There are a few trails in Coquitlam area that are worthwhile for those into hiking…read more Crystal Falls in one of them. As mentioned in my previous review of Lions Park, this trail starts from Colony Farm near the entry