Access: Click for details on Getting to Buntzen Lake.

Level: Difficult

Distance: 6 km

Time: 3 hr

Elevation Change: 150 m

Season: April – November

Map: 92 G/7

Multiple-Use: Open to Mountain Bikes, Horses and Hikers

This and the following trails provide a network for horse and bike riders to loop around Buntzen Lake. The Lakeview Trail connects Pumphouse Road to the Old Buntzen Lake Trail following the rugged ridge above Buntzen Lake’s western shore.

Buntzen Lake: Dilly Dally Loop <<->> Buntzen Lake: Academy Trail

Access: Click for details on Getting to Buntzen Lake.

Level: Difficult

Distance: 25 km

Time: 11 hr

Elevation Change: 1050 m

Season: July – October

Map: 92 G/7

Multiple-Use: Open to Mountain Bikes and Hikers Only

You won’t want to dilly dally on the Dilly Dally trail. This route is a continuation of the previous two hikes and is only recommended for the most experienced hikers. Instead of following Trout Creek down to Swan Falls and the valley bottom you’ll want to continue along Eagle Ridge to a small prominence locally known as Dilly Dally Peak. After slogging uphill most of the day you’ll finally begin losing altitude quickly after passing the peak.

Soon the footpath will become an old, overgrown logging road. Needless to say the landscape still bears the scars of unenlightened logging practices. On the plus side however this route provides a number of vantage points overlooking Indian Arm. Croker Lookout in particular offers unimpeded views of the inlet below. Like the previous hike this route will eventually merge into Powerhouse Road which will take you back to South Beach where you started.

Buntzen Lake: Swan Falls Loop <<->> Buntzen Lake: Lakeview Trail

Access: Click for details on Getting to Buntzen Lake.

Level: Difficult

Distance: 20 km

Time: 9 hr

Elevation Change: 1050 m

Season: July – October

Map: 92 G/7

Multiple-Use: Open to Mountain Bikes and Hikers Only

This trail is a continuation of the previous one. Instead of looping back at Lindsay Lake, continue northward along the ridge to Eagle Peak. Also known as Mount Beautiful, the summit offers a spectacular panorama in all directions. Beyond the peak the route is somewhat less well-defined, becoming very steep and slippery as it drops back down into the valley bottom at the Swan Falls Junction.

Old Man’s Beard: Heavy lichen growth, one sign of a mature forest, provide an important source of winter browse for ungulates such as deer.

This section of trail parallels Trout Creek until it intersects Powerhouse Road just fifteen minutes after reaching Swan Falls itself. If time is a concern Powerhouse Road is the fastest route back to South Beach. Buntzen Lake Trail, though longer, is without a doubt much more scenic.

Buntzen Lake: Lindsay Lake Loop <<->> Buntzen Lake: Dilly Dally Loop

Access: Click for details on Getting to Buntzen Lake.

Level: Challenging

Distance: 7 km

Time: 6 hr

Elevation Change: 460 m

Season: April – November

Map: 92 G/7

Multiple-Use: Closed to Mountain Bikes and Horses

As the name suggests you’ll encounter ten viewpoints as you follow this trail along the ridgeline from South Beach to North Beach. On a clear day you’ll be rewarded with great views of Indian Arm, Burrard Inlet and Vancouver beyond.

Rainforest ferns find hospitable habitat in the thick mossy growth of a maple tree.

The trail is a bit rough in some areas. Return to South Beach via the Powerhouse Road or the Buntzen Lake Trail. Be sure to check out the intake tunnel at North Beach that drops water from neighboring Coquitlam Lake into the Buntzen Reservoir.

Buntzen Lake Trail <<->> Buntzen Lake: Lindsay Lake Loop

Access: Click for details on Getting to Buntzen Lake.

Level: Moderate

Distance: 8 km

Time: 4 hr

Elevation Change: 100 m

Season: Year Round

Map: 92 G/7

Multiple-Use: Closed to Mountain Bikes and Horses

Buntzen Lake Trail: This well-traveled trail winds around the lakeshore offering many access points for fishermen. Though somewhat long, Buntzen Lake Trail is relatively flat and well-maintained, making it ideal for a family outing. The slough at the south end of the lake is a great location for bird watching.

