Category Archives: Hiking

Gambier Island: Gambier Lake

Level: Moderate

Distance: 15 km

Time: 6 hr Elevation: 475 m

Season: Year Round

Map: 92 G/6 & 92 G/11

Access: Take the bus to Horseshoe Bay and catch the ferry to Langdale on the Sunshine Coast. Crossing time is 40 minutes. As you step off the loading ramp of the Langdale ferry you’ll find the foot passenger ferry to New Brighton immediately on your right. Since this ferry services both Gambier Island and Keats Island make sure you get on the correct sailing.

Gambierians are a straightforward lot and the naming conventions on the sparsely populated island certainly substantiate that. From the Gambier Island General Store take the left fork and begin climbing the dusty road. Within a few minutes pass by an old farm called plainly, “The Farm” where presumably farmers do – what else? – farming. The next two kilometres continue upwards through a new subdivision that is gradually being sold off and developed. The road levels out just before reaching an intersection where a hand-painted sign, partly obscured by a stand of young alders, indicates with typical economy of expression that “Lake” lies along the left fork. Simply put, from The Ferry follow The Road past The Store and The Farm to The Lake. There may be little need for adjectives when you only have one of everything.

A tired hiker warms up in a pool of sunshine on the route to Gambier Lake.

The oiled road soon gives way to a rougher forest access road that plunges down through a cool, dark forest of mature second growth that is most welcome on a hot day. Moss and mushrooms flourish everywhere in the deep forest gloom, scenery befitting an Emily Carr epiphany. At the next intersection stay left as well and note the dark green marker high on a tree. This is the colour of the day and following these infrequent signs will lead you safely to your destination. Suddenly the forest opens up as your pass across the top of an old clear-cut. Note Mount Elphinstone in the distance and the single giant Douglas fir that dominates the view here.

The Kindest Cut: Venerable Sir Douglas towers above everything en route to Gambier Lake, including, it seems, the sun. The lord of the forest received a gash, then a reprieve from the bite of the cross-cut saw

As the sign succinctly says Sir Douglas was given an undercut, what loggers use to aim a tree when they fall it, in 1894. For some reason however this tree then received a reprieve and the wedge-shaped cut-out was stuffed back into the gash. Over the ensuing century the wound healed though a pitchy scar can be clearly discerned even today. Likely the tree was left behind as a seed tree, one of the earliest “silvacultural” techniques practised in the province.

From the logging clear-cut the road drops down past another left fork to the bridge across Mannion Creek. The next road to the right is marked with all sorts of orange and blue ribbons and spray paint and can be safely ignored. Just beyond it another well-marked though unnamed right turn leads on to Mount Liddell and Gambier Lake. If running out of steam go straight for one kilometre instead, descending steeply to reach the saltwater at Andys Bay.

The route to Gambier Lake follows a deteriorating logging road to one further intersection. The left fork extends on to Mount Liddell but hang a right instead and rise to the headwaters of Mannion Creek before dropping down to The Lake itself.

If more interested in scenic vistas than forest understory follow the left fork instead and climb past tiny Muskeg Lake working northwards around the base of Mount Liddell before doubling back up to the summit. The ascent to 993 metres is more than compensated for by the view overlooking the mountains of both the Sechelt Peninsula and the Sea to Sky corridor to the east.

Canoeing <<->> Cave Exploring

Hiking

Bowen Island: Mount Gardner Trail

Access: See Introduction

Level: Challenging

Distance: 17 km

Time: 6.5 hr

Elevation Change: 756 m

Map: 92 G/6

Season: Year Round

The easiest way to reach the trailhead to Mount Gardner is go straight up Government Road from the ferry dock turning right onto Mount Gardner Road near the Bowen Island Community School. Continue past the recycling depot to the Killarney Lake Picnic Area. A more attractive but roundabout route would be to follow the previous hike as far as the picnic area at the outfall of Killarney Lake.

From the dam either stay on the road or follow the lakeside in a clockwise direction to where a gravel bar allows unimpeded access to the lakeshore. Cross the bridge here and look for a trail leading left, away from the lake. Upon reaching Mount Gardner Road turn right and walk as far as the next road on the left. The paved road changes names at this point with Mount Gardner Road continuing uphill as a gravel road. If hiking in a hurry or on a mountain bike stay with the secondary road to reach the summit in record time.

Looking back from Artisan Lane above Mt Gardner Road reveals an exquisite panorama overlooking Snug Cove

For a more pleasant hiking experience however, climb Mount Gardner Road for 20 minutes or so to just beyond the gate which blocks public vehicle access. A short distance further on, clearly-marked Skid Trail leads off to the left dropping down at first to a creek crossing then up again. The route is decidedly up for the next half-hour before branching into two trails. The right fork leads back to Mount Gardner access road while the left fork, now called Short Cut, stays with the forest. Take the short cut, bearing left when you reach Mount Gardner South Trail. As you might expect the access road lies to the right. Forty minutes further on bear right and continue climbing through the steep switchbacks of the Old Trail. Head first to the 756-metre South Peak, just to say you did it, then cut over to North Peak for a panorama overlooking Howe Sound. The lower North Peak is topped with a microwave transmission site.Return via Mount Gardner North Trail for more views of Keats Island and the Sechelt Peninsula beyond it. To avoid retracing your steps descend the mountain over either the Bluewater Trail or Bowen Bay Trail. A rudimentary bus service operates hourly during morning and evening rush hours Monday to Friday. If able to reach Bowen Bay Road between 4 and 6 pm plan on the flagging down the bus. Expect the bus across the road from the foot of Bowen Bay Trail at about 20 minutes after the hour. Get a transfer as it is usable throughout the TransLink system of the Lower Mainland.

