15 winter hikes so easy you won't spill your peppermint mocha
The days are getting shorter and snow is falling on many of Metro Vancouver’s most popular trails.
But winter is no excuse not to get out and enjoy the nature surrounding our beautiful city. Wandering in the woods and breathing fresh mountain air is a sure way to beat the winter blues, and we have you covered with 15 easy hikes to enjoy year-round.
Happy trails!
For your own safety, please make sure you are prepared before heading out on your next adventure. Information on how to prepare for your trip and stay safe while on your hike is available from North Shore Rescue and AdventureSmart.
In Vancouver
Iona Beach Regional Park
Feng Yu/Shutterstock
What: This hike follows a long, narrow beach and grass area along the mouth of the Fraser River, offering views of the Georgia Strait and a dramatic descent into hundreds of logs washed up along the shoreline.
How long: 1.5 hours or 6 km
Where: Starts and ends at the parking lot off Iona Island Causeway, Vancouver.
Get there: A 35-minute drive from downtown Vancouver.
Foreshore Trail
What: This trail through Pacific Spirit Regional Park passes through Vancouver’s famously nudist Wreck Beach. Along the way, you’ll enjoy scenic views and see an old WWII tower designed to warn Vancouver of impending attacks. Note that more than half of the trail follows the beach, which is rocky, slippery, and can be challenging during high tides.
How long: Three hours or 5 km
Where: Starts and ends at the Acadia Beach parking lot on NW Marine Drive, just past Pacific Spirit Regional Park – UBC, Vancouver.
Get there: A 20-minute drive from downtown Vancouver, or take bus 44.
Stanley Park
Stanley Park in the mist (Zhenwang Wang/Shutterstock)
What: The quintessential Vancouver hike through a beautiful urban park. Stanley Park is full of many networks of trails for both cycling and hiking. Venture into the forest to find Beaver Lake, and watch out for over-friendly raccoons!
How long: Two hours or 6.5 km
Where: Starts near the Rose Garden and loops back around – Stanley Park, Vancouver.
Get there: A 10-minute drive from downtown Vancouver, or take bus 19.
Pacific Spirit Regional Park
What: Pacific Spirit Regional Park offers a huge network of easy trails in an oasis of green forest, trickling creeks, and muddy bogs in Vancouver’s South Endowment Lands. Watch out for dog walkers on the trails as you flex your legs in the forest.
How long: Three hours or 10 km
Where: Starts and ends at the park entrance on 16th Avenue next to Camosun Park, Vancouver.
Get there: A 10-minute drive from downtown Vancouver, or take the Skytrain then one of several buses to reach the park entrance.
North Shore
Maplewood Flats
Purple Martins at the Maplewood Flats (John Lowman/Wild Bird trust of BC)
What: The trail through Maplewood Flats Conservation Area offers picnic tables, scenic views, and rocky terrain. Managed by the Wild Bird Trust of BC, it is also a popular bird-watching park — look out for the more than 200 species of birds spotted in the area annually.
How long: 45 minutes or 2.5 km
Where: Starts and ends in the Maplewood Flats parking lot off the Dollarton Highway in North Vancouver.
Get there: A 20-minute drive from downtown Vancouver or take buses 209 then 212.
Whyte Lake
What: Whyte Lake Park is a small, peaceful lake in the hills above Horseshoe Bay and is the largest park in West Vancouver. The trail to the lake is surrounded by wetlands, creeks, and old-growth forests and ends at a small lakeside dock. Watch out for snow on the boardwalks.
How long: Two hours or 5 km
Where: Starts and ends at the metal gate in the gravel parking area just off Westport Road, off Woodgreen Drive, in West Vancouver.
Get there: A 30-minute drive from downtown Vancouver.
Lighthouse Park
JamesChen/Shutterstock
What: Lots of short, easy trails offering breathtaking ocean views, huge, old-growth Western Red Cedars and the picturesque picnic spot of Starboat Cove.
How long: Up to two hours or 6 km
Where: Starts and ends at Lighthouse Park parking lot – Beacon Lane, West Vancouver.
Get there: A 40-minute drive from downtown, or take bus 250 all the way there.
Cypress Falls
What: This easy hike takes you along Cypress Creek, through forests of moss-covered, old-growth trees, and past views of two gorgeous waterfalls as they pour into the canyon below.
How long: 1.5 hours or 3 km
Where: The trail starts and ends at Cypress Falls Park – Woodgreen Place, West Vancouver.
Get there: A 30-minute drive from downtown, or take bus 253 Caufield all the way there.
Twin Falls
What: Twin Falls are on the Baden Powell Trail, near Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge. They’re easy to get to and there’s a wooden bridge viewing platform, which gets pretty busy in the summer.
How long: 20 minutes or 1 km
Where: East of the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park.
Get there: A 40-minute drive from downtown to Lynn Headwaters Regional Park, or take the Seabus plus bus 228.
Whytecliff Park
Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver (Taylor McColl/Shutterstock)
What: This park in West Vancouver boasts spectacular views of Howe Sound, a myriad of easy trails weaving through the forest, plus a beach, an island area and a chance to go scuba diving.
How long: 1.5 hours or 2 km
Where: Starts and ends at the top of the overflow parking lot off Marine Drive near Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver.
Get there: A 45-minute drive from downtown Vancouver.
Capilano Canyon
Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock
What: This trail offers beautiful views of Grouse Mountain and the Lions in the distance, as you walk through hemlock and fir trees, and clamber over tree roots surrounded by rainforest. You can also stop at an interpretive salmon hatchery on the way.
How long: One hour or 2.6 km
Where: Starts and ends at Cleveland Dam off Capilano Road, North Vancouver.
Get there: A 30-minute drive from downtown, or take the Seabus across to North Vancouver then bus 236.
Lynn Loop
What: Enjoy a forest hike among Cedar and Hemlock trees, with views of Vancouver Island and some of the Gulf Islands, then stroll back along the gushing waters of Lynn Creek.
How long: 1.5 hours or 5.1 km
Where: Starts and ends in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park – Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver.
Get there: A 40-minute drive from downtown Vancouver, or take the Seabus across to North Vancouver, then bus 228.
Quarry Rock
EB Adventure Photography/Shutterstock
What: A classic North Shore hike, up wooden stairs, over tree roots and small creeks, among Douglas Fir and Hemlock trees, to a rocky outcrop and beautiful views of Deep Cove. Recommended all year round.
How long: 1.5 hours or 3.8 km
Where: Starts and ends at the Baden Powell Trailhead – Panorama Drive, Deep Cove.
Get there: A 30-minute drive from downtown, or take the Seabus plus buses 239 and then 212.
Rice Lake
What: This is a calm, quiet lake, full of life and natural beauty, on the edge of the Lynn Headwaters Regional Park in North Vancouver. There are several viewpoints and trails around the lake with benches to relax and take in the natural beauty of the area.
How long: One hour or 3 km
Where: Starts and ends at the parking lot north of Capilano College, on Lillooet Road in North Vancouver.
Get there: About 40 minutes drive from downtown Vancouver or take the Seabus across to North Vancouver then bus 228.
Bowen Island
Killarney Lake
Daniel Just Photography/Shutterstock
What: This is a scenic hiking trail around Killarney Lake on Bowen Island. Along the way, you’ll meander through lush forest of hemlock, and past a marsh of eerie-looking stumps of cedars, as well as enjoy lakeside views of the wintry waters.
How long: Two hours or 9 km
Where: Starts and ends at the ferry terminal at Snug Cove, Bowen Island.
Get there: A 45-minute drive from downtown Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay, then a 20-minute ferry to Snug Cove on Bowen Island.
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