Buntzen Lake: Energy Trail <<->> Buntzen Lake: Diez Vistas Trail

Access: Click for details on Getting to Buntzen Lake.

Level: Easy

Distance: 1 km

Time: 20 min

Elevation Change: 15 m

Season: Year Round

Map: 92 G/7

Multiple-Use: Closed to Mountain Bikes and Horses

You won’t need much energy to undertake the Energy Trail. Interpretive information on local floral and fauna is the highlight of this pleasant amble.

Buntzen Lake Introduction <<->> Buntzen Lake Trail

Access: Click for details on Getting to Buntzen Lake.

Level: Challenging

Distance: 15 km

Time: 7 hr

Elevation Change: 1020 m

Season: June – October

Map: 92 G/7

Multiple-Use: Open to Mountain Bikes and Hikers Only

Popular Lindsay Lake Loop follows Buntzen Creek up to Eagle Ridge and along the ridgeline to Lindsay Lake. As you reach high ground you’ll come to a fork in the trail called El Paso.

Things are looking up: Century old red cedar stumps, many hosting a new generation, bear the scars of springboard logging throughout the Buntzen Lake area. This shot was taken from inside a giant hollow stump.

Take the left fork through old-growth forest past five different westward facing viewpoints. At Lindsay Lake the trail loops back following a different route through a sprinkling of mountain tarns. At El Paso once again you’ll regain the main route back to the park.

Buntzen Lake: Diez Vistas Trail <<->> Buntzen Lake: Swan Falls Loop

Level: Easy; A Variety of Short Trails

Elevation: Negligible

Season: Year Round

Access:Take the #250 Horseshoe Bay bus as far as aptly named Beacon Lane. [Click for details on Getting to Horseshoe Bay] Outbound buses from Vancouver, should pass a fire station and small shopping plaza on the right side of the road just before the Lighthouse Park site. If new to the area ask the driver to call out the stop. Do not take the #257 Horseshoe Bay Express bus. Lighthouse Park is not a hike in the strictest sense. Rather it is a network of short, interconnected forest paths that provide enough hiking to last for hours. Getting there is easy and takes just 40 minutes on a good day. After getting off the bus carefully cross busy Marine Drive and follow the lane down to the end. Before plunging into the forest on one of the many trails grab a brochure entitled “Self-Guiding Trail” at the information signboard. Produced by the District of West Vancouver, this unpretentious pamphlet provides an excellent introduction to coastal rainforest flora. The trail it documents starts just beyond the gate and leads down to Starboat Cove. Included are seven points of interest for would-be naturalists.

The centerpiece of the park is, of course, the Point Atkinson Lighthouse. This structure was built in 1912 though the park dates to 1881 when the Government of Canada set aside 73 hectares of forest to act as a dark backdrop to the original tower. The light and foghorn are still important navigational aids for mariners plying the coastal waters around Vancouver.

Point Atkinson Lighthouse overlooking the Strait of Georgia

Out of the practical concerns for illumination the government inadvertently set aside the lower mainland’s largest single collection of ancient trees. While the entire North Shore was being systematically denuded at the beginning of the 20th century, the lofty ancients of Lighthouse Park continued to thrive relatively unmolested as they had for century upon century. Randy Stoltmann, in his definitive Hiking Guide to the Big Trees of Southwestern British Columbia, has identified a dozen notable groves or single trees, primarily Douglas fir, in the park. Most extend well over 60 metres high and some boast bark that is more than 30 cm thick.

Near the water’s edge look for bald eagles and their nests in the 400-year-old Douglas fir and cedar trees. These ancient evergreens provide the perfect vantage for bald eagles with an eye for salmon supper.

While exploring this tiny rain forest jewel you’ll encounter high rocky bluffs overlooking the sea. On one of these basalt outcroppings you’ll notice a large cement bunker with rusty doors. This former gun emplacement was built during World War II in preparation for the Japanese attack which never came. Though of little strategic importance now, the bluffs of Lighthouse Park provide a panorama extending from Lion’s Gate Bridge and Stanley Park to the east through Spanish Banks and Point Grey to the south and on to Bowen Island in the west.

Lighthouse Park against a a backdrop of downtown Vancouver and Mt Baker in Washington state.

