Hiking in Vancouver

If you're looking for wilderness hikes in an urban environment walk through Stanley Park. It is one of the biggest and most beautiful urban parks in North America. You can pick up a map of the park with marked trails at most park concessions.

If you want a seaside hike, then, instead of walking through Stanley Park, follow the seawall around it. This walk will give you a sense of the grandeur of the park, the city and the North Shore mountains.

You can also walk along English Bay, then cross the Burrard Street Bridge to Vanier Park. From here, you can hike along to Kitsilano Park and beach. If you're feeling especially energetic, continue past Kitsilano Beach and visit the other beaches that stretch west toward the tip of Vancouver: Jericho Beach, Locarno Beach, Spanish Banks and, finally, around the tip to the clothing optional, Wreck Beach.

If you want to be in the woods and you've already hiked Stanley Park, then head out toward the University of British Columbia where you'll find Pacific Spirit Park, also called the University Endowment Lands. This 1885 acre park is nearly twice the size of Stanley Park.

If your prefer the mountains, cross Lions Gate Bridge and hike in the Coast Mountains that provide a backdrop for Vancouver's North Shore. There are hundreds of kilometres of trails that take you on leisurely or strenuous day hikes or overnight backpacking trips.

The best way to access the trails is to know where trailheads are located. That way you can choose a trailhead and then explore from there. You can get an excellent North Shore Trail Map from the North Vancouver District Office.

North Vancouver District Office 355 West Queens Road North Vancouver, BC V7N 4N5 604-987-7131

Local bicycle shops carry local mountain bike maps which you'll also find useful. On our Books and Maps page lists books with excellent local hiking suggestions.

West Vancouver Trailheads

From west to east, here are some of the main North Shore trailheads:

The Baden Powell Trail

The Baden Powell Trail, which goes the length of the North Shore, begins near Horseshoe Bay. The easiest way to access it is to cross the Lions Gate Bridge and go toward West Vancouver. At the intersection of Taylor Way and Marine Drive go right on Taylor Way up to the Highway #1 access.

Go west on Highway #1 and exit at the Eagleridge Exit. At the top of the exit ramp, turn right into a cul de sac. Park your car. At the west end of the cul de sac, you'll see a sign that says Baden Powell trail.

From here, you can hike all the way to Cypress Provincial Park and beyond. But you can also go for as long or short a hike as you want. About 20 minutes from the trailhead is a nice little pond and a log to sit on. Recently I was sitting on that log when a bald eagle flew toward me, wheeled just above my head, and flew off along the trail I had just come down.

Lighthouse Park

Lighthouse Park is a magnificent 184-acre stand of virgin forest and ocean cliffs. To get there, cross the Lions Gate Bridge and go toward West Vancouver. You will be on Marine Drive. Continue west on Marine Drive for six kilometres and watch for the one sign to Lighthouse Park on your left hand side. There is plenty of parking near the park entrance. You'll find maps and a number of trails, some of which lead to the rocks and the beach. If you take the main trail, you'll discover the Point Atkinson Lighthouse.

Cypress Falls
To reach Cypress Falls, take Highway #1 west to the Caulfeild exit. Once you exit the highway, turn right at the stop sign and follow the road as it curves to the left and into a neighborhood. You'll be on Woodgreen Drive.

At Woodgreen Place, just a couple of short blocks along Woodgreen Drive, turn right and continue to the end of the road which deadends in a small parking lot. Park there and walk east into the woods. Pick up the trail and go left, away from the baseball diamond. You'll be walking parallel to Cypress Canyon but won't be able to see it at this point. Stay on the trail as it winds down to Cypress Creek. Cypress Falls is just below the bridge.

You can cross the bridge and follow the trail up to a utility road or go up the hill before crossing the bridge and hike along the west side of the creek. The trail parallels the creek and affords many spectacular views of the creek's falls and pools.

Eventually you'll come out on a wide-open trail. Go right and up to a utility road. Then turn right again, cross the bridge and follow the road past a maintenance yard and power station. Past the maintenance yard, on your right, you'll see another trail and a sign that says "Trail." Take that trail back down to the creek and across the bridge. Then retrace your steps back to the parking lot

Millstream Trail

There are many trailheads along Cypress Road and many others once you reach Cypress Provincial Park, 9km from the junction of Cypress Road and Highway#1. To reach Cypress Rd, take Highway #1 west to the Cypress Road exit and follow the road up into the mountains.

As you drive up Cypress Road, you'll come to High View Lookout. Park in the parking lot and check out the panoramic view of Vancouver and the rest of the lower mainland.

Once you've seen the view, cross the road, then cross the road again just where it straightens out of the hairpin turn and heads up the hill toward Cypress Provincial Park. You'll see two trails just where the concrete road barrier ends.

