I’ve lived in the Vancouver area my whole life and have been hiking here since I was a child. These days I’m a hiking guidebook author and a full-time outdoor writer so I know lots about Vancouver’s trails. I’m also a four-season and all-weather hiker so I get out on the trails regularly in the winter.

This is a sensitive wilderness area. Learn how to Leave No Trace to keep the wilderness wild. Make sure you are prepared by bringing the 10 Essentials. Get ready for adventure with this checklist of things to do before every hike.

Hey there: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support. -Taryn

8 Best Snow-Free Hikes in Vancouver

This post has dozens of options for Vancouver area hikes that are snow-free all year. Many of the hikes are short and easy nature walks, but there are a few gems.

Here are my picks for the 8 best snow-free hikes in Vancouver:

• Lynn Loop/Cedar Mills Trail
• Whyte Lake
• Lighthouse Park
• Jug Island
• Buntzen Lake
• East and West Canyon Loop
• Steelhead Falls
• Mount Crumpit

Vancouver Winter Hiking Safety Tips

Winter hiking requires more preparation than summer hiking: the weather is cold, the trails are often in poor condition and there are less people on the trails to help you if you get into trouble.

• Make sure you leave a trip plan with a friend or family member before you go.
• Always bring the 10 essentials and check out my tips for winter hiking to make sure you keep warm and stay safe.
• Check the weather before you go and bring appropriate clothing and gear. Use my picks for the Best Weather Apps for Hiking.
• Some of these trails might get a dusting of snow a few times of year (especially if it snows down at sea level), but none of them will get enough snow to require snowshoes. They can still be icy though, so microspikes are a good idea. (Read my guide to the difference between microspikes and snowshoes.) Check trail conditions ahead of time so you know what to expect. 

Snow-Free Hikes in Vancouver

Stanley Park

Stanley Park is an urban park that has a beautiful forested interior with one of the best short and easy hikes in Vancouver. I recommend using the park map to plan a route. My personal highlights include Beaver Lake, the Siwash Rock Trail, and the big trees along Tatlow Walk.

Distance: 1 to 15 km

Time: 30 minutes to 4 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Pacific Spirit Park

Pacific Spirit Park is a great patch of wilderness almost right in the city with tons of trail options. I used to trail run here a lot when I lived closer. My favourite trails are Lily of the Valley and Sword Fern because they feel a bit more wild than the multi-use trails.

Distance: 1 to 20 km

Time: 30 minutes to 6 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Point Grey Foreshore Trail

This beautiful walk goes along the coast past several out-of-the-way beaches in Pacific Spirit Regional Park. You’ll need a low tide to complete this trail. Check the tide table before you go.

Note: This trail passes through Wreck Beach, a nudist beach. While there are far fewer nude sunbathers in the winter than the summer, be prepared to see naked people any day of the year.

Distance: Up to 12 km round-trip

Time: 3 to 4 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Snow-Free Hikes in North Vancouver

Quarry Rock

A short forest walk to a beautiful viewpoint on Quarry Rock over Deep Cove. This is a great hike to do in the winter. In the summer the trail is REALLY busy since Quarry Rock is pretty Instagram-famous.

Distance: 4 km round-trip

Time: 1.5 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Rice Lake

The easy walk around tiny Rice Lake in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve is popular with families and fishers. I love it on a calm day since you get great reflections in the lake’s surface. Keep your eye out for side trails that take you to hidden viewpoints along the shoreline.

Distance: 3 km loop

Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Fisherman’s Trail

The Fisherman’s Trail is easy walk on a gravel trail along the banks of the Seymour River. Start the hike from the Rice Lake parking lot. Watch for the hidden tunnel part way along.

Distance: 16 km round-trip

Time: 3 to 4 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Homestead/Twin Bridges Loop

The Homestead/Twin Bridges Loop is a short hike to the Seymour River from the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve parking lot near Rice Lake. Start downhill on the Twin Bridges Trail to the river and a suspension bridge, then turn left to follow Fisherman’s Trail upstream. Head back uphill to the parking lot on the Homestead Trail.

Distance: 4.7 km

Time: 1.5 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Seymour and Lynn Canyons

The hike around the best parts of the Seymour and Lynn Canyons is one of my favourite winter hikes. It’s low enough to avoid snow but it has lots of waterfalls, bridges, rainforest, and canyon viewpoints. You can start from a few different places, but it’s easiest to get parking at the Rice Lake Parking Lot.

Distance: 8 km loop

Time: 2.5 to 3 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Baden Powell Trail from Deep Cove To Lynn Valley

The Baden Powell Trail stretches across the width of the North Shore. In the winter, I think the section between Deep Cove and Lynn Valley makes a great hike. You can do it as an out-and-back or use the bus or an Uber to do it one way. Or extend it all the way to the base of Grouse Mountain (see below).

Distance: 12 km round-trip

Time: 4 to 5 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Baden Powell from Lynn Valley to Grouse Mountain

I think the section of the Baden Powell between Deep Cove and Lynn Valley is a little nicer than the one between Lynn Valley and the base of Grouse Mountain. But it’s still worth doing if you want a snow-free winter hike in Vancouver.

The trail stays in the trees and has tons of small ups and downs. It also crosses countless mountain bike trails – watch for signs and use an app like AllTrails or Gaia GPS to stay on track. You can do it as an out-and back from either end. Or take the bus, a taxi, or an Uber to do it as a one-way.

Distance: 15.1 km round-trip

Time: 6 hours

Difficulty: Challenging

Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge and Twin Falls

The hike to Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge and Twin Falls is a tourist hot-spot in the summer (it’s one o the best easy hikes in Vancouver), but in the winter it’s much less crowded and usually snow-free. This short loop includes the suspension bridge, Twin Falls and Twin Falls bridge, and 30 foot pool – all the highlights in the area.

Distance: 2.3 km loop

Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Lynn Loop

This short Lynn Loop in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park is usually snow-free in the winter. It heads through the forest and the loops back along Lynn Creek. You can also extend the hike along the Headwaters Trail towards Norvan Falls, but you will likely encounter snow as you head upstream.

Distance: 5.5 km

Time: 1.5 to 2 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Snow-Free Hikes in West Vancouver

Capilano Canyon Trails

The Capilano Canyon Trails are fun to explore in the winter since they don’t get snow. The huge network of trails leads to views from the top of the Cleveland Dam, bridges over the Capilano River, views of the canyon, and lots of rainforest.

Distance: 6 km (but you can add on more trails)

Time: 2 hours

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate

Mountain Path and Cypress Trestle Bridge

The Mountain Path and Cypress Trestle Bridge trail is a new trail on the lower slopes of Cypress Mountain. It starts at Cypress Village, which is a great viewpoint and has a coffee shop and pizza truck. (It’s actually a real estate sales office, but it’s worth a visit for the views.) From there, it heads uphill through the forest to a beautiful trestle bridge with great views of Vancouver.

Distance: 6.5 km round-trip

Time: 2 to 2.5 hours

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate

Cypress Falls

The short hike to Cypress Falls is perfect in the winter since the waterfalls really get flowing when it rains. But stay back from the edge – there have been accidents here! The trail heads uphill through the canyon to visit several waterfall viewpoints.

Distance: 3 km round-trip

Time: 1 to 1.5 hours

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate

Whyte Lake

I’ve done the hike to Whyte Lake at least a dozen times. It’s beautiful in all seasons and it doesn’t have snow in the winter. It’s an easy hike uphill through the forest next to a beautiful little canyon. It ends at a picturesque lake that often has good reflections and is home to Vancouver’s nicest outhouse.

Distance: 5 km round-trip

Time: 1.5 to 2 hours

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate

Lighthouse Park

The trails in Lighthouse Park are so scenic: rainforest, bluffs with ocean views, a tiny beach, and great views of Vancouver. It’s on my list of Vancouver best easy hikes.

With tons of trails, you can make your own route. However, the loop around the park’s perimeter takes you to all the best viewpoints.

Distance: 5.3 km loop

Time: 1.5 to 2 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Snow-Free Hikes in Burnaby

Velodrome Trail

There are lots of snow-free hiking options on Burnaby Mountain. One of my favourites is the Velodrome Trail, which climbs steeply up the north side. Some people call it the Burnaby Grind. You can extend your hike by incorporating some of the other trails on the west side of the mountain.

Distance: 3 km round-trip

Time: 1 to 1.5 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Burnaby Lake

Even though this trail is in the middle of an urban area, it feels wild enough to call it a hike. The Burnaby Lake Trail makes a big loop around Burnaby Lake through forests and along well-built trails through the bog. You can barely tell you are close to Metrotown!

Distance: 10.5 km loop

Time: 2 to 2.5 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Snow-Free Hikes in Richmond and Delta

Iona Beach

Most people heading to Iona Beach stick to the paved and gravel walkway on top of the Iona Jetty. It’s a nice walk, but I wouldn’t describe it as hike. Instead, head further along the road to Iona Beach. You can follow a trail behind the beach and then come back along the sand (as long as it is low tide). It has good views of the river and you might spot seals on the log booms.

Distance: 4.5 km loop

Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Deas Island

The hike on Deas Island is another gem of a trail hidden in the middle of the city. The trail actually goes right over to top of the Highway 99 tunnel. But for most of the hike, you’ll just enjoy a sandy trail and views of the Fraser River.

Distance: 4.7 km loop

Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Delta Watershed Park

The Delta Watershed Park has a maze of trails sandwiched between Highway 91 and residential neighbourhoods. Many of the trails are mountain bike trails, so expect to share the trail. It’s a fun place to explore, but it’s easy to get turned around. The best option is a loop around the perimeter.

Distance: 6.3 km loop

Time: 1.5 to 2 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Snow-Free Hikes in Belcarra

Jug Island Beach

I love the quiet Jug Island Beach trail through the forest in təmtəmíxʷtən/Belcarra Regional Park. Along the way it has some good views of Bedwell Bay It ends at tiny Jug Island Beach on Indian Arm.

Distance: 5.5 km round-trip

Time: 1.5 to 2 hours

Difficulty: Easy/moderate

Admiralty Point

The Admiralty Point trail is another great hike in təmtəmíxʷtən/Belcarra Regional Park – it starts from the same parking lot as the Jug Island Beach Trail so you can do them back to back if you want more distance. The hike to Admiralty Point follows the coast to lots of little pocket beaches and viewpoints of Indian Arm.

Distance: 5.5 km

Time: 1.5 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Sasamat Lake

In the summer Sasamat Lake is so popular that the parking lot is usually totally full, but you won’t have to fight crowds in the winter. It’s a short and easy walk around the lake, including walking over a floating bridge. If you want to extend your hike, you can add on a trip to Woodhaven Swamp or Sugar Mountain.

