Hiking Mount Harvey
Interactive 3D map of the hike via Relive also available
I completed this hike on October 7, 2020 but didn't post until Feb 2022. I guess I'm a little behind in my site updates. Mount Harvey sits between The Lions and Brunswick Mountain and is a significant peak close to Vancouver. I have been up all three peaks and they are all worth climbing for the stellar views and the challenge. In this post I'll cover part of the route and show some images from the summit No hardcore scrambles but there are technical sections, good boots and decent fitness are necessary. The profile is shown below, with grades in excess of 30% it will give even experience hikers a challenge.
I knew I wanted to hike Harvey when I saw it from the top of Brunswick, seen here (below) looming over the valley.
Harvey, Brunswick, and the Lions can all be accessed via the same trail starting at the end of Sunset Drive in Lions Bay. Parking is limited, get there early and make sure you pay or you will get a ticket. The trail to Brunswick peels off first (to the left), but stay on the trail marked for The Lions/Harvey.
It starts fairly easy, a nice wide trail through the forest.
After a while you will find another set of signs, but these are not as well marked and the trail for Harvey is not that obvious (quality of the photos isn't great either, sorry). Here, the big trail carries on to the right and will take you to the Lions but to the left (and up) you start your climb of Mt. Harvey.
The next while is a fairly steep slog though the forest following what is, at times, a poorly marked trail.
You eventually come out of the timber, trees give way to a meadow.
Views are spectacular, despite still needing to cover some vertical to reach the summit. You get a good view of The Lions, and the peaks beyond.
The summit is spectacular, definitely worth the climb.
A view of Brunswick Mountain, the tallest peak in the region. This angle makes it look relatively tame but the summit is amazing.
A few more images from the summit. It was such a nice day, I didn't want to come back down.
One more shot as I started my descent. The hike took 8 hours start to finish, with at least an hour on the summit to refuel and enjoy the panoramic views.
Hiking Brunswick Mountain
You can download my GPX or KML files for use in your own GPS trackers or mapping tools.
Brunswick Mountain is the tallest peak in the North Shore Mountains at 1788m and has a panoramic view of Howe Sound and other popular peaks including the Lions. My Garmin told me I climbed 1561m over a 17 km round trip with grades over 40%, which made for a long day. The effort is worth it in the end though, it's not often you get to look down on Mt. Harvey, Sky Pilot, the Lions, and everything else around. The hike starts at the end of Sunset Drive in Lions Bay, but there are only a handful of parking spaces and this is the trailhead for several popular hikes. It's pay parking and they will ticket you. Nothing is free these days, not even hiking.
The 2D profile for the hike is shown below. It gets progressively more steep as you go.
The trail gets into dense coastal forest immediately. I took a different route up on the lower slopes than I did coming back (see map above), and it was steeper so I don't necessarily recommend that section of trail. I did find an old truck frame though which is slowly sinking into the forest.
From the initial section of gravel trail you will come to the route marker showing the way to the Lions and to Brunswick. Don't miss the marker otherwise you are climbing the Lions. The way to Brunswick is narrow and over grown, easy to miss. Once on the Brunswick trail you start climbing through the forest with only slugs to see. The trail never seems to end and around every corner is just more of the same. New views at all, you just have to get through it.
As I was hiking I started to encounter fog/clouds and I was worried that the summit might be in cloud cover but I pressed on hoping for the best.
The trees eventually start to thin out but the trail gets even steeper from this point.
After more climbing, you start to see the first views through the trees. You have already gained significant elevation by this point, but there is plenty ahead.
You will come to an intersection with the Howe Sound Crest Trail and there are makers on several trees. You can head left to Brunswick Lake, Hanover Lake, or Deeks Lake. To the right is Mount Harvey, the Lions, and eventually Cypress. Straight ahead (and up) is Brunswick, it should be somewhat obvious at this point.
The trail isn't always obvious, but there are orange markers to help lead the way.
The views are starting to get good though, making the effort easier.
The last section of the climb is steep and sometimes loose.
You will reach a plateau where you can finally see over the mountain, but the true summit is just to the right.
Some views before the final summit push.
The summit is actually three separate peaks. This is peak 1 (which you can see in on the map at the top).
If you want to try and tackle the other two peaks it is possible without any special gear. This view doesn't show it clearly but there is a definite gap between all three peaks with the gap between the first and second being the most tricky. Obviously a mistake here has high consequences so I don't recommend it unless you are comfortable with such hiking.