Just one fifth the size of Vancouver’s world-renowned Stanley Park, Lighthouse Park is an ideal place for a picnic, a stroll or just a quiet moment to breathe in the salt air.

Return to Vancouver by retracing your steps in the opposite direction.

Hiking Checklist <<->> Capilano Canyon

More people get into trouble when day hiking than backpacking, kayaking or any other activity. People head out with the intention of doing a quick hike then returning to the city. They travel light but by doing so find themselves ill-equipped to handle emergency situations when they arise. When it comes to hiking it seems that a Visa card is the one thing that you can leave home without. The following is a list of essentials which no hiker should ever forget.

Checklist

• Flashlight with fresh batteries. Can be used as a signal at night as well as a source of light.
• Whistle. A whistle can be used to contact rescuers or other hikers across a distant valley even in thick forest cover. Three whistle blasts or three of anything for that matter, including shotgun blasts, signal fires or logs in a triangular pattern, is an international distress signal.
• Waterproof matches AND lighter. A lighter is useless when wet. Keep matches and lighter in a waterproof film container.
• Firestarter or candle can be very helpful getting the fires started during inclement weather. Usually small, dry twigs can be found close to the trunk of small trees. Ostensibly rotten red cedar logs often contain dry, pitch impregnated wood just under the moss and decay. Use a pocketknife to shave thin strips of wood which can be used as firestarter.
• Pocketknife. The uses are manifold.
• A large orange plastic bag can be used as a waterproof sleeping bag and signal flag.
• Water and food. A selection of granola bars, energy bars and the like will go a long way towards reducing the misery of a couple nights in the bush.
• Extra clothes including a wool sweater, long pants but not jeans, waterproof shell with hood or hat. Wool stays warm when wet. Cotton including denim robs the body of heat when wet. Breathable fabrics like gortex are far superior to just a plastic or nylon windbreaker and are priced accordingly. Hypothermia is the enemy.
• First aid kit and first aid course, not in that order.
• Compass, topographical map and the skills to use them.
• Common sense.

Birding <<->> Lighthouse Park

Access: Click for details on Getting to Buntzen Lake.

Buntzen Lake, on the far side of Burrard Inlet, has been an important source of hydroelectric power for the Lower Mainland since 1903. More than a source of power though, Buntzen Lake Reservoir is the centrepiece of a host of recreational activities attracting more than half a million visitors each year. Trout fishing, canoeing, swimming, picnicking, horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking are all popular pursuits in the park.

If trout fishing is your objective Buntzen Lake is well-fished but is well-stocked too. In cooperation with the BC Fish and Wildlife Branch, BC Hydro raises and releases 15-20,000 catchable trout each year. Non-aficionados will be pleased to note that the Anmore General Store at the entrance to the park sells worms, as a limited selection of fishing tackle. Under new management as of 2008, they no longer carry fishing licenses.
Overload: With just 15 centimetres of freeboard and not enough life jackets this canoe is an accident waiting to happen.
Canoes, kayaks and mountain bikes can be rented from the store as well. Drop in to the store to take care of the paperwork and pick up life jackets, paddles and so on. For those who arrive by bus, staff at the store will shuttle you down to South Beach where your boats are waiting.
South Beach, adjacent to the main parking area, is the hub of the more sedate forms of recreation. For that reason South Beach is often as crowded as the city streets left behind on a hot summer day. Hiking and mountain biking trails radiate from the main picnic site. Hikers will be pleased to note that trails in the vicinity are numerous, offering a variety of hiking experiences for all levels of fitness. At the easy end of the scale Buntzen Lake offers everything from a simple lakeside stroll to longer rambles over fairly even terrain.
Hard core hikers won’t be disappointed either. Trails up to and along the ridges surrounding Buntzen Lake can be challenging and even difficult at times. Among them, the popular group of routes known collectively as the Halvor Lunden Eagle Ridge Trail are treated individually in the next few pages. Click “Next” below for the lowdown on individual trails.
For information on Horseback Riding in Buntzen Lake Recreation Area visit this link.
Buntzen Lake Recreation Area closes at dusk. If your group arrived by car be sure you have enough time to complete your hike before the gate is locked. If you arrive by bus keep in mind that the last bus leaves Anmore before 7 pm.

Lowe-Tek <<->> Buntzen Lake: Energy Trail