on the roads. If you don’t plan in advance, it can be a little bit confusing about where to explore.

I did a counterclockwise loop from the gondola to Saltria, stopping for lunch at Rauchutte. Again, I started my walk early in the morning to get the first gondola and there was no one around when I started hiking. It was raining when I started my walk, but the weather improved throughout the day, so starting later might have been a little more beneficial as I found the hike out of Saltria to be much more scenic than my morning walk because the sun brightened everything.

If I’m being honest, the most challenging part of this trail for me was finding somewhere to pee. There are quite a few hotels around, but my timing wasn’t great and there’s really no privacy to pee in the bushes along the trail, so plan accordingly. There were lots of horses and cows in the meadows out of Saltria, which made for a scenic afternoon.

Similar to Seceda, there is a lot of elevation gain hiding on this hike. You start from the highest point and hike all the way down to Saltria, so it was a more tiring walk on the way back to the gondola. I covered 400m of elevation gain over 12.5km (compared to 500m over 10km at Seceda), so it was still an easier trail.

While I didn’t enjoy Alpe di Siusi as much as I thought I would, I wouldn’t count this walk out. I think my experience was likely due to a combination of poor weather and fatigue. I hiked for around 4 hours, including my lunch break and then I took the gondola back down to Ortisei. There’s a big climb up to the gondola at the end of the day, so make sure you save a bit of energy for the end. Overall, it’s still a very beautiful area, but given the choice between Seceda and Alpe di Siusi, I would prioritize Seceda.

Hiking Seceda

May 2, 2026June 8, 2026 / Maria / 1 Comment

In September 2025, I spent 2.5 weeks hiking around the Dolomites in Italy. The main reason for the trip was an 8-day trek on the famous Alta Via 1 trail, but while in the region, I was keen to see as much of the highlights as possible. I hiked the Tre Cime di Lavaredo trail before I did the Alta Via 1 and then after I finished, I decided to spend a few days in the Val Gardena region. We finished our hike in Belluno, which is only ~2 hours away from Val Gardena by car, but a whole day journey by public transit, involving 5 different buses and trains.

While Cortina is directly north of Venice, Val Gardena is north of Verona, with Bolzano being the closest major train station. From there, you can bus into the valley where there are tons of attractions to explore. There are a few different towns you can stay in. I opted for Ortisei, which is the largest town along the valley. If you’re staying in a participating hotel, you can get a free bus pass for the region, which is a nice benefit.

Ortisei is very quaint and it’s a great starting point to explore a lot of the popular attractions in the area. There are dozens of cable cars connecting the towns to the mountains. In the winter, they’re used for skiing, while in the summer, you can use them to access hikes. The most popular hike in the area is Seceda, which is located at the top of the Seceda cable car in the middle of town. If you’re planning a trip to the Dolomites, chances are you’re already very familiar with Seceda. I would say Seceda is to Val Gardena what Tre Cime is to Cortina (and what Lake Louise is to Banff).

While I had amazing weather when I hiked the Alta Via 1 in late September, it started to get cold pretty much right after I finished the trail. I decided to hike Seceda on my first day in Ortisei because the weather was supposed to deteriorate later in the week. I knew it would be very busy at the top, so I got up early enough to get the first gondola. I packed my bag in advance and headed off towards the cable car, but on my way there, I noticed a fresh dusting of snow at the top of the mountain. I decided to backtrack to get my microspikes, which I had carried all the way from home. It was definitely the right decision and I’ve never felt more smug about having my microspikes than I did watching the other tourists slide around the trail!

I got unbelievably lucky with Seceda. A lot of people visit to see the rolling green hills. I did not get to experience this, but I did get to visit on the first snowfall of the year when the mountain was backed by a vibrant blue sky. It looked so beautiful, I wasn’t even a little bit sad about missing the meadows. Going early was the right call. There’s a mixture of trails that you can explore when you visit Seceda. Many people just hike up to the viewpoint and then go back, but if you have the time, I recommend planning for a loop trail. When you get off the cable car, start with the short hike up to the peak. It gives you incredible views of both the surrounding mountains and the main Seceda viewpoint. It will get busy later in the day, so do this first.

From there, continue over to the turnstiles and pay to do the extra walk along to the private viewpoint. I know these turnstiles are very controversial, but my opinion is that, as a tourist, you should just get over it. The trail is located on private farmland, so even though you’re going to be annoyed about paying a lot money for the gondola, only to pay another 5 euro to the farmers, consider it a contribution to the local economy. Sure, the government and the farmers should be working out this issue directly, but that is the point of the turnstiles – it’s a form of protest. So if you’re a visitor, just respect the farmers and pay the fee or don’t visit the viewpoint. C’est la vie.

I paid the fee and it was well worth it because it was still not very busy at the top and I had incredible views and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. From the end of the paid trail, a lot of people will just return to the gondola, but I highly recommend extending your journey. The views got better and better all day and I ended up doing a 10.5km loop trail (with 500m of elevation gain) to see more of the scenery. Just be aware, you’re starting at the top and will be hiking down, so save some energy for the return trip back up to the gondola.

Like I said, it was snowy when I visited and my microspikes helped a lot with traction. Eventually the sun warmed up the snow and it got slushy and I didn’t need the microspikes anymore, but it was really slippery at first and I was glad to have them on the downhill sections. I’ve included a map of my route above. After I did the Seceda viewpoint, I continued on to the Pieralongia hut, followed by the Regensburger-firenze hut. This was by far my favourite section of the hike. It felt like I was the only person on the trail. I didn’t stop at Pieralongia, but I look a break at Regenburger for a hot chocolate and cake.

After my snack, I continued back towards the gondola and past the Baita Troier hut. This section of trail is also quite popular as it hikes along a little ridge with fabulous views. By this point in the day it was starting to get a lot busier, but still not too bad. Once I got back to the junction with the paid trail, it was very busy and I was glad to be on my way out. I decided to take the gondola straight back down and I had lunch in town. In total, I was hiking for about 4 hours, but like I said, I did cover 500 metres in elevation gain, so it can still be a pretty strenuous hike. Since I was alone, my pace was likely faster than it would be if I hiked with a friend.

I honestly debated if I should hike Seceda at all. I thought it might be overrated since it’s so popular, but I ended up having a great time and I don’t regret going. Me and Kristine had separated by this point in the trip and I was own my own, but I still had so much fun and would absolutely return. I wasn’t there during peak season, I’m sure it’s worse in the middle of the summer, so plan accordingly. It’s a popular hike for a good reason!