Awesome Day or Weekend Hikes

I'm wanting to do more hiking this summer and have been looking at bigger day hikes close to Vancouver as well as outside of the lower mainland. I thought it could be cool to get  a list going and some feedback on big single or two day hikes that people here have done. 

One that has me interested is the Eagle Pass Lookout east of Sicamous. FYI there's some controversy over the recent restoration of the cabin an an online petition to save it of you're interested

https://www.change.org/p/the-honourable-doug-donaldson-stop-the-bc-government-from-demolishing-rebuilt-eagle-pass-summit-fire-lookout

There are some pretty awesome hikes around Mt Baker. I think Ptarmigan Ridge is our favourite so far.

I'm somewhat disenchanted with the hiking opportunities in lower mainland BC as there's far too many trees!!

Whilst I don't mind hiking up trails in trees, Ive felt disappointed and unfulfilled if there's no expansive views to savour at the top (or at least along the way).

So Mt Baker area is a very good shout as there are plenty of trails which start fairly high up so don't take forever to get into the alpine.

Locally, the Howe Sound trail has a couple of vantage points with great views and starts pretty high.

There are some ridge hikes up on the Coquihalla that give awesome views.  Needle Peak / Flatiron / Portia area on the south side of the highway, Zupjok to Alpaca on the north side.

Aren't there a couple ridge lines out toward Abbotsford that give a nice view down the Fraser Valley? Not sure which ones they are, but I've seen some nice pictures.

Posted by: SixZeroSixOne

I'm somewhat disenchanted with the hiking opportunities in lower mainland BC as there's far too many trees!!

Whilst I don't mind hiking up trails in trees, Ive felt disappointed and unfulfilled if there's no expansive views to savour at the top (or at least along the way).

So Mt Baker area is a very good shout as there are plenty of trails which start fairly high up so don't take forever to get into the alpine.

Locally, the Howe Sound trail has a couple of vantage points with great views and starts pretty high.

I've been wanting to do the howe sound crest as a one day trail run for a while now. Just a little wary of doing it on my own and would need a ride back to Cypress from porteau. I don't really have any friends who are into this kinda stuff though, unfortunately.

I mostly hike up the Sea to Sky. As much as I like hiking, I dont like trudging through the forest for hours to get good views. I like being able to drive up high enough to get quick access to the alpine. Watersprite Lake near Squamish is a nice destination, although the hike in is nothing special. Sky Pilot is a very nice once you get past the first 4-5 km from the gondola. Brandywine Mtn is good and only about 20 minutes hiking to the meadows if you drive to the end of the road. Tricouni is awesome. Cypress Peak is good. Wedge mtn. near Whistler is a nice steep hike with great scenery. Marriot Basin, Mt.Rohr up the duffey are both beautiful. The Tolkien group starting near Birkenhead Lake are very good and has a great cabin on the way. Up the Hurley, I like the Semaphore Lakes and Railroad peaks. The possibilities really are pretty endless. I have loads of pictures but no idea how to post here anymore. All of these are easy access if you have any type of 4wd.  

My avatar is a pic of Watersprite Lake.

Posted by: Fast-Orange

I've been wanting to do the howe sound crest as a one day trail run for a while now. Just a little wary of doing it on my own and would need a ride back to Cypress from porteau. I don't really have any friends who are into this kinda stuff though, unfortunately.

You should check out Club Fat Ass (https://www.facebook.com/groups/clubfatass), they do all kinds of stuff like that.

Thanks for the info Mike.T

Reps towards you in a previous forum life.

How bad does the road get for Brandywine? I.e., do you need 4x4 to get to the end?

Posted by: Rainmaker

How bad does the road get for Brandywine? I.e., do you need 4x4 to get to the end?

There are a couple of steep sections before the cabin but cars can make it that far.  If you park by the snowmobile cabin, it adds 30-45 minutes of a flat road walk.  Beyond the cabin, there are waterbars but nothing serious.   I have a stock Tacoma and its no problem.  Might scrape the trailer hitch a couple times.  Thats about it.

We spent the long weekend hiking near Mt Baker again. Chain Lakes loop on Sunday (by far the best 'value for money' hike in the area) and Lake Ann trail on Monday. Camped at Douglas Fir near Glacier. Ptarmigan Ridge (our favourite) looked like it still had a lot of snow on it. Quite a few people hiking in from Artist Point with skis/snowboards! The store in Glacier no longer sells ice cream :-( have to drive 10 mins further to Maple Falls now.

Chain Lakes:

Lake Ann trail:

Posted by: [email protected]

Ptarmigan Ridge (our favourite) looked like it still had a lot of snow on it. Quite a few people hiking in from Artist Point with skis/snowboards! 

Sure, that's where a lot of Turns All Year folks go.

Looks beautiful Niels. Good on you for getting out there. Was the water cold?