Distance: 3.2 km loop

Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Buntzen Lake

The loop around Buntzen Lake is a Vancouver classic. It goes through rolling forest with lots of viewpoints of the lake. It has both a suspension bridge and a floating brige, which is why its one of my favourite snow-free hikes. You can add on some of the other trails in the area, but many of them will have snow in the winter.

Distance: 10 km

Time: 2.5 to 3 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Snow-Free Hikes in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam

Coquitlam Crunch

The Coquitlam Crunch is Coquitlam’s answer to the Grouse Grind, this steep trail is great for a workout and stays snow-free all year. It heads steadily uphill under the powerlines with lots of stairs.

Distance: 5.8 km round-trip

Time: 2 to 2.5 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Coquitlam River Trails

The Coquitlam River Trails are hidden behind houses in Coquitlam. The network of trails stretches along both sides of the river. In the fall, you can spot salmon in the river and the side channels. My sister lives nearby and this is one of her favourite winter hikes in Vancouver.

If you want to extend your hike, this trail is part of the 23.5 km Taboulay Poco Trail that makes a loop around Port Coquitlam.

Distance: 5.8 km loop

Time: 1.5 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Minnekhada Regional Park

Minnekhada Regional Park has a wonderful network of trails that goes through forest and past marshes. The highlight is the climb up to a viewpoint over the Pitt River.

Distance: 6.8 km loop

Time: 2 to 2.5 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Snow-Free Hikes in Maple Ridge

UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest

The UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest near Golden Ears Provincial Park has a huge network of trails in a working forest. The most popular option is an 8 km loop that includes a lookout and a little log cabin shelter.

Distance: 7.9 km

Time: 2.5 to 3 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Lower Falls/Gold Creek Falls

The walk to Lower Falls (also called Gold Creek Falls) is probably the most popular hike in Golden Ears Provincial Park. Thankfully, it is at low elevation so it is usually snow-free all year. It’s an easy hike beside Gold Creek to a great waterfall viewpoint.

Distance: 5.3 km

Time: 1 to 1.5 hours

Difficulty: Easy

East and West Canyon Loop

This loop heads up the east side of Gold Creek, crosses a bridge, then heads back down the west side. Parts of the trail are old logging roads, but you can barely tell since the mossy forest and grown so much over the decades.

These East and West Canyon Trails didn’t used to connect, but BC Parks built a bridge here about 10 years ago, making a loop possible. If you want to extend your hike, you can take a rough side trail to Upper Gold Creek Falls. (This trip is also in my book, Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia.)

Distance: 10.3 km

Time: 3 to 3.5 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Kanaka Creek Cliff Falls

The highlight of the short hike to Kanaka Creek Cliff Falls is the waterfall. It cascades over a set of sandstone ledges that form curved pools. If possible, visit during cold and dry weather to see the pools at low water.

Distance: 2.3 km

Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Kanaka Creek/Cliff Falls: A short walk to a picturesque waterfall with curved pools.

Snow-Free Hikes in Langley

Campbell Valley Regional Park

There are lots of trails to explore in Campbell Valley Regional Park. The best ones are on boardwalks next to the tiny river. It’s a great spot for bird watching.

Distance: 7.6 km loop

Time: 2 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Brae Island Regional Park

The Tavistock Trail at Brae Island Regional Park is a great short hike in Fort Langley. The trail heads through the forest alongside the Bedford Channel. There are a few side trails leading down to the water and a great view of the Fraser River at Tavistock Point.

Distance: 4.7 km

Time: 1 to 1.5 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Aldergrove Regional Park

Aldergrove Regional Park has a huge network of trails through wetlands beside Pepin Brook. There are also great views of Mount Baker.

Distance: 10.8 km loop

Time: 2.5 to 3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Snow-Free Hikes in Mission and Harrison

Rolley Lake and Rolley Falls

There is a popular campground at Rolley Lake, but it’s closed in winter so you might have the area to yourself. (And you’ll have to walk an extra kilometre into the park from the gate. But your reward is a lovely easy hike around the lake along with a steeper hike to a waterfall.

Distance: 4.8 km loop

Time: 1.5 to 2 hours

Difficulty: Easy/moderate

Hayward Lake and Steelhead Falls

This trail follows the shoreline of Hayward Lake, which is actually a hydro power reservoir. You can continue along the entire eastern shoreline. But don’t miss the side trip to Steelhead Falls, just a one kilometre from the parking lot.

Distance: 9.7 km round-trip

Time: 2.5 to 3.5 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Cascade Falls

The hike to Cascade Falls is very short, but the scenery is worth it. The steep trail leads to a suspension bridge in front of a spectacular waterfall.

Distance: 0.6 km round trip

Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Whippoorwill Point

The hike to Whippoorwill Point starts in Harrison Hot Springs and follows the shoreline of Harrison Lake. It then heads up over a ridge before descending to a tiny sandy beach.

Distance: 3.7 km round-trip

Time: 1 to 1.5 hours

Difficulty: Easy/moderate

Spirit Trail

If you’re in Harrison Hot Springs in winter, don’t miss the Spirit Trail. It’s a shot hike, but it features dozens of hand carved masks mounted on trees. It’s kinda creepy and kinda cool at the same time.

Distance: 1 km loop

Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Snow-Free Hikes in Abbotsford

Abby Grind

The steep Abby Grind is also known as the Glen Ryder Trail. It climbs up to Taggart Peak and is a well-known alternative to the Grouse Grind.

Distance: 3.4 km round-trip

Time: 2 to 2.5 hours

Difficulty: Moderate/Challenging

Downes Bowl

Downes Bowl in Abbotsford has a great trail system through a marsh with lots of boardwalks. It is a bit of a maze, but you can make a loop that uses most of the trails.

Distance: 4.3 km loop

Time: 1 to 1.5 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Snow-Free Hikes in Chilliwack and Hope

Tea Pot Hill

The hike up Tea Pot Hill in Cultus Lake Provincial Park is one of the most unique hikes in Vancouver thanks to the literal teapots along the sides of the trail. Even though the trail goes up a small hill, it’s low enough to be snow-free most winters.

Distance: 4.8 km round-trip

Time: 1.5 to 2 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Seven Sisters Trail

The Seven Sisters Trail is another great short hike in Cultus Lake Provincial Park. It goes to a beautiful grove of old growth trees known as the Seven Sisters.

Distance: 3.2 km

Time: 1 to 1.5 hours

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate

Chilliwack Community Forest

The new volunteer-created trail network in the Chilliwack Community Forest includes several short loops through the forest. You can string a few of them together to make various loops.

Distance: 4 km loop

Time: 1.5 to 2 hours

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate

Cheam Lake Wetlands

Cheam Lake Wetlands Regional Park is hidden in farm land in between Chilliwack and Hope. It’s a great place to go birding. The trails along the lake and through the marsh are my favourite – some of them feature floating walkways.

Distance: 4.5 km round-trip

Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Bridal Veil Falls

The gate to Bridal Veil Falls is closed in winter, but you can still hike it if you park outside the gate and walk a few minutes along the road. It’s a short hike, but the falls are incredible. Be sure to stay away from the base – in the past visitors have been seriously injured when rocks fell on them.

Distance: 1.3 km loop

Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Flood Falls

The hike to Flood Falls is a good leg-stretcher if you’re driving along Highway 1. The falls is really spectacular after heavy rains.

Distance: 1 km round-trip

Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Snow-Free Hikes in Squamish

Mount Crumpit

The hike to Mount Crumpit is one of my favourite local hikes in Squamish. It’s low enough to avoid snow but it’s high enough to have incredible views of the Stawamus Chief and downtown Squamish. The hike is steep in places!

Distance: 7.9 km round-trip

Time: 2.5 to 3.5 hours

Difficulty: Moderate.

Four Lakes Trail at Alice Lake

As a Squamish local, the Four Lakes Trail at Alice Lake Provincial Park is one of my go-to winter hikes. It’s relatively easy, but the forest is gorgeous and there are four lakes to check out along the way.

Distance: 6.3 km loop

Time: 1.5 to 2 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Brohm Lake

I love the trails at Brohm Lake. You can do the easy 4 km loop around the lake or add on a great viewpoint. I also love the off-the-beaten path trails in the southern part of park. My recommended loop takes in the best spots in the park.

Distance: 8 km loop

Time: 2.5 to 3 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Starvation Lake on the Sea to Sky Trail

The Sea to Sky Trail stretches from Squamish to Whistler. Most of it is too snowy in the winter. But you can hike the short section from the end of Paradise Valley Road to Starvation Lake.

Distance: 6.4 km round-trip

Time: 1.5 to 2 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Snow-Free Backpacking Trips Near Vancouver

With snow in the mountains between November and June, you’ll have to look to low elevation trails to go backpacking in Vancouver in the off-season. See my list of the best spring backpacking trips in British Columbia for recommendations on where to for a snow-free backpacking trip in March, April, and May.

Final Thoughts

How many of these snow-free hikes in Vancouver have you done? Do you have even more to add to my list? Let me know in the comments?

MORE VANCOUVER HIKES:

• 15 Unusual Hikes Near Vancouver
• Most Instagrammed Hikes in Vancouver
• Alternatives to the Grouse Grind: Steep Workout Hikes Near Vancouver
• 35+ Vancouver Hikes You Can Get to on Transit
• 40+ Waterfall Hikes Near Vancouver

WINTER TIPS:

• What to Wear Winter Hiking and Snowshoeing
• 9 Tips for Winter Hiking (You Don’t Have to Freeze!)
• Where to Go Snowshoeing in Vancouver

The post Snow-Free Hikes in Vancouver: 50+ Year-round Trails appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

What we do have, however, is a pretty unique fall sight: the Frosty Mountain larches in Manning Park. These rare coniferous trees look like a regular pine tree until fall. And then… BOOM! They turn a gorgeous gold colour. Want to find out how you can hike to them? Read on!

This guide to hiking to Frosty Mountain in larch season includes:

• What are larch trees?
• What time of year do the larches change colour?
• What to pack
• Hike overview with stats including info for getting to the larches and to the summit
• Driving directions
• Hiking directions

This is a sensitive wilderness area. Learn how to Leave No Trace to keep the wilderness wild. Make sure you are prepared by bringing the 10 Essentials. Get ready for adventure with this checklist of things to do before every hike.

Hey there: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support. -Taryn

What are larch trees? Why are they special?

The golden larches that grow near Frosty Mountain in Manning Provincial Park are more formally known as alpine larches. (Or larix lyallii if you’re into fancy latin names.) They are a VERY unique tree. Alpine larches are coniferous trees, just like a pine tree or a Christmas tree.

But, they are NOT evergreen: they actually change colour and shed their needles each fall the way a maple tree does. (Well a maple tree does it with leaves, not needles. But you get the picture.)