Bowen Island: Killarney Lake <<->> Gambier Island (Halkett Bay)

Hiking

Bowen Island: Killarney Lake

Access: See Introduction

Level: Easy

Distance: 8 km

Time: 2½ hr

Elevation Change: Negligible

Map: 92 G/6

Season: Year Round

After disembarking from the ferry go straight up Government Road to Gardena Drive on the right. The historic Union Steamship Company Store here, dating from 1924, now houses government offices. The mock Tudor structure was once the centrepiece of a private resort boasting campgrounds, 180 cottages and a dance pavilion capable of accommodating more than 800 revellers. The concept of “camping” has certainly changed since the “good old days.”

The entrance to Crippen Regional Park is just beyond the store. Follow Maple Trail, to the left of the park entrance, but first you may wish to explore the Lagoon or the Causeway. The latter provides picture-perfect views of the mountains above Howe Sound on clear day. After a few minutes Maple Trail will merge into the Hatchery Trail from which both Bridal Veil Falls and a complex network of fish ladders can be seen. Look for spawning coho salmon in the creek every October and November.

Each autumn look for coho salmon returning to Killarney Creek at trailside.

Cross Millers Landing Road to continue through forest along the Hatchery Trail or turn right, following the road a couple hundred metres to find the start of the Killarney Creek Trail. Trails are well-marked throughout Crippen Regional Park. The Hatchery Trail is less direct, following the course of Terminal Creek past a huge, hollowed-out cedar snag before intersecting Meadow Trail. A left then leads to tiny Terminal Creek Hatchery itself while a right leads past an equestrian corral, through an open field dominated by thistles to meet up with Killarney Creek Trail beyond.

Take a left onto Killarney Creek Trail and continue through a stand of towering alder. Soon the trail will split but it matters little which branch you take. This explanation will take the counter-clockwise route around Killarney Lake. Both the Hatchery Trail and Killarney Lake Loop Trail are closed to mountain bike and equestrian users due to the fragile nature of the terrain.

Originally dammed to create a catch-basin for drinking water, marshy Killarney Lake now provides significant habitat for a variety of waterfowl, lesser creatures and their predators. Much of the foreshore is blanketed with lily pads. Watch for tiny insect-chomping sundew plants at the edge of the bog as well. About 1½ km into the loop you’ll find a small viewpoint overlooking some swampy sections of the shore. Half a kilometre onward is a boardwalk at the head of the lake: halfway point of the 4-km loop and the perfect place for lunch.

Back in the forest, you’ll encounter another boardwalk and a viewpoint before reaching the dam and picnic area at the end of the trail. You can return to the ferry the way you came or follow Mount Gardner Road directly downhill [left from the lake] to complete the circuit.

Bowen Island: Dorman Point Trail <<->> Bowen Island: Mount Gardner Trail

Hiking

Bowen Island: Dorman Point Trail

Access: See Introduction

Level: Easy

Distance: 4 km

Time: 1½ hr

Elevation Change: 50 m

Map: 92 G/6

Season: Year Round

Aim for the Snug Cove Picnic Area at the head of the bay upon reaching shore. Access is just up Government Road on the left, behind a number of small shops.

Ferry rounding Dorman Point as it enters Snug Cove out of a fog bank

Dorman Point Trail continues past the picnic tables leading steeply up to a rocky bluff just 2 km away. Whytecliffe Park directly across on the mainland and the University Endowment Lands in the distance should be visible when weather conditions allow. Return the same way you came or take Robinson Road and Dorman Road to add some variation to the walk.

Bowen Island: Intro and Access <<->> Bowen Island: Killarney Lake

Hiking

Bowen Island: Intro and Access

Access: To reach Bowen Island first grab a bus bound for Horseshoe Bay. At the end of the line follow the crowds into the ferry terminal. The ferry crossing takes just 20 minutes and return fare is included in the ticket price.

In addition to hourly service by BC Ferries, Bowen Island is also serviced by water taxi. Call Cormorant Marine at 604-947-2243 or 604-250-2630.

For those who are in a hurry to relax contact Bowen Taxi at 604-947-0000.

Translink is now supporting a rudimentary bus service on the island during peak hours. All buses are equipped with bike-racks. More information about the Bowen Island Community Shuttle can be had by calling 604-947-0229.