The gully between the first and second peaks. It's a long way down.
Raven keeping me company.
The approach to the second summit is a bit sketchy. I'm not a fan of heights and I just mad sure not to look down too much.
Once on the second peak, you will find some remnants of a structure that is now a bench. You can see the view back to the first peak here as well.
Final push to the third peak.
The third and what seems like the highest peak of the three. Standing on the highest point in the north shore, which is a very cool feeling.
It's a harsh life for the plants and animals up here.
Hikers on the first peak. Don't want to slip here.
Some final views from the summit, then the long road home.
Mount Harvey in the valley, Lions in the distance, Howe Sound to the right.
Hiking the Hope Lookout Trail
I hiked this with my six year old twins on July 6, 2019 but just posting a few pics now. The trail head starts in Hope, BC and is a short but relatively steep climb to the lookout. You get a nice panoramic view of the town below, it's well worth the effort.
As with some of my previous hikes. You can download my GPX or KML files for use in your own GPS devices.
Here are some images from the trail. High resolution panorama is shown at the end. Click for bigger versions.
I took a series of photos from the top using my high resolution camera (46 megapixel) then stitched the files into a large panorama. The smaller version is shown below, but you can get a much bigger version HERE and zoom in to look around town. I'm not posting the full size file as it's just huge and takes forever to download.
Hiking Cheam Peak in Chilliwack
On Sunday of the August long weekend my brother and I scaled Cheam Peak located just outside Chilliwack, BC. A truly breathtaking hike through alpine meadows towards an unobstructed and panoramic view of the Fraser Valley. The peak is visible as a prominent landmark from the well traveled Trans Canada Highway that will evoke great memories every time I pass by it.
You can see the location of the hike on the map below, or a larger version here. It's just east of Chilliwack but getting to the trail head is no easy feat. It's a one hour drive from Chiliwack following Chilliwack Lake Rd to Foley Creek Forest Service Rd. From there you take Chipmunk Creek Forest Service Rd where you will need a four wheel drive vehicle with reasonable ground clearance. I don't recommend anything less as you are liable to get stuck, break your vehicle, or both.
You can download my GPX or KML files for use in your own GPS trackers or mapping tools.
Here is the hike profile.
Though we had a relatively early start to the day, there were already quite a few cars in the parking area at the top.
The hike starts off with a well marked trail and gradual rise.
As you continue to gain elevation, you catch sight of a peak in the distance. I initially thought this was Cheam but it turns out this is a different peak called Lady Peak. There is a trail to that peak as well and it shares the initial part of the route with Cheam. I'll have to come back to bag that one another day :)
Since much of the elevation gain was on the drive up to the trail head, you are very quickly walking through the upper alpine area. Views are just stunning (click for bigger).
At about the half way mark of the hike, there is a slight detour that will take you to a nice view to the northeast and a look at Jones Lake.
The final stretch is well above the trees, exposed, and when we went quite hot.
Looking back from the rise to the summit.
The final stretch to the summit of Cheam, panoramic views in all directions.
Views from the summit (click for bigger).
Views from the top.
Shots from the way down, just a stellar day for a walk in the mountains.
I'm testing the app Relive which will draw the hike on a 3D map and add photos. It's fun and the result is shown below.
Relive 'Cheam Peak'
You can view some of my other hiking related posts at these links:
- Hike to Saint Marks Summit
- Hiking the Binkert Trail To The Lions
- Lynn Valley Hike – North Vancouver
- Hiking Stawamus Chief South Peak – Squamish, BC
Hike to Saint Marks Summit
I haven't been hiking much this year, such is the life with young twins. I look forward to the day they can join me, but for now the tougher hikes have to be without them. Since it's now fall, I figured this weekend was one of my last chances to get up into the mountains. I decided to try Saint Marks Summit, which is close to Vancouver and only 11km so something I could finish before lunch. I roped my friend Andrew into joining me, and he brought along his great awesome dog Genny. [See previous hikes in Lynn Valley, the Chief, and the Lions.]
The overall route is 11km round trip, and it took us almost exactly two hours to get to the summit. In total, it was a four hour hike with close to 30 minutes at the summit. On a clear day, you may want to spend more time at the top, but as you will see from the photos today was not such a day. Feel free to browse these sites for details on the hike: Trail Peak, Vancouver Trails, Live Trails. The route to Saint Marks is just part of a longer trail called the Howe Sound Crest trail which will take you past the Lions and eventually Porteau Cove.