Alpine larches are also pretty bad ass. They live at high elevations with rocky soil and cold temperatures. The ones on Frosty Mountain live at about 2000m above sea level. The larches can live incredibly long – over 1000 years – which is surprising since they aren’t particularly large trees.

Alpine larches grow mostly in the Rocky Mountains and in the eastern parts of BC and Washington since they need a dry and cold climate. But Manning Park has a teeny tiny pocket of prime larch habitat. It’s high enough, dry enough, cold enough and rocky enough to support larch trees. And it’s waaaay up on the side of Frosty Mountain, so you have to hike up there to see them.

What time of year can you visit the Frosty Mountain larches?

The hike to Mount Frosty and the larch plateau is snow free from about mid June until early October. However, the best time to go is late September or early October when the larches change colour. If you go too late, the larches will already have dropped their needles and they’ll be all naked and sad. If you go too early they will still be green.

The trail is busy on weekends in prime larch season. Try to plan your trip for a weekday if possible.

You do not need a day pass, but if you want to camp at the backcountry campground, you need a reservation to camp between late July and late October (dates vary each year). You can make a reservation on the BC Parks website up to three months before your trip. See my guide to making backcountry camping reservation for tips.

What to pack to hike to the larches?

If you visit in fall, be prepared with cold weather gear. (Read my tips about what to wear for hiking in the winter). It can below zero at the larch plateau and on the summit of Frosty Mountain, even if it is sunny and warm in the parking lot.

City forecasts are useless in the mountains. Use an algorithmic weather forecast for Frosty Mountain using a app like Spotwx or Mountain Forecast. (Both are on my list of the best weather apps for hikers.)

You can’t see it in any of my pictures, but it did snow slightly the day I took these, and the wind was bitterly cold. I was glad for my warm jacket, hat and gloves.

It’s pretty common for it to snow when the larches are changing. The trail can be slippery and icy so it’s a good idea to bring microspikes.

I like the Kahtoola Microspikes. They are pointy enough to grip most moderate ice and the rubber straps stretch to fit both my trail runners and my bigger backpacking boots.

(Curious about what microspikes are? My guide to microspikes vs. crampons explains it all.)

Frosty Mountain Larches Hike Overview

Distance: 18km round trip to the larch plateau, 22km round trip if you go all the way to the peak of Mount Frosty)

Elevation gain: 800m to the larch plateau, 1150m to the peak of Mount Frosty

Time Needed: 7 hours round trip to the larch plateau, 9 hours round trip to the peak of Mount Frosty (You can also make it into an overnight trip by camping at the Frosty Creek campsite. See the description below for more info.)

Dogs: Permitted but dogs must be on a leash. The last time I hiked this trail on a busy fall day we ran into 2 different people who had lost their dog!

Note: This trip is also possible as a loop that will add a bit more time and distance to your trip. The trip described here is an out and back to the summit of Frosty Mountain via the larch meadow. For more info on the loop option, see the hiking section of the E.C. Manning Provincial Park website.

Frosty Mountain Larches Driving Directions

From Vancouver take highway 1 and highway 3 to the Manning Park Lodge. Turn right off the highway onto Gibson Pass Road. Follow Gibson Pass Road for about 3km to a fork. Take the left (lower) fork. Arrive at the Lightning Lake day use parking lot a few hundred meters after the fork.

Here are Google Maps driving directions.

Frosty Mountain Larches Hiking Directions

Starting the Hike

From the Lighting Lakes Parking lot head to the left/east side of the lake. Walk across a bridge and across an earthen dam.

At the other side of the lake, take the trail going uphill, marked Frosty Mountain. The trail ascends the slope in a long series of switchbacks for about 5km. The climb is steady but never exceptionally steep.

After the first few kilometers you’ll start to get some small peek-a-boo views through the trees of Lightning Lake and the surrounding mountains.

After the switchback section the trail levels off for a few kilometers and rambles through the forest. At about the 7km mark you will reach the Frosty Creek campsite.

This campsite has an outhouse, nine tent sites and a bear cache to store your food. It also has a rough dirt-floored emergency shelter. There is a small creek at the campground, but it may be totally dried up in the fall. You must make a reservation to camp here between late July and late October each year.

To the Larch Plateau

After passing the campsite, the trail climbs steeply for another kilometer or so. It is around this point that you will begin to see the first larch trees.

You’ll know you’ve arrived at the larch plateau when you spot an interpretive plaque about the larch trees. (There will also be big larch trees everywhere!). The trail rambles through the larches along the flattish plateau for about a kilometer before starting to climb again. If you don’t plan to climb Frosty Mountain, turn around here.

To the Summit

The trail gets rockier and starts to climb above the treeline at about the 9.5km mark. You’ll have to follow a worn path up a scree slope to attain a ridge. The rocks here can be a bit loose and slippery so if you are afraid of heights, you may want to skip a trip to the summit.

Once you get to the top of the ridge, you’ll see the sign that marks the junction with a trail that descends to the east to the Pacific Crest Trail. Stay on the ridge and follow it south towards the summit of Frosty Mountain. You have only half a kilometer to walk but it is slow going: the ridge is narrow and the trail is rocky.

Once you reach the summit you will be at an elevation of 2408m! You are on the east summit of Frosty Mountain. The true summit of Frosty Mountain is just to the west of you and about 20m higher. Either way, you are on the highest peak in Manning Provincial Park. The mountains to the south of you are in the USA, just 1 kilometer away. Make sure you take a look back down to the larch plateau.

After you’ve enjoyed the views on Frosty’s rocky summit, retrace your steps to your car. Make sure to leave time for more photos at the larch plateau on the way down.

Final Thoughts

I first heard about Frosty Mountain larches years ago, but I didn’t really know what to expect until I visited them myself. I couldn’t believe these hardy little trees could grow in such an inhospitable environment. And that they could grow so old!

The golden colours of the larch needles against the blue sky are so stunning. It’s simply something you have to experience for yourself. Have you hiked to the Frosty Mountain larches or to golden larches in other areas? Tell me about it in the comments.

READ NEXT:

• The Best Vancouver Hiking Books
• Most Instagrammed Hikes in Vancouver in 2021
• How to Hike the Big Cedar and Kennedy Falls Trail in Vancouver
• Alternatives to the Grouse Grind: Steep Workout Hikes Near Vancouver
• 35+ Vancouver Hikes You Can Get to on Transit

The post Frosty Mountain Larches Fall Hiking Guide appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

While this post is aimed at locations where you can go on an overnight hiking trip in spring, most of these trips make great fall backpacking trips in British Columbia too.

In BC, most mountain trails are snow-covered between late October and mid-June. However, there are lots of lower elevation trails that are snow-free between March and November. There are even a few on this list that you can backpack year-round.

This list of 25 spring backpacking trips in British Columbia includes:

• Destinations near Vancouver, on Vancouver Island, and in BC’s interior
• Trips ranging in difficulty from beginner to expert
• Hikes between 2 and 8 days long
• Trails that are usually snow-free by March, April, or May and stay snow-free until October or November
• Tips for spring backpacking trips in British Columbia
• Bonus: Spring backpacking suggestions for Washington State

This is a sensitive wilderness area. Learn how to Leave No Trace to keep the wilderness wild. Make sure you are prepared by bringing the 10 Essentials. Get ready for adventure with this checklist of things to do before every hike.

Hey there: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support. -Taryn

Map of Spring Backpacking Trips in British Columbia

Tips for Spring Backpacking in British Columbia

Backpacking in the spring has its own challenges. Here are a few things to watch out for:

Weather: In spring, the weather is colder and wetter than in summer. It’s also less predictable. Pack accordingly and be prepared to cancel your trip or switch to a different destination if the forecast looks bad. (Use these picks for the best weather apps for hiking.)

Trail Conditions: Many trails suffer blow-downs, wash-outs, and flooding over the winter. Often, parks staff and volunteers do trail maintenance in late May or June, which means trails can be in rough shape before then. (Here are my tips for how to check trail conditions.)

Mud: Wet and muddy trails are inevitable in spring. Come prepared with waterproof hiking boots and gaiters.

Creek crossings: Streams run high in the spring with a combo of snow-melt and rain. Bridges may be washed out and fords may be dangerous. Be prepared to turn back.

Bears: As they wake up from hibernation and tend to new cubs, bears are more active in spring, especially in valley-bottom and coastal locations where there are lots of things for them to eat at this time of year. Read more about bear safety for backpackers.

Seasonal closures: Some parks and trails are closed in the off-season, or may have temporary closures to due damaged infrastructure. Check park and trail websites before you go.

Trailhead access issues: In spring, logging roads that access trailheads may be muddy or washed out. If you’re heading to a trail that requires a water taxi or floatplane, fog and rough weather may delay or cancel your trip. Shuttle services between trailheads may not start operating until May.

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Spring Backpacking Trips in Southwestern British Columbia

Viewpoint Beach and Halfmoon Beach, Golden Ears Provincial Park

Heads up: Day passes are required at Golden Ears Provincial Park in summer. However, if you have a backcountry permit registration, you don’t need a day pass. Learn more in my guide to BC Parks day passes.

This easy hike in Golden Ears Provincial Park follows the banks of Gold Creek. There are trails on both the west and east sides of the creek, connected by a bridge, so loop trips are possible. You can camp at Viewpoint Beach or venture further upstream to Halfmoon Beach.

This is the closest place to Vancouver that you can take a spring backpacking trip in British Columbia and also made my list of the best easy backpacking trips in BC.

More Info: Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia. For info on camping fees, see Golden Ears Provincial Park.

READ NEXT: How to Make Backcountry Camping Reservations in BC

Lindeman and Greendrop Lakes, Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park

It’s a short hike to picturesque Lindeman Lake where you can camp next to the tranquil turquoise waters. If you have more energy, carry on along the rougher trail to Greendrop Lake. Lindeman Lake is often snow-free in April, but Greendrop Lake holds snow into May.

Lindeman Lake is also one of my picks for beginner-friendly backpacking rips in BC.

More Info: Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia. For info on camping fees, see S⨱ótsaqel / Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park.

Get My Book…

Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia

A one-stop resource for backpackers in beautiful British Columbia.

• 40 backpacking trips within a few hours of Vancouver
• Info about permits, reservations, and campground facilities
• Detailed maps and photos
• Advice for extending your trip
• Points of cultural and natural history

Get the book

Skagit River Trail, Skagit Valley Provincial Park

Note: Access to this trail was disrupted by the November 2021 storms. The river has changed course at the Sumallo Grove trailhead and the bridge is not accessible at times of high water. In late summer, it’s an easy ford. However, western trailhead on Silver-Skagit Road in Skagit Valley Provincial Park is open between mid-April and November, so you can access it from that direction.

This laid-back hike follows a historic fur-trade route along the banks of the Skagit River as it flows downstream. You can do an 8 km round trip hike from the Sumallo Grove Trailhead in Manning Provincial Park, camping at Delacy Camp. If you have two cars, you make a 14 km traverse from Sumallo Grove to Silver-Skagit Road.