Visiting Bowen Island is always a treat. This funky little community on the edge of West Vancouver is not a suburb nor is it a rural backwater like many of the Gulf Islands. Just 3,000 full time residents call this 5260-hectare rock home. In addition to kayaking opportunities which are detailed in the Sea Kayaking Section, Bowen Island offers three pleasant hikes. All start from the ferry terminal and all are accessible most of the year. If lucky, you’ll miss a ferry or two after the hike and – shucks! – have to do some carbo-loading in the Bowen Island Neighbourhood Pub [604-947-2782.] Cappuccino, ice cream and the usual post-hike rewards are also available from the cluster of shops just above the ferry landing.

Capilano Canyon <<->> Bowen Island: Dorman Point Trail

Hiking

Capilano Canyon

Level: Moderate

Distance: 5.9 km

Time: 3 hours

Elevation: 120 m

Season: Year Round

Map: Unnecessary

Access: From downtown Vancouver during peak hours Monday through Saturday hop on the #246 Lonsdale Quay via Highland bus at any of the stops along the north side of West Georgia Street. Stay on the bus until the corner of Capilano Road and Woods Drive in North Vancouver. Do not get off at the corner of Capilano Road and Marine Drive. The driver will usually call out the best place to transfer to the #236 Grouse Mountain bus. Stay on the #236 until at the corner of Clements Road. Capilano Heights Chinese Restaurant on the right side is your cue to get off. Cleveland Dam is directly across the street.

During non-peak hours the #246 bus does not service downtown Vancouver. Take the #240 15th Street bus to the corner of Marine Drive and Capilano Road instead where you can catch the #246 Lonsdale Quay via Highland bus up Capilano Road. Transfer to the #236 as above.

For an alternate route take SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver and board the #236 Grouse Mountain bus. No transfers will be necessary to reach the trailhead described above.

There’s Capilano Canyon, the cheesy tourist trap with the suspension bridge, and then there’s Capilano Canyon as the locals know it. Many locals prefer walking or running the length of the river, exploring the gorge, the surrounding rain forest and the boulder bars further downstream.

This hike starts at Cleveland Dam and follows the river downstream to its mouth. For a better workout undertake the route as described in reverse.

The top of Cleveland Dam is directly across the road from the bus stop. Acrophobics especially have got to check out the spillway. Built in 1954, the dam has created 5.6 kilometre-long Capilano Lake. The reservoir now supplies 40 per cent of the Lower Mainland’s drinking water. Logging in the watershed, and the resulting erosion, is often blamed for Vancouver’s cloudy water.

Doubling back, on the east to side of the dam, you’ll find a staircase leading down to a viewpoint offering excellent views of the spillway and the gorge below. Continue downstream on Palisades Trail to the salmon hatchery where a saga unfolds from midsummer to fall every year.

Fishermen tease spawning salmon to snap at a hook in the canyon just below the hatchery

As Randy Stoltmann points out in his fabulously original book Hiking Guide to the Big Trees of Southwestern British Columbia the parking lot of the hatchery holds natural treasures too including one of the biggest Douglas firs in the lower mainland. This one weighs in at 5.7 metres around and 77 metres tall. At the edge of the canyon in front of the tour bus turnaround a record-sized Pacific yew will also be found. In fact, four out of the province’s five biggest yews are in Capilano Regional Park. Incidentally, yew, which is generally small and uncommon, contains a powerful anticancer agent called taxol. Though hitherto considered a junk species by the forest industry the Pacific yew is now considered a threatened one in some circles. Efforts to synthesize this late-stage treatment for ovarian, breast and a variety of other cancers have thus far proved unsuccessful adding further pressure to this slow-growing conifer. Taxol is rendered from the bark of the Pacific yew with three century-old trees required to extract a single treatment.

Cross the bridge just below the hatchery and turn right. A brief walk leads upstream to the Second Canyon Viewpoint while a side trail will reveal two ancient firs. A few steps further on the aptly-named Grandpa Capilano boasts a 2.4 metre girth. Imagine, this 61 metre monster was just a sprout when Columbus was blundering into the New World half a millennium ago.

Next retrace your steps downstream following Coho Loop as far as the pipe-bridge for another great look at the canyon. Our route remains on the west side however so begin climbing Shinglebolt Trail until you reach Capilano Pacific Trail. There will be no need to change trails from this point forward. Capilano Pacific will soon take you to a viewpoint of the lower canyon, past the barbed wire enclosure of Capilano Suspension Bridge and on to Keith Road for a 20-minute detour under the Upper Levels Highway.

Reaching New Heights: An eagle takes flight after feasting on carrion at the mouth of the Capilano River.

Turn left on Village Walk #3 to regain the trail at the river’s edge. After passing under the bridge at Marine Drive you can amble down to Ambleside Park where the Capilano River empties into Burrard Inlet. A sure sign that the salmon are running is the mob of fisherman silhouetted against the sewage treatment plant below the railroad tracks. Alternately, walk west to Park Royal Shopping Centre to pick up a bus bound for downtown. From the south side of Marine Drive the #250 Vancouver bus or any bus with the numbers #251 #252 #253 or #254 during peak hours will do the job.

Lighthouse Park <<->> Bowen Island: Intro and Access

Hiking