Take the trail that goes off to the left and then very soon goes through the gate in a black cyclone fence. Follow that trail as it traverses the mountain and comes out in a posh West Vancouver neighborhood after about half an hour's walk. This trail starts out with some steep parts but soon levels off and is flat the rest of the way. There's no way to turn this walk into a loop so just retrace your steps.

You'll see a lot of other trail along the Millstream trail. If you have time, they are worth exploring.

BLT Trail

Drive up Cypress Road to the parking area and lookout above High View Lookout; this lookout and parking lot are not as obvious as High View. Watch for the turn off to the right. Park your car in the parking lot and enjoy the view.

Several trails go off from here. The BLT trailhead is directly across the road from the entrance to the parking lot. It goes off to the right and through woods and scrub all the way to Cypress Mountain parking lot.

Just where you enter the parking lot, off to the left, on the same side of the road as the parking lot, is the start of the Skyline Trail. It goes down the mountain and eventually ends up in a West Vancouver neighborhood.

Cypress Mountain

Continue to the end of the road to Cypress Park where you'll find many trail options including a magnificent, fairly flat walk to Yew Lake. It's a local favorite all year around, though you might want snow shoes if you decide to visit the lake in winter.

North Vancouver Trailheads

Before you head off on a North Vancouver hike, you might want to pick up a North Vancouver Parks and Recreation Guide. It includes a great map of the hikes in North Vancouver. You can get a map at the North Vancouver District Office.

North Vancouver District Office 355 West Queens Road North Vancouver, BC V7N 4N5 604-987-7131

Capilano Regional Park

To get to Capilano Regional Park, cross the Lions Gate Bridge and go right toward North Vancouver. Turn left at Capilano Road, just east of the Lions Gate Bridge exit, and watch for signs to Capilano Regional Park. The park has an extensive network of trails that take you past giant cedar trees, a fish hatchery, Cleveland Dam and the beautiful Capilano river.

Grouse Grind

If you want something more challenging, continue to the end of the road, to the base of Grouse Mountain, where you'll find the Grouse Mountain SkyRide and the beginning of the Grouse Grind. The SkyRide will take you to the trails at the top of Grouse Mountain. The Grouse Grind will take you to the same place if you want to walk 2.9 kilometres nearly straight up. The Grouse Grind is one of the most popular hikes in Vancouver. It is not open in winter. If you do walk up, you can ride the SkyRide down for $5.00.

If you're in good shape, you can make it in about an hour, give or take a few minutes. The Grind is very popular with locals who like to brag about their times. There's a race to the top every year. This year's winner did it in 27.5 minutes. The fastest woman did it in just a second over 34 minutes.

A Word of Caution: If you want to hike up The Grind, watch trail signs. A short way along the trail, The Grind goes north and another trail, a leg of the Baden Powell, goes east. Be careful that you don't miss the turn off or you'll find yourself on a very beautiful, but very different hike, and you won't end up at the top of Grouse Mountain.

Lynn Headwaters Regional Park

To get to Lynn Headwaters, cross the Lions Gate Bridge, turn right at the end of the bridge into North Vancouver and then turn left at Capilano Road. Follow Capilano Road up to the intersection with Highway #1. Take the sign that says Route1 East. Stay on the Highway until you reach the Lynn Valley exit, about 3 kilometres. Exit the highway and turn right at the signal onto Lynn Valley Road. Stay on Lynn Valley Road until it dead ends at Lynn Headwaters Regional Park.

The first thing to pay attention to in this park is Lynn Creek itself. It may well be the most beautiful creek on the North Shore. Everything about it from the color of the water to the size of the boulders and its surroundings make it magnificent.

After you've admired the creek, cross the bridge and have a look at the map posted at the trailhead. It will give you some idea of your options. One very nice hike parallels the creek and follows it upstream. Check the map and you'll see that you can either walk for a way along this trail then retrace your steps back to the parking lot or you can choose from a couple of loops.

Lynn Canyon Park

You can find Lynn Canyon Park by following the same route at you take to get to Lynn Headwaters; however, don't drive to the end of Lynn Valley Road. Instead, continue along Lynn Valley Road until you come to Peters Street. It goes off to the right as you're driving north. Take Peters Street to the end and watch for signs that lead you to Lynn Canyon.

Once you've parked the car, cross the amazing Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, or avoid it if you are squeamish about such things. The alternate route is about 100 yards downstream from the bridge. There are miles of trails to explore in this park and some excellent swimming holes if you visit in summer and enjoy cold water.

Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve

This area, formerly know as the Seymour Demonstration Forest is a great place to hike, mountain bike or watch a movie being made. Vancouver has a thriving movie industry and more movies and TV programs are shot here, nearly 400 a year, than in any other part of Vancouver.

The best way to access the area is to Take the Lynn Valley exit off Highway #1 and follow it north to the intersection of Lynn Valley Road and Dempsey. Park and walk north on Lynn Valley road then right down the narrow road that goes off to the right.

For more hiking suggestions, check out our Flat Hikes Page.