The Skagit River Trail is one of the best easy backpacking trips in BC.

More Info: Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia and the E.C. Manning & Skagit Valley Provincial Parks map from Clark Geomatics.

Join the Backpacking in BC Facebook Group

Tikwalus Heritage Trail, Fraser Canyon

This historical Indigenous and fur trade route leads steeply up from Highway 1 in the Fraser Canyon to several spectacular lookouts. Camp high on a bluff near several small lakes. The trail takes its name from a former Nlaka’pamux village near the trailhead.

More Info: Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia.

READ NEXT: How to Go Backpacking in BC Without Reservations

Lower Stein Valley, Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Provincial Park

Note: A large wildfire burned the lower Stein Valley trail in July and August 2023. As of early 2026, the trail is currently only open up to Earl’s Cabin camp 10.5 km from the trailhead.

The warm, dry climate in Lytton makes the Lower Stein Valley my favourite choice for spring backpacking trips in British Columbia – Over the years, I’ve been there six times in March, April, and May. The valley is a spiritual place for the local Nlaka’pamux First Nation.

The trail travels next to the Stein River passing Indigenous pictographs and culturally modified trees. Choose from five different campgrounds spaced out along the lower section of the trail. This is one fo the best places for beginner backpacking in BC.

More Info: Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia and the Stein to Joffre Trail Map by Trail Ventures BC.

READ NEXT: How to Make Backcountry Camping Reservations in BC

Cheakamus Lake, Garibaldi Provincial Park

Heads up: Day passes are required at Cheakamus Lake in summer. However, if you have a backcountry camping reservation, you don’t need a day pass. Learn more in my guide to BC Parks day passes.

As the lowest elevation trail in Garibaldi Provincial Park, Cheakamus Lake is a good spring backpacking destination. The flat and easy trail leads through old-growth forest to the beautiful glacially-fed lake. Camp at the lake outlet or follow the trail along the shoreline to camp at Singing Creek.

This trail is my number one pick for easy backpacking near Vancouver.

More Info: Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia and the Garibaldi Provincial Park Map by Clark Geomatics. For info on camping fees and reservations, see Garibaldi Provincial Park.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

Get My Book…

Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia

A one-stop resource for backpackers in beautiful British Columbia.

• 40 backpacking trips within a few hours of Vancouver
• Info about permits, reservations, and campground facilities
• Detailed maps and photos
• Advice for extending your trip
• Points of cultural and natural history

Get the book

Fairview Bay/Saltery Bay Loop, Sunshine Coast Trail

Portions of the Sunshine Coast Trail are snow-covered most of the year, but you can tackle this low elevation section starting at the southern terminus in Saltery Bay. Hike along the coast to Fairview Bay hut as an out-and-back trip, or take on the full loop, camping at either Fairview Bay Hut or Rainy Day Lake Hut.

The trip to Fairview Bay is on my list of the best easy bacpacking trips in BC.

More Info: Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

Join the Backpacking in BC Facebook Group

Confederation Lake and Fiddlehead Landing, Sunshine Coast Trail

Here’s another low elevation section of the Sunshine Coast Trail (SCT) that is perfect for a spring backpacking trip. The trail starts at Inland Lake, then climbs steeply through thick old-growth forest to a hut on the shores of Confederation Lake. Follow the SCT downhill to Fiddlehead Landing on the shores of Powell Lake and another hut.

More Info: Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia.

Sarah Point to Powell River, Sunshine Coast Trail

This northern section of the Sunshine Coast Trail is an ideal spring backpacking destination. Arrange a water taxi or 4WD shuttle to the trailhead at Sarah Point or skip the first few kilometres by taking the shortcut trail to Wednesday Lake from Sarah Point Road. Finish your trip at the Shinglemill Pub in Powell River. Along the way, walk along bluffs speckled with arbutus trees, through old-growth forest, and past small lakes.

More Info: Read my trip report from my March backpacking trip on the northern section of the Sunshine Coast Trail. Part of this section is also featured in my book Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

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Spring Backpacking Trips on Vancouver Island

Narvaez Bay, Saturna Island

This oceanfront campground is located on the southeastern side of Saturna Island in Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. It’s an easy hike in from the trailhead and the trail is also open to bikes. FYI: There is no potable water here so you’ll have to pack in your own. It’s also on my list of the best easy backpacking trips in BC.

More Info: Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking on Vancouver Island. See Gulf Islands National Park Reserve for camping reservations.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

READ NEXT: BC Backpacking Reservation Dates You Need to Know

Juan de Fuca Trail, Juan de Fuca Provincial Park

Note: The Juan de Fuca Trail is closed in summer 2025 due to significant storm damage. It is not possible to hike the entire trail, but you can visit and camp at Mystic Beach and East Sombrio Beach. The full trail is expected to re-open in late May, 2026.

The rugged Juan de Fuca Trail runs along the coast from near Jordan River to Port Renfrew. It’s a little shorter than the West Coast Trail, its famous neighbour to the north, but it’s just as rugged and has more hills. This trail crosses lots of steep gullies, so it is prone to washouts in the spring, fall, and winter months.

More Info: Read my Juan de Fuca Trail guide for full details. Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking on Vancouver Island. For camping fees, see Juan de Fuca Provincial Park.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

READ NEXT: Juan De Fuca Trail Guide: Backpacking on Vancouver Island

West Coast Trail, Pacific Rim National Park

Note: The West Coast Trail is open from May 1 to September 30 each year. The National Park officially closes the trail from October to the end of April.

The West Coast Trail is Canada’s most famous multi-day hike. Since it opens in May, it also makes a great spring backpacking trip. The 75-kilometre-long trail follows the wild shoreline with the help of bridges, ladders, and cable cars. Each night you will camp on a wilderness beach.

More Info: Get details on this hike in my West Coast Trail guide. Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking on Vancouver Island. For info on reservations, trail fees, and National Park fees, see Pacific Rim National Park.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

READ NEXT: Your Guide to the West Coast Trail in British Columbia

Get My Book…

Backpacking on Vancouver Island

Discover Vancouver Island’s best day hikes and overnight trips

• 25 backpacking trips and 10 day hikes throughout Vancouver Island
• Info about permits, reservations and campground facilities
• Detailed maps and photos
• Advice for extending your trip
• Points of cultural and natural history

Get the book

Keeha Beach, Pacific Rim National Park

Note: Keeha Beach is open from May 1 to early October each year. The National Park officially closes the trail from early October to the end of April.

This sandy beach is located just north of the West Coast Trail. It’s a short hike to get there, but allow plenty of time as the trail is very rough with lots of slippery roots and tons of mud. (The mud is pretty epic – comparable to the North Coast Trail.) You can also day hike to the nearby Cape Beale Lighthouse.

More Info: Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking on Vancouver Island. For trail fees, and reservations, see Pacific Rim National Park.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

Join the Backpacking in BC Facebook Group

Della Falls Trail

At 440-metres-tall, Della Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in Canada. To get there, you first have to canoe, motor boat, or water taxi across Great Central Lake. Then hike up through a river valley to the base of the falls. Don’t miss a side trip on the Love Lake trail for incredible views of the falls.

The water taxi starts running on May 15 each year when the falls are in full flow. However, snow can linger in May and early June in the upper valley and on the Love Lake Trail, so go prepared.

More Info: Get all the details in my Della Falls Trail guide and join the Della Falls Facebook group. Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking on Vancouver Island.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

READ NEXT: Della Falls Trail Hiking Guide

Wild Side Trail, Flores Island

Note: The Wild Side Trail is open from May to October each year. The Ahousaht Nation officially closes the trail from November to April.

The Wild Side Trail has one of the best effort to reward ratios of any of Vancouver Island’s coastal trails. It’s one of my favourite spring backpacking trips in British Columbia – I’ve done it twice in May! This trail is also one of my picks for the best beginner backpacking trips in BC.

It’s an easy walk along beaches and through the forest to a gorgeous campsite at Cow Bay. There are also two other campsites along the way. The hike is located in Ahousaht First Nation territory on Flores Island near Tofino, so you’ll need to arrange a water taxi.

More Info: Get details on this hike in my Wild Side Trail guide. Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking on Vancouver Island. For info on trail fees and camping fees, see the Wild Side Trail website.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

READ NEXT: Wild Side Trail: Hiking and Camping Guide

Hesquiat Peninsula Trail, West Coast Vancouver Island

If you’re looking for an off-the-beaten-path adventure, take a water taxi or floatplane to the remote Hesquiat Peninsula on the west coast of Vancouver Island. This informal trail follows the rugged coastline as it bucks and dips across rocky headlands, through surge channels, and along beaches. There are no facilities or formal campsites.

More info: See Hiking the West Coast of Vancouver Island by Tim Leadem, and Hesquiat Peninsula Provincial Park.

Get My Book…

Backpacking on Vancouver Island

Discover Vancouver Island’s best day hikes and overnight trips

• 25 backpacking trips and 10 day hikes throughout Vancouver Island
• Info about permits, reservations and campground facilities
• Detailed maps and photos
• Advice for extending your trip
• Points of cultural and natural history

Get the book

Nootka Trail, West Coast Vancouver Island

The Nootka Trail is my favourite coastal hike in BC. It’s located on Nootka Island off the west coast of Vancouver Island, so you need to take a water taxi or floatplane to get there. What makes this trail special is that it is almost entirely on the beach. There are no formal facilities or campsites.

More info: See my Nootka Trail trip report. Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking on Vancouver Island. For info on fees, see Yuqot.ca, the Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation website.

READ NEXT: Sunshine on the Edge of the World: Nootka Trail Trip Report

Tatchu Peninsula Trail, West Coast Vancouver Island

The Tatchu Peninsula is a wilderness hike on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The hike traces a route down the west side of the peninsula, linking numerous beaches with short overland trails. There are no formal facilities or campsites. You can do the easier (and more scenic) northern section as an out-and-back or complete a very challenging traverse.

More info: See my Tatchu Trail guide, Rugged Point Provincial Park. Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking on Vancouver Island.

Raft Cove, Raft Cove Provincial Park

Raft Cove is a remote beach on the north end of Vancouver Island, reached by a maze of logging roads from the tiny town of Holberg. It’s a short walk into the beach, but the rough and muddy trail makes it seem longer. Camp on the sandy beach and watch surfers work the waves just offshore.

This is one of my picks for the best easy backpacking trips in BC.

More info: Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking on Vancouver Island. See Raft Cove Provincial Park for info and camping fees.

Join the Backpacking in BC Facebook Group

San Josef Bay, Cape Scott Provincial Park

This is the easiest trail in Cape Scott Provincial Park, but it still has spectacular scenery. The trail winds through the coastal forest and ends at a beautiful beach. At low tide, you can explore incredible sea stacks. There are two beaches to camp on separated by a headland that is impassable at high tide.

