There are plenty of moderately challenging Vancouver hiking trails to choose from. These are five trails that stand out from the rest. Not too difficult, yet all have sensational views. Hollyburn, Dog Mountain and Mt Seymour are at the end of beautiful drives to reach the trailheads.
Levette Lake is a nice mountain lake located in the enormous Squamish Valley that drains Squamish River into Howe Sound. There are some nice views and minimal elevation gain along the trail. The amazing Tantalus Range and Mount Garibaldi on a sunny day look fantastic from the shores of Levette Lake. There is a nice campground on the shore of the lake that is well laid out and very rustic.
It is located just a couple hundred metres from the parking area at the trailhead. The campground is very basic and quite nice. You won't find signs, garbage bins or any annoying signs of humanity to take away from the wonderful view of the lake and Tantalus Range across the lake.
Camping is pay use at Levette Lake as it is a user maintained, pay use. Operated by Sites & Trails BC, fees are charged from June 1st to Oct 31. The overnight fee is $13 per night, per vehicle or group of 6 people, per site. Free to use outside this time, though snow will likely block access for most in the winter. The campground areas(there are several), consist of about a dozen dirt clearings in the forest. Some large, some small, separated by the natural features of the forest.
There are plenty of seats made out of cut sections of logs and several fire rings left from previous campers. The campsite is surprisingly clean, though that largely depends on the previous group that used the area. There is an outhouse between the parking area and the campsites.
Mystery Lake is an easy, well marked trail that leads to a cute mountain lake that is perfect for relaxing, swimming or having a picnic. It is just 1.5k to the lake and like the rest of Seymour Park, dogs are ...
Mount Elsay is a tough 16 kilometre roundtrip hike that takes you beyond Mount Seymour and the crowds into the desolate backcountry of Mount Seymour Provincial Park. To get to the marked Mount Elsay trail ...
Deeks Peak is at the far north end of the beautiful Howe Sound Crest Trail which runs from Cypress Resort 29k away. The trailhead near Porteau Cove is the access point Deeks Peak and Deeks Lake. It is a ...
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The wonderful Upper Shannon Falls trail is now also called the Sea to Summit trail, branches off from the chaotically popular Stawamus Chief trail. About 15 minutes along the Stawamus Chief trail you will ...
The Chief is the mammoth rock face that towers over Squamish. Though hardly believable from looking at, the summit is an easy two hour hike. In fact there are three peaks, South (First), Centre (Second), and ...