My map of the route, it is very well marked, look for the signs and the orange trail markers.
You start off in the Cypress Mountain parking lot, head to the far north of the lot and up towards the chair lifts. You will stay to the left and look for a route marker saying "Howe Sound Crest Trail".
For the first half, the trail gains elevation but it's well maintained (and they continue to upgrade this trail).
Eventually though, the upgrades end and the trail becomes more natural.
Can you spot Genny?
After two hours, you reach the summit. From other photos I have seen the view is stunning. For us, we were socked in with heavy cloud cover.
A panorama, iPhone vs Nikon
Not the easiest descent. On the way down we passed a yahoo wearing flip flops! I really couldn't believe he made it as far as he did, and I'm sure his footwear will get destroyed and he will have to complete his journey barefoot. These are the types of people North Shore Search and Rescue have to go pull down off the mountain.
Probably my favorite photo from the trip.
Then the weather started to fog my lens, so I packed it in from that point.
Hiking Stawamus Chief South Peak - Squamish, BC
Last week, I decided to head up to Squamish to hike the south peak of the Stawamus Chief. As with the Lions hike, I'm not going to go into how to get to the trail, etc. There are plenty of sites that can give you good info about the trail: Vancouver Trails, Club Tread, Trail Peak, Live Trails.
I wish I had got a better shot of the rock face, I'll have to do that next time.
This is a very popular hike in the area, expect to see at least a few people on the trail and on all of the peaks. The south peak is the most popular and the shortest hike as well. Middle and north peaks are less popular but still see their fair share of hikers. The Chief is not only popular with hikers, but is also a huge draw for climbers who come to challenge themselves on the granite face. I found this interesting video while writing this post: Patagonia climbing ambassador Sonnie Trotter climbed the first free ascent of Cobra Crack (5.14). Props, that is something that I'll never do.
You start your hike in the campground, nice and easy.
A map and some info before you start the hike.
Also a warning. The trail isn't long (about 6Km round trip) but it is steep and if you are unprepared you can get into trouble. I saw some yahoo going up in flip flops!
The trail is very well maintained. Kudos to the crew that come out to maintain this for the rest of us, very much appreciated.
Sure beats the stair climber at the gym.
Another sign along the route, very easy to follow as long as you pay attention. There are several of these along the way which will guide you to any of the peaks along with some of the other trails available in the area.
The trail is quite steep for most of the route.
Though well maintained, no cake walk and Mr. FlipFlop likely had a fun time in some sections.
The lower part of the hike is in the forest and the shade makes it easier on a hot day. As you get near the summit, you start to see the sun trickle though.
There are a few ladders on the route, don't see that on most hiking trails.
A large overhang looms over the trail.
Warning on the trail. As I said before, the area is popular with climbers so do not throw anything over the edge.
You know you are reaching the summit when the forest gets thin and the rocky soil yields to solid granite.
A chain and ladder help you navigate the grade.
Soon after, you start to get rewarded with some great views.
Don't get distracted though, one wrong step and you are going over the edge.
Now just a scramble to the top.
Tough life for trees that live on the summit.
Once at the summit, you get a beautiful view of Howe Sound and Squamish.
Just like on the Lions hike, this raven took the easy route to the top.
You can also see the middle peak with a few hikers enjoying the view.
Some hikers coming down from the middle peak.
I ventured to the cliff edge, though didn't spend much time there.
Along with my trusty Nikon I brought up my tripod and f-stop Guru backpack. It's a great pack for a day hike with photo gear.
Soon after I arrived, I was joined by a chipmunk.
We became good buddies after I gave him a couple pumpkin seeds from my trail mix.
Got any more???
A few more views from the top. Can anyone tell me the name of the mountain in the background? Please post in the comments. UPDATE: It is Mount Garibaldi (thanks Jesse).
Me wrecking a perfectly good shot.
A good spot for lunch.
Here is a map of my route to the summit tracked using Runkeeper on the iPhone.
While at the top, I also shot a complete panorama which resulted in a 100 megapixel image. If you want to see the full size image check my previous post.
On my way down, I stopped along the creek to take a few photos. I tried some shots with a polarizing filter and a neutral density filter to get longer exposures.