The flat trail makes it one of the best easy backpacking trips in BC.

More info: For more info, see my Cape Scott guide, the North Coast Trail Map by John Baldwin, and the North Coast Trail Waterproof Map by Wild Coast. Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking on Vancouver Island. For camping fees, see Cape Scott Provincial Park.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

READ NEXT: Cape Scott Trail Guide: Hiking and Camping on Northern Vancouver Island

Get My Book…

Backpacking on Vancouver Island

Discover Vancouver Island’s best day hikes and overnight trips

• 25 backpacking trips and 10 day hikes throughout Vancouver Island
• Info about permits, reservations and campground facilities
• Detailed maps and photos
• Advice for extending your trip
• Points of cultural and natural history

Get the book

Cape Scott Trail, Cape Scott Provincial Park

While the north end of Vancouver Island gets a lot of rain, the Cape Scott Trail can be a great spring backpacking destination if you get a window of good weather. It’s a long hike through bog and coastal forest on old settler trails to the campsite at Nel’s Bight. From there, you can day hike to Cape Scott, the northernmost point on Vancouver Island.

More Info: Get details on this hike in my Cape Scott Trail guide, the North Coast Trail Map by John Baldwin, and the North Coast Trail Waterproof Map by Wild Coast. Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking on Vancouver Island. For camping fees, see Cape Scott Provincial Park.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

READ NEXT: Cape Scott Trail Guide: Hiking and Camping on Northern Vancouver Island

North Coast Trail, Cape Scott Provincial Park

The tough North Coast Trail traverses the northern end of Vancouver Island. It starts with a water taxi drop-off in Shushartie Bay and ends when it intersects the Cape Scott Trail at Nissen Bight. In between, there is lots of muddy and rough trail through coastal bog and old-growth forest, and a few gorgeous beaches.

More Info: Get details on this hike in my North Coast Trail guide. Find details on this hike in my book, Backpacking on Vancouver Island. For camping fees, see Cape Scott Provincial Park.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

READ NEXT: North Coast Trail Guide: Backpacking on Vancouver Island

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Spring Backpacking Trips in British Columbia’s Interior

Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park

This large park between Kelowna and Naramata has several different spring backpacking options. You can hike to Divide Lake and Baker Lake near the summit of Okanagan Mountain. You can also follow the Wild Horse Canyon Trail to campsites on the shores of Okanagan Lake. A connecter trail links the two, so you can make a big loop. Spring and fall are the best time to visit this park, as it is too hot in the summer.

More info: See Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

READ NEXT: How to Go Backpacking in BC Without Reservations

Okanagan High Rim Trail

This trail follows an elevated route above the Okanagan Valley between Vernon and Kelowna. In most years, it is snow-free by early to mid May. This trail is only a few years old and crisscrosses lots of forestry roads in between great viewpoints and small lakes.

More Info: Get the details from the Okanagan High Rim Trail Association.

Psst! You can get to this hike without a car! It’s on my list of car-free backpacking trips in BC.

Join the Backpacking in BC Facebook Group

Deer Point Trail, Gladstone Provincial Park

The low elevation Deer Point Trail along Christina Lake in Gladstone Provincial Park near Grand Forks make a good spring backpacking destination. You can camp at Trapper Creek partway along the trail or at Troy Creek at the north end of the lake. Both campsites are open to boaters as well.

More Info: Get info on the trail and camping fees from Gladstone Provincial Park.

Flatiron Trails, Wells Gray Provincial Park

Note: In 2023, a few key bridges washed out and with high water, it is currently not possible to cross the creeks and reach any of the campsites.

Even though it is near the entrance to the park, Flatiron area of Wells Gray Provincial Park is a bit under-the-radar. A network of trails follows creeks to the banks of the Clearwater River and there are three backcountry campgrounds. You can access the area from three different trailheads, making loop trips or a traverse possible.

More Info: Get info on the trails from Exploring Wells Gray Park by Roland Neave. For camping fees see Wells Gray Provincial Park.

Get My Books

Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia and Backpacking on Vancouver Island

Discover BC’s best backpacking trips

• 40 backpacking trips within a few hours of Vancouver
• 35 backpacking trips and day hikes on Vancouver Island
• Info about permits, reservations, and campground facilities
• Detailed maps and photos

Get the books

Spring Backpacking Trips in Washington

Since it is a short trip across the border, it’s worth mentioning a few spring backpacking locations in Washington State.

Olympic Coast: The wilderness coast in Olympic National Park is accessible year-round. With several access points, lots of different trips are possible. As a bonus, it’s easier to get permits in the spring. For trip ideas, see my guides to Shi Shi Beach, Ozette Loop, and Toleak Point.

Enchanted Valley: Follow the East Fork Quinault River Trail into the Enchanted Valley in the rainforest of Olympic National Park.

East Bank Trail, Ross Lake: This trail in North Cascades National Park follows the shoreline of Ross Lake. See my East Bank Trail trip report.

Chelan Lakeshore Trail: This 17-mile-long trail in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest begins and ends with a ferry on Lake Chelan. The trail finishes at the boat-access-only village of Stehekin in North Cascades National Park.

So that gives you 25 different spring backpacking trips in British Columbia to choose from!  Which one would you choose?  I’ve hiked most of these trails (some of them several times) so feel free to ask me more about them in the comments.

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READ NEXT:

• 30 Best Backpacking Trips in BC
• 24 Easy Backpacking Trips In BC For Beginners
• How to Go Backpacking in BC Without Reservations
• BC Backpacking Reservation Dates You Need to Know
• How to Make Backcountry Camping Reservations in BC
• Backpacking Checklist: Gear You Need To Go Backpacking

The post 25 Spring Backpacking Trips in British Columbia appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

This is a sensitive wilderness area. Learn how to Leave No Trace to keep the wilderness wild. Make sure you are prepared by bringing the 10 Essentials. Get ready for adventure with this checklist of things to do before every hike.

Hey there: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support. -Taryn

Research a Destination… and a Backup Plan (or Two)

The first step of planning a fall backpacking trip, like planning any backpacking trip, is picking a destination.  In the fall you need to be extra careful with this step though, as you want to ensure you’ll get the best possible weather. 

Fall days can be summery warm, but fall nights can be bitterly cold. And of course, the weather can change at any moment, especially in the mountains.

I like to thoroughly research a few possible destinations, preferably in different geographic areas. That way if the weather is bad in one area, you can always head somewhere else where the sun is shining.

When I’m researching destinations I find it helpful to look at trip reports from the fall in previous years to see if the snow had started to fly in that area yet, to get an idea of how cold it was at night, and to figure out the best time to see the leaves change. 

Check the Weather Forecast, Then Check it Again (and Again)

I also like to keep a close eye on the weather forecast for my destination and backup destinations in the week leading up to my trip. 

Finding a weather forecast that applies to the remote areas where I will be going on a fall backpacking trip can be a challenge since forecasts for nearby cities will be for much lower elevations than my destination.

I use Spotwx and Mountain Forecast to get a better idea of the forecast at the exact location I will be backpacking. Read more about these sites in my guide to the best weather apps for hiking.

Knowing the freezing level (the elevation above which temperatures are expected to be below freezing) is also important. Mountain Forecast includes the predicted freezing level in their forecast, which can help me decide to camp at a lower campsite (that won’t be freezing at night) and then day hike into the high mountains from there.

READ NEXT: The Best Weather Apps for Hiking

Bring the Right Clothes

On fall trips I’ve gone from sweating while wearing a t-shirt and shorts to shivering in a down jacket in a matter of hours.  So of course, layers are your friend on fall trips.

I usually bring lighter clothing to wear during the day, but make sure I have lots of warm clothes to layer up at night. I bring gloves, a warm hat, a buff, long underwear, warm wool socks, and a compressible down or synthetic jacket on every fall backpacking trip.

Even with a careful eye on the weather forecast, it can always rain or even snow in the mountains, and it is even more likely in the fall.  You’ll want to pack a waterproof breathable jacket and pants and some waterproof hiking boots.  Even if it doesn’t rain, they will help insulate you from the wind.

READ NEXT: What to Wear Winter Hiking and Snowshoeing

READ NEXT: 40+ Tips for Hiking in the Rain

Pack a Warm Sleeping Bag

The easiest way to ruin a fall backpacking trip is to be freezing cold at night. Make sure you bring a warm sleeping bag.

But just because a sleeping bag is rated -10 doesn’t mean that it will keep you warm at that temperature. Sleeping bag temperature ratings are tested in very specific laboratory conditions that may not match up with your body and how you sleep.

As well, there are two different ratings: comfort and lower limit. Most brands use the lower limit rating in the sleeping bag name, but if you dig around on their website, you can also find the comfort rating.

One of my top fall backpacking tips is to always use a sleeping bag rated at 5-10 degrees colder than the coldest temperature you expect to encounter. If you know you are a cold sleeper, go for an even warmer bag.

I’m a very cold sleeper so in the fall and winter, I use an older version of the Therm-a-Rest Parsec 0F/-18C sleeping bag. It weighs just under 1 kg, which is insanely light for the amount of warmth it provides. It also has an extra pocket of down at the toe just to keep your feet warm!

How to Stay Warm in a Tent: Over 40 Tips

AND Pack an Insulated Sleeping Pad

Even if you have the warmest sleeping bag in the world, you will still be freezing without an insulated sleeping pad. The ground is cold, so without some insulation underneath you, it will chill you quickly. This is fall backpacking tip is one that a lot of people miss!

For fall backpacking, bring a sleeping pad with an R-value of at least 4. R-value is a measure of warmth – the higher the number, the warmer you will be. Most summer-rated sleeping pads have an R-value of 2.5, so they aren’t warm enough for fall.

I use a Therm-a-rest NeoAir XTherm on fall trips. It has an R-value of 6.9 which helps keep me toasty warm. It is also 2.5″ thick, for lots of padding.

Add Some Extras to Keep You Warm at Night

It also helps to have a strategy to add some extra warmth for colder than expected temperatures. I always wear a warm merino wool hat to sleep in, along with thick, winter-weight merino wool or polyester long underwear.

If it’s extra chilly, I might choose to wear a fleece jacket and or a down jacket to bed. I layer the hood from the jacket over my hat for even more warmth.

I also love down booties for use around camp (as long as the ground isn’t too wet) and to wear inside my sleeping bag.

It can take a while for your body heat to warm up a sleeping bag, so sometimes I take a bottle filled with boiling water to bed with me to use as a hot water bottle. It ensures that the bag heats up fast.

Prepare for Rain and Wind

Fall weather is unpredictable. Make sure you stake out your tent well to protect it from rain and wind during the night.

On group trips, I like to bring a lightweight sil tarp to make a kitchen and hangout shelter. I can rig the tarp overhead to protect from rain, or on one side to block chilly winds.

Make Warm Foods and Drinks

Eating warm, high-calorie foods will warm you up from the inside. On fall trips I like to bring lots of hot drinks like tea and hot chocolate. And don’t make your meals too complicated so don’t have to wait around in the cold while your food cooks. Keep in mind that colder temperatures and more hot meals may mean that you need more fuel than usual.

Check out my guide to making cheap backpacking meal from grocery store ingredients for some food ideas.

Pack a Lantern and Camp Activities

It gets dark early in the fall. Many backpacking destinations don’t allow fires due to environmental concerns, so I pack a small lantern. That way I can light up the campsite to cook dinner or hang out.

After dinner, it’s fun to hang out around the lantern and play card games. I like Exploding Kittens. I also bring my Kindle eReader to use in the tent.

Keep Your Water Filter From Freezing

Backpacking water filters will develop cracks in the filter element if they freeze. This means that after a filter has been frozen, you can’t trust that it will properly filter out bacteria anymore. If you expect temperatures below freezing at night, tuck your filter inside your sleeping bag with you. If it’s freezing during the day, put it inside your jacket pocket.

On fall backpacking trips, it’s a good idea to carry water purification drops or tablets as a backup in case your water filter freezes. You can also carry extra fuel and boil your water to purify it.

Be Bear Aware

Fall is prime time for bears and other critters to spend extra time foraging for food to get ready for winter so animal encounters can be more likely at this time of year. 

Talk or sing while hiking and carry bear spray.  Cook and eat at least 50 yards away from your tent. Be sure to store your food properly in a food locker (where available) or properly hung in a tree. When I camp in the alpine, I like to use a bear canister.

READ NEXT: Bear Safety for Hikers, Campers, and Backpackers

How to Choose Fall Backpacking Destinations

If you are prepared for colder temperatures, most summer backpacking destinations in the mountains make great fall backpacking trips too. But if you don’t want to get too cold, look for lower elevation trips to rivers, lakes, and on the coast instead.

If you’re worried about getting cold, look into hut trips. Many areas have backcountry huts you can book. Most are quite rustic, but some are a bit more luxe.

If you are in BC, check out my list of the best spring backpacking trips – many of them make great fall destinations too.

Do you backpack in the fall?  If you have any fall backpacking tips, please share them in the comments below.

READ NEXT:

• How to Stay Warm in a Tent: Over 40 Tips
• 40+ Tips for Hiking in the Rain
• What to Wear Winter Hiking and Snowshoeing
• 9 Winter Hiking Tips (You Don’t Have to Freeze!)
• Backpacking Checklist: Gear You Need To Go Backpacking

The post Fall Backpacking Tips: How to Stay Warm and Have Fun appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

This is a sensitive wilderness area. Learn how to Leave No Trace to keep the wilderness wild. Make sure you are prepared by bringing the 10 Essentials. Get ready for adventure with this checklist of things to do before every hike.

This waterfall is interesting because… well it’s crooked, like the name. In cascades down the Sigurd Creek directly into a rock bluff, where it makes a sharp 90 degree turn before flowing downhill.  And you get to stand on the rock bluff! (I shot the video from there.) It’s a bit of a drive to get there, but the hike isn’t too difficult and the views are certainly worth it.

Driving Directions to Crooked Falls

Click for full driving directions from Vancouver . (But if you do use these directions, be aware that you will lose cell service outside Squamish so you’ll need an off-line version of the map).

Drive highway 99 to Squamish. North of Squamish turn west (left) on to Squamish Valley road – this is the same intersection as the entrance to Alice Lake Provincial Park, but you want the road on the other side of the highway.  Follow this road to a bridge over the Cheakamus River. Immediately after the bridge the road forks – go left to stay on the Squamish Valley road. The road has speed bumps as it passes through the Cheakamus Indian Reserve. Follow this road for about 19km past some homes and ranches to the end of the pavement.

Past here you will be on the Squamish Forest Service Road, which is gravel and can be dusty, but any 2WD drive car can make it to the trailhead. About 1km after the road turns to gravel, watch for a big bridge on your left – it may be signed Ashlu Main Forest Service Road or Squamish Riverside Campground. Turn left to cross the big bridge, go past the campground (on your right), then cross another smaller bridge. Stay on the main Ashlu road for another 2km or so, then cross two smaller bridges over the Ashlu river. Right after the second bridge, park your car. The overgrown logging road heading uphill on the lefthand side of the road is the trailhead (and it has a sign that says Sigurd Trail).

Crooked Falls Hike

Distance: 7km round trip

Elevation gain: About 400m

Hikeable all year round since maximum elevation is around 500m so you are unlikely to encounter snow in the winter.  Best in the spring if you want to see the falls at maximum flow.

The BCMC (British Columbia Mountaineering Club) built and maintains the trail as it accesses some mountaineering and scrambling objectives higher up the mountain. The trail is well-built and well marked with orange squares so it is easy to follow. From the trailhead where you parked your car walk about 15 minutes uphill on the old road. At a switchback where the road curves right, look for a trail heading left with a “Sigurd Trail” sign.

At this point you are on a narrow trail that sometimes widens up enough for you to tell that you are on another, even older road. You’ll pass below a huge rock wall covered in dripping moss and get glimpses of the Squamish valley through the trees. After a few hundred meters you’ll pass another trail sign indicating that the trail heads sharply up the hill.

The trail climbs steeply uphill for a few minutes before popping out on a rocky bluff with a great view of the Squamish River valley.

Past the viewpoint the trail climbs steeply with a few breaks and passes lots of mossy rock walls, a giant boulder and a few patches of more mellow forest.

After about an hour of hiking you’ll come to a junction. The trail to the falls heads off to the left, while the trail to the right travels all the way up into the alpine to the mountaineering routes on Sigurd Peak and Pelion Mountain and Ossa Mountain.

From the junction Crooked Falls is only a few hundred meters away. The trail to the falls sidehills along on some steep slopes and loses a little bit of elevation. As you get closer you can start to hear the roar of the falls.

Viewing Crooked Falls

The trail will take you to the main (central) viewpoint for the Crooked Falls which is also the closest you can get to the falls. In the spring when snowmelt is at it’s peak, the falls are spectacular and kick up a lot of spray so it’s hard to keep your camera dry, let alone yourself – it’s a bit like walking too close to a sprinkler! When we were there it was so wet that even though it hadn’t rained in weeks, there were puddles and mud at the viewpoints from all the spray.

If you head steeply downhill to the left of the main viewpoint for a few meters you’ll emerge on to a rocky outcropping – this is the left viewpoint (which you can see from the main viewpoint). You have a slightly more pulled back view of the falls from here, but if anything, it’s even wetter.

For yet another perspective you can take a faint trail heading right from near the main viewpoint. This trail goes downhill a few meters to a small gully back at the base of Crooked Falls. You can scramble down nearly to water level to a point where it feels like you are just behind the falls. You can even look out across the falls to the mountains in Garibaldi Provincial Park. How cool is that?

Once you are done seeing the falls from all three viewpoints, retrace your steps back down the trail to your car. After your hike you can drive back towards the Squamish River to find a nice place put your feet in the river and enough the views.

Have you hiked to Crooked Falls in Squamish? Do you have any other underrated Sea to Sky waterfalls to share?

More Things to do Near Squamish:

• 70+ Things to do in Squamish (By a Local)
• The Best Hikes in Squamish, BC (From a Local)
• Camping in Squamish, BC: 22 Places to Camp Near Squamish
• Hike to Mount Crumpit in Squamish
• Brohm Lake Hike in Squamish (By a Local)

More Waterfall Hikes:

• 40+ Waterfall Hikes Near Vancouver
• Langdale Falls Hike on the Sunshine Coast, BC
• Fraser Valley Waterfall Hike Road Trip
• Chasing Waterfalls in Wells Gray Provincial Park

The post Hike to Crooked Falls in Squamish appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

Never heard of the Sunshine Coast Trail? The whole trail is 180 kilometers long and stretches the whole length of the northern Sunshine Coast from north of Lund, past Powell River, to the ferry terminal at Saltery Bay. The local trail society, led by the trail’s founder Eagle Walz, has worked hard to build the trail and route it through the most scenic areas.

It starts on the ocean, then heads inland to follow mossy streams, pass by numerous lakes, and go up and over many hills and mountains before finishing back by the ocean again. While it may have the word “coast” in its name, the SCT spends 95% of its time inland in the forest and on mountain tops so don’t get confused and think it is an alternative to the West Coast Trail or the Juan de Fuca Trail – this is something totally different.

There are also 13 backcountry huts and shelters on this trip, billed as Canada’s first hut-to-hut hiking experience. There are also tons of road access points to trailheads along the length of the trail so doing a day hike or a section as a multi-day backpacking trip rather than the whole trail is totally doable.

This is a sensitive wilderness area. Learn how to Leave No Trace to keep the wilderness wild. Make sure you are prepared by bringing the 10 Essentials. Get ready for adventure with this checklist of things to do before every hike.

Since three days is not enough time to tackle 180 kilometers, we opted to do only a section of the trail. (Well it’s not enough time unless you are Nicola Gildersleeve, the trail runner who holds the fastest known time at just under 34 hours!) Since we would be hiking in late March, we chose a 40 kilometer section that stayed at relatively low elevation to avoid snow: the northern section from near Lund to near Powell River. You can see our route expertly (ha!) drawn on the map below.

My 3 Day Hike on the Sunshine Coast Trail

Due to cost and time pressures, we opted to skip the first few kilometers of the trail and start part way along. This meant that we didn’t have to organize a water taxi and our first day on the trail (our first of the season wearing fully loaded overnight packs) would be a bit shorter. So bright and early on the morning of Good Friday we woke up at a friends house in Powell River (having arrived from Vancouver the night before) and headed out to start our section hike of the Sunshine Coast Trail.

Since we would be doing a point to point hike, our first step was to leave one of our cars at the end point for our trip (in the Wildwood neighbourhood of Powell River), then drive towards Lund where we parked our car at a trailhead that was marked with a wooden arrow that said “SCT access”.  This was one of the many access trails that lead towards the SCT proper. The forecast had been for sun but the sky was grey and a light drizzle was falling.  We donned rain coats, shouldered our packs and headed up the trail (an old road) for a kilometer or two until we got to a junction.  The junction indicated we should turn right to get to the SCT on the Spire Trail. What?!? We thought we were on the Gilpin Road access trail!

A quick check of our map and our GPS revealed that we had actually parked our car in the wrong place (a few kilometers too early) and were in fact on the wrong trail! But on the plus side, we were way closer to the Manzanita Bluff Hut, that evening’s destination than we had planned and the sun had come out! However, on the minus side, there is no water at the hut or on the bluffs and we had planned to stock up on water at Wednesday Lake, 4 kilometers to the east.  We decided to just head up to the hut directly, have lunch, then day hike down to the lake to get water.