Finally, on my way home I topped in at Shannon Falls which is only a few minutes from the Chief. First, an HDR image of the falls, I was hoping it would turn out a little different.
And just a regular shot, but taken with a polarizing filter to get a longer exposure.
100 Megapixel Nikon D800 Panorama from the Stawamus Chief
Today, I hiked to the top of the south peak of the Stawamus Chief, a popular hike near Squamish, BC. I took a lot of photos including the panorama below. The full size panorama is 22,383x4378 pixels (ok, not 100 megapixels but 98, close enough). Shot with a Nikon D800 and 24-70 f/2.8 lens. The variation of color in the sky is due to the use of a polarizing filter. It helps with contrast but because so much of the sky is visible the angle to the sun changes substantially in the shot from left to right.
First, a small version of the file, 2048 x 401 (0.82 megapixels, 641Kb)
If you want to see a slightly bigger version, here is a link to a 5000 x 978 (4.89 megapixels, 3.6MB) version of the file. It will open in a new window.
Open the larger file.
Finally, if you really want to download the huge 100 megapixel file (over 80MB) you can do so below. It is a zip file, I didn't want the file to open in the browser. Just download and unzip.
100 megapixel D800 panorama.
The PSD file that created the compressed jpg above is over 1GB in size and that is after I cropped a significant portion of the image from the top and bottom. There will be a lot more photos from this hike posted soon.
Hiking the Binkert Trail To The Lions
The Lions are two very familiar peaks that can be seen from Vancouver. I have hiked most of the mountains in the immediate Vancouver area but the Lions always looked down on me with a smug look. Every time I looked to the North Shore I could see the twin peaks and I knew I had to get up there one day. On August 18th, five of us decided to make the trek and I was the only Lions virgin in the group.
The trail starts in Lions Bay and is a 16km round trip journey. The elevation gain is 1280m (4200') with some very steep sections you will feel in your legs. This is a strenuous hike and of the hikes I have completed may be second only to Black Tusk in terms of effort. I would not bring your dog on this trail, there are sections that would not be easy for your four-legged friend and there are some very steep cliffs. The hike took us about 3.5 hours in each direction, with a one hour break at the top to enjoy the view, eat lunch, and take photos. For more detail on the trail feel free to check out these links (some include updates on conditions): Vancouver Trails, Club Tread, Trail Peak, Live Trails.
Some photos from the hike. First, the motley crew ventures out at the start of the day. The trail is fairly flat and everyone is feeling good.
Things begin to get steeper, everyone is still having a good time and chatting.
One of the only waterfalls along the route. Not much rain in the area lately and the snow pack is almost gone so it's really just a trickle at this point. Harvey Creek is much bigger with pools large enough for a dip. There is a well built bridge over this creek so you will certainly know when you are there.
The trail takes a sharp turn up and chatting turns into cursing.
Coming out of the trees, you are finally rewarded with stunning views of Howe Sound.
The Lions are still looming, a long way to go.
The group taking a breather after a few hours of hard climbing.
Back on the trail, hiking turns into scrambling.
And now with snow :)
Near the top of the rock scramble, views are still great and a good motivator.
After a few more tricky sections, you finally reach the ridge and see a full view of the Lions before you.
It was a bit hazy, but the view from the top was truly spectacular. Hard to beat and makes the 3.5 hour climb completely worth it.
You need to be careful with your footing on the ridge, there are very steep cliffs on both sides. One misstep and you won't be around to tell anyone about it.
Up close and personal with the West Lion.
The West Lion towering over Scott and Jason.
It is possible to climb to the top of the West Lion, but only for those with some experience with this type of activity should even attempt it. It is a high consequence climb with no room for error. If you decide to do it, you need to descend down a small cliff (a rope is provided). People here are waiting to climb down.
Once on the West Lion, find the best route up. You can see how steep it is in the photos below.
The hike is popular in the late summer, especially on a nice day. We didn't see many people on the trail, but there were a few at the top.
Of course, some things didn't have to climb to the top. Cheater :)
I can imagine life at the top is not easy for any plants or animals that choose to live here.
Vancouver feels very far away when you are up here.
On the way down, your knees will take a serious beating. The trail through the forest and the gravel road seem to stretch on forever. At the end of the day though, it's an amazing climb and worth the effort for anyone who wants to make the journey.