After leaving the junction with the old road, we followed the Spire Trail for a few hundred meters to another junction where we got on to the Sunshine Coast Trail proper for the first time. We had been travelling in rather dense second growth forest but after we got on to the Sunshine Coast Trail the vegetation changed. We gained elevation as we climbed up on to Manzanita Bluff surrounded by moss, arbutus trees and yes, manzanita bushes.  The only downside (besides all the steep hill) was the view of a nearby clearcut.

Before long we reached the Manzanita Bluff hut, claimed spots in the sleeping loft, then headed out to a nearby picnic table at the end of the bluff to eat lunch.  What a spectacular view: down the hill to Lund, across to Savary Island and then across to Vancouver Island.

After lunch we hung our food in a bear hang, stowed our packs in the hut and set off with all of our water containers on a day hike to Wednesday Lake. It was 4 kilometers of mostly downhill travel across more arbutus bluffs and through some mossy forest. The lake looked pretty inviting and I’m sure it’s a great place to swim on a warm summer day, but on this March afternoon, even though it was sunny, none of us wanted to brave it.  Instead we filtered litre upon litre of water, then bundled it all into backpacks that we took turns carrying all the way back up the hill to the hut.

Back at the hut we cooked dinner then ate down at the viewpoint on the edge of the bluff. Unfortunately it was too cloudy for a nice sunset. After the sun went down we took advantage of the nearby firepit complete with benches and had a quick campfire.

On Saturday morning we were up fairly early (despite all six of us sleeping through several alarms!) and on the trail as we had a long 17.5km section of trail to tackle to get to the next hut at Rieveley’s Pond. We started by descending the SCT south of the bluff back to the junction where we had first joined it the day before, then continued south. The trail at this point is in a narrow buffer of intact forest between a couple of clearcuts and is not that scenic. It soon heads back into some more bluffs though, including one with a great view to the east down into Okeover Inlet.

After finishing the bluffs section of the trail (also known as the Gwendoline Hills) we popped out on to the paved Malaspina Road. It was weird to cross a road in the middle of a backpacking trip! Next we tackled the Thunder Ridge section of the trail: a long steep mossy climb up a hill, then a steep descent through alder and willows down to another road.

After crossing the road we walked on an old logging railway bed towards Plummer Creek where we had lunch. There is a campsite on a spur trail here, but it was so dark in the forest that most of the campsite (including the giant log picnic table) was coated in moss. The morning had been sunny and warm, but by mid-afternoon the temperature had dropped and the sky was looking pretty grey.

After lunch the trail followed mossy and fern-covered Toquenatch Creek and passed beside the 1000 year old Toquenatch Fir before crossing another road to start our final section for the day, the Marathon Trail. This trail wound through dense second growth forest and passed the junction with the Trinket trail (where apparently people leave toys on branches in the forest). The trail then steeply climbed a ridge before descending (finally!) to Rieveley’s Pond where there is another shelter. We opted not to take the side trail to Gibraltar Bluff as we were tired, it was cold and the weather was rather grey and gloomy so we didn’t think we would have a view – who knows what we missed!

The Rievely’s Pond shelter is set back from a small pond and we were serenaded by a frog symphony all through dinner and dishes. As the sun set it started to rain and the sound of the rain on the metal shelter roof mixed with the song of the frogs as we headed to bed.

The next morning my friend A and I got up before everyone else, ate a quick breakfast and headed on on the trail while the rest of the group was still getting up: we were the advance troops, the faster hikers tasked with doing the car shuttle and coming back to pick everyone else up in time to get to the ferry. We set off under grey skies thinking it would rain at any moment.

For the first few kilometers we plodded along silently in the thick second growth forest, but before long we were crossing the bridge over Appleton creek and entering the Appleton Canyon section of the trail. In this section the trail follows the steep walls of the canyon, dipping down to the side of the river every so often. The most spectacular part was the viewpoint of Gorge Falls. That is where our group’s plan to send A and I ahead hit a snag – we were also the two most avid photographers on the trip and we spent a good amount of time at the falls frantically taking photos as fast as we could (and fighting with misty lenses).

After the Appleton Canyon section we crossed another road, then headed into the Sliammon Lakes section of the trail where the sun came out and it warmed up. We passed by three lakes, Theyeth Lake, Sliammon Lake and Little Sliammon Lake. The trail in this section was a bit more technical than some of the other sections with lots of rooty sections, ups and downs and twists and turns.  We’d go from a viewpoint of a lake up on a bluff, down to lakeside, then back up again.  At the end of Little Sliammon Lake we came upon the Shangri-La campsite complete with a dock and a canoe.  The lake was still, the sun was shining, but we didn’t have time to paddle the canoe… we had to go shuttle the cars or we’d miss the ferry! Sad face.

After leaving the lake we walked beside and then through our final clearcut of the trip before doing another kilometer in dark second growth forest. The trail then turned on to an old forest road for a few hundred meters down to where we had parked one of our cars. We threw our packs in the car, sped off down to Lund, picked up the other car, and drove back to the trailhead, all in less than an hour.  After the rest of the group showed up we headed into Powell River for a quick lunch before heading to the first of our two ferries back to Vancouver.

While the two ferries and twisty roads make it a hassle to get to the Sunshine Coast, the views from the ferries kind of make up for it.

If You Go:

You can find lots of info including maps on the Sunshine Coast Trail website and they also post trail conditions updates on their Facebook page. There is also lots of info including detailed trail descriptions in the only guide book to the trail, The Sunshine Coast Trail: Hut to Hut Hiking by Eagle Walz.

There are no fees to hike the trail or stay in the huts. As well, no reservations are required and you don’t have to register anywhere. (All huts and campsite are first come, first served.) But the local trail society has worked hard to build and maintain the trail using only donations and volunteer labour so if you hike the trail please consider donating.

It is worth noting that many of the huts on the trail (including the two that we stayed in) are more shelter than hut: they are open (or partially open) to the elements downstairs and then have an enclosed loft for sleeping.  The sleeping lofts are not insulated at all and are not bug proof.

The Manzanita Bluff hut sleeps about 12 people and the downstairs area has a wooden floor that could accommodate more people.  The Rievely’s Pond hut only sleeps 8 and has a dirt floor downstairs.  The Manzanita Bluff hut area has one or two small tent sites nearby. The Rieveley’s Pond hut has two or three tent sites. The trail is billed as a hut-to-hut hike, but since the huts can fill up, are often not insulated or bugproof and are about 15 to 20km apart (too far for many novice backpackers) you may want to carry a tent anyway.  Some of our group carried tents.  I carried a tarp for an emergency shelter.

As well, none of the huts or campsites that we saw had a bear locker or bear pole so you’ll need to bring your own cord and know how to make a bear hang. Read up on bear safety before you go.

Some of the huts (including the Manzanita Bluff hut) don’t have a nearby water source so you’ll need to plan ahead to bring your own water.

Keep in mind travel time to the Powell River area can be long as it requires two ferries with schedules that don’t line up so plan carefully.

Overall, this section of the Sunshine Coast Trail was a great three day shoulder season trip, made even sweeter by being able to stay in huts and not have to carry a tent. For me the highlights were the views from Manzanita Bluff and the Appleton Canyon section. The rest of the trail was pretty enough, but not very spectacular.  I’m curious to see how the rest of the trail is and want to return to hike some more sections hut-to-hut. Do you have questions about the Sunshine Coast Trail? Ask me about it in the comments.

More Sunshine Coast Posts:

• 21 Best Hikes on the Sunshine Coast, BC
• The Best Things to do on the Sunshine Coast, BC
• Langdale Falls Hike on the Sunshine Coast, BC
• Soames Hill Hike on the Sunshine Coast, BC
• Cliff Gilker Park Hike on the Sunshine Coast, BC
• Skookumchuck Narrows Hike on the Sunshine Coast, BC
• How to Snowshoe and Ski at Dakota Ridge on the Sunshine Coast, BC
• Biking the Sunshine Coast via My Five Acres.

The post Backpacking Manzanita Bluff and Rievely’s Pond on the Sunshine Coast Trail appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

This is a sensitive wilderness area. Learn how to Leave No Trace to keep the wilderness wild. Make sure you are prepared by bringing the 10 Essentials. Get ready for adventure with this checklist of things to do before every hike.

I hiked the trail on a misty day in February.  The trip starts off with a ten minute ride on a water taxi through a maze of small islands, sand bars and channels.  Our water taxi driver told us about the history of the trail and even stopped the boat so we could gawk at an eagle couple hanging out at their nest.

It was high tide when we arrived so our driver dropped us off directly on a rock outcropping as the dock where they usually drop off was swamped by the winter tides.  We clambered off the boat, onto the rock then up into the forest where the axe hewn cedar board walk began.

We followed the winding boardwalk through the rainforest with towering trees all around us until we came to the first of many giant cedars.  Some of the trees had carved placards with the name of the trees (like Cedar of Life or Hanging Garden Tree) but most did not.  The trees were so tall and so broad, so old and so gnarled that they made us feel so small.

We continued along the boardwalk on the well-travelled portion of the trail until we reached the Hanging Garden Tree.  This is where many visitors turn around but we wanted to hike the entire loop so we followed the flagging around the corner on to the less-visited part of the trail where the trail maintenance ends and the mud begins!  This portion of the trail cuts inland across the small peninsula  following an old pipe line (I’m not sure what the pipe was for) to make a loop hike. It was much less scenic with no big tree sand was not really maintained so it was VERY muddy – boot sucking muddy.

After nearly a kilometer of the rough inland trail, we finally reached the other side of the peninsula and took a side trail down to the beach.  We took a break to eat lunch and enjoy the views of the surrounding small islands.  At low tide this area is a tidal mud flat, but the tide was still quite high when we were there.

After our lunch break we headed back into the forest to walk the last kilometer or so back to the dock to meet our water taxi.  This section of the trail didn’t have any boardwalk but was much less muddy.  It weaved in and out of salal thickets with a few big cedars along the way.

Before long we were back at the dock. Thankfully the tide had gone out and it was usable.  Within a few minutes our water taxi picked us up and were zooming in between islets back to Tofino.

If You Go:

You can find an excellent overview of the Big Tree Trail with trail directions on Tofino Trails.  The trail is only about 3 kilometers long but takes most people about 2 hours to hike.  With lots of photo breaks, some slow travel while trying not to get stuck in the mud and a lunch break, we spent close to 3 hours on the island.

The first section of the trail with boardwalk is very easy to follow but once you reach the Hanging Garden tree there are many side trails and it can get a bit confusing.  Follow the flagging tape to the “End of Managed Trail” sign, then keep following it on the muddy trail across the peninsula to the beach – once you get on the muddy trail it’s fairly straight forward.  Just before the beach you’ll see a sign pointing right that says “boat dock” or something like that and as long as you keep following the flagging tape, you’ll end up back at the beginning of the loop.

To get to the trailhead you’ll need to take a boat.  You can rent a kayak in town or hire a water taxi.  All of the water taxis or boat tour operators in town seem to charge $30/person round trip (as of February 2016) and $5 of that goes to the First Nation group that maintains the trail.  There is cell service on most of the trail (the part along the coast has good reception – the rest not so much).  We were able to call our water taxi part way through the hike and tell them we wanted more time on the island, then call them again from the dock to request a pick up.

This hike is quite muddy so you’ll want good waterproof boots.  Don’t forget your camera of course! If you have a wide angle lens you it will be easier to fit more of the trees into the frame – I brought a small wide angle attachment lens for my iPhone on this trip and several of the images you see above were shot with that lens.

Looking for other coastal or big tree hikes in BC? Check out these trails:

Four Outdoor Adventures on Galiano Island

Sunshine on the Edge of the World: Nootka Trail Trip Report

Walk the Wildside Trail on Flores Island: Trip Report and Backpacking Trip Guide

Coastal Hiking in Vancouver

Kennedy Falls and the Big Cedar

The post Hiking the Big Tree Trail on Meares Island appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

Hey there: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. Thanks for supporting my website! -Taryn

Hiking at Montague Harbour Provincial Park

The hike around the Gray Peninsula in Montague Harbour Provincial Park is the easiest and most laid-back hike on Galiano.  It is also the prettiest.  The hike starts and finishes at the main picnic area parking lot and loops around the headlands and beaches of the Gray peninsula. If the tide is out you can forgo the trail almost entirely and walk on the beaches.

This shorter trail is only 2km long but can take up to an hour to walk as you’ll want to stop along the way to snap photos and take in the views of Montague Harbour, nearby Parker Island, and Saltspring Island across the channel. I also have it on good authority (from my sister) that this is the best place on the island to watch the sunset. I have to agree: it was spectacular.

Hiking the Bodega Ridge Trail

This trail isn’t by the ocean. Instead you’ll spend the whole hike walking along the spine of Galiano Island in Bodega Ridge Provincial Park. The trail follows the ridge top from southern the trailhead at the end of Cottage Way north to another trailhead on Manastee Road near the Bodega Ridge resort, a total distance of about 8km but reportedly the northern section is a bit overgrown and has no views. Therefore the best way to do this hike is to do a quick out and back hike from the Cottage way trailhead, covering about 5km total distance.  After a short stretch of hiking in the trees for about half a kilometer you’ll emerge at the cliff edge with panoramic views to the west across to Wallace Island, Saltspring Island and the mountains of Vancouver Island.

The path follows the cliff for another couple of kilometers, ducking in and out of groves of arbutus trees and manzanita bushes as you get more views to the north as well.  Turn around whenever you’ve had enough, or when the trail starts to go sharply downhill.

Hiking to the Summit of Mount Galiano

Fittingly the highest point on Galiano Island is Mount Galiano, standing tall at a whole 311 meters high! The hike up to the top follows locally maintained trails and some forest roads and has nothing special to see, but that’s not why you hike here. You hike here for the spectacular view! You emerge from the trees onto an open bluff with a little grove of Garry Oaks and an incredible view down to the ferries doing tight turns to get through Active Pass.

It’s a great spot to bring a picnic lunch. The hike is about 6km round trip and gains about 250m in elevation so it’s a steady climb uphill but never exceptionally steep.  There are four different trailheads but they all meet up and share the same trail to the top and all junctions have little laminated signs. I like the Alistair Ross trail from Georgeson Road since it has the easiest parking and it isn’t too steep.

Biking the Length of the Island

All of the Gulf Islands are a road cyclists dream: good pavement, little traffic and lots of good views.  The only downsides are the hills (so many little hills) and the lack of shoulder. But if you are in reasonable shape, you’ll do fine.  Since Galiano is a long and narrow island the only logical route is to cycle from the ferry terminal in the south to the end of the paved road in the north, and then back, covering about 50 scenic kilometers along the way.  On the weekends you can probably time the morning and early evening ferries so that you can do this as a day trip and avoid bringing your car but it’s also a great outing if you are staying the night on the island.  The nicest biking on Galiano is the 10 or so kilometers at the northern end of the island which are mostly flat and often have views of the ocean.

There are a couple of great places to stop along the way including a few marked beach access trails down to pocket coves, the Lover’s Leap roadside viewpoint, a cairn marking the 49th parallel and the Tapovan Sri Chinmoy Peace Park which has walking trails and an outhouse (the only public washroom on the route).

These are just some of the most popular outdoor adventures on Galiano – my sister tells me there are many more so I’ll just have to go back and see.  Have you hiked on the Gulf Islands? Tell me about it in the comments.

Read Next

Hiking the Big Tree Trail on Meares Island

Birds and Biking in Ladner

Coastal Hiking in Vancouver

The post Four Outdoor Adventures on Galiano Island appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

Did you know you can go coastal hiking in Vancouver?  It’s true!  And actually there are a few of them.  In Vancouver we do most of our hiking in the mountains and the rainforest.  But if you want a different kind of hike, try one that’s coastal.  Here are my top picks for coastal hikes in Metro Vancouver.  Unlike the West Coast trail, none of these are very long or very challenging, but they will give you a taste of coastal hiking.  To approximate the real experience, pack along a small backpacking stove and make yourself a hot lunch or cup of tea in  a pocket cove.  Bonus points if you do it in the pouring rain.

This is a sensitive wilderness area. Learn how to Leave No Trace to keep the wilderness wild. Make sure you are prepared by bringing the 10 Essentials. Get ready for adventure with this checklist of things to do before every hike.

Admiralty Point Trail, Belcarra Regional Park

The Admiralty Point Trail is only six kilometres long but it provides some classic coastal scenery: It travels through tall mossy forests.  The trail that transitions from bluffs to waterside over and over, allowing you a variety of peek-a-boo view of the water.  And there are numerous side trails (both official and unofficial) to rocky outcrops with sweeping views and tiny pocket coves to explore.  You won’t gaze out into the wild Pacific Ocean here.  Instead you’ll see Vancouver’s suburbs from an unusual vantage point:  Look across the water to the houses of Deep Cove, the Second Narrows Bridge, Burnaby Mountain and down the Inlet to Port Moody.

If you go:

The trailhead is at the south east corner of Belcarra Picnic Area in Belcarra Regional Park.  The trail is about 6km long with some ups and downs but no real elevation change.  The trail surface is fairly flat with few rocks so it is an easy walk.  Be sure to take the marked side trails to Cod Rock, Admiralty Point and Whiteshell Bank and to continue on the extra kilometre past Admiralty to the trails end at Burns Point to get the best viewpoints.  This park can be very busy on sunny days so try to head here outside of the summer months since the trip is just as beautiful in the rain or fog (and possibly more authentic for coastal hiking too!)  If this hike isn’t long enough you can also throw in the nearby 5 kilometre long Jug Island Beach Trail.  It’s a forest walk along a ridge that ends at a pretty pocket beach with views of Deep Cove.

Lighthouse Park Loop, West Vancouver

Lighthouse Park is a great place to experience some varied coast terrain.  It has steep, rocky and muddy trails that lead to granite cliffs, little beaches and some great views.  The best bang for your buck at Lighthouse is to make a loop around the whole park.  Start with the Juniper Loop trail at the far northwest end of the parking area.  Then just keep turning going towards the coast and make every right turn you see.  You’ll weave together a loop of several trails and visit many viewpoints and beaches.  In places the trails are hemmed in by hedges of head-high salal bushes – just like sections of the West Coast trail.

Lighthouse Park is really beautiful, but has lots of moderate trails. I named it one of the best easy hikes in Vancouver. And everyone else loves it too: it’s one of Vancouver’s most Instagrammed hikes.

If you go:

Lighthouse Park is on Marine Drive in West Vancouver.  Be sure to bring a copy of the Trail Map with you as there are many junctions and it can get confusing.  The longest possible loop (shown on my map, below) is about 6km long but you can make your own shorter variations if you like.  The trail in Lighthouse Park are rocky, rooty and muddy and often steep.  As well, there is a photo opportunity around every bend so hiking in this park often takes much longer than you’d think.  There are countless side trails to viewpoints, but my favourites (and the ones you shouldn’t miss) are Shore Pine Point for views of Bowen Island and UBC, West Beach for views of the famous Lighthouse, and pretty little Starboat Cove for a great place to hang out and take a break.  The trails on the eastern side of the park are far less visited and much more rugged.

Foreshore Trail, Pacific Spirit Park

The Foreshore Trail in Pacific Spirit Park isn’t always a trail, and that’s what makes it exciting.  The trail is actually a collection of pieces of trail, strung together with sections of beach walking that can get a little interesting when winter storms wash in big pieces of driftwood that you’ll have to clamber over.  The route follows the coastal cliffs from Spanish Banks, around Point Grey via Acadia Beach and Tower Beach before ending at Wreck Beach (a nudist beach).  Besides the odd fishing boat going by, there isn’t anything to suggest that you are in the middle of a large city – the views are mostly of far away forested mountains and of open ocean.  For me, this is the most “authentic” coastal hike of the three since the views are mostly of the ocean and there is no real trail, just like the beaches of the West Coast trail.  There are also some interesting WWII gun tower sites along the way (although now they mostly provide a canvas for some very talented graffiti artists).

 If You Go:

Park at the far west parking lot at Spanish Banks Beach.  Take the shore trail west along the beach until it ends – you’ll be walking right on the beach for the rest of your trip.  Your route is at the base of the cliffs and except for a few beach access trails, there is no escape from the rising tides.  I must stress that this hike can only be undertaken at low tides.  Consult the tide table and plan accordingly.  Hike only at time when the tide is falling to give yourself plenty of time to complete the hike.  Even at low tide there can be tide pools and outlet streams to cross.  Bring waterproof hiking shoes or be prepared to get wet.  Be aware that Wreck Beach is a nudist beach and you may see nude sunbathers along the beach at any time of year when the sun is out.  They are hard core sun-worshippers!

The route from Spanish Banks around to Wreck Beach is 7km return but it is possible to continue past Wreck Beach along the North Arm of the Fraser River to trail 7.  This adds 3km (return) to your trip but this section of the trail is very muddy so it’s not recommended.  Instead of turning around and heading back the way you came at Wreck Beach, another option is to go up the stairs on Trail 6 into the UBC campus.  Cut across campus to the East and pick up the Pacific Spirit Park trail system going north to return to your car at Spanish Beach.  A trail map is essential for this option and it will only add another 1.5 kilometres to your trip.

Have you done any coastal hiking in Vancouver?  Did I miss any others on my list?  Tell me in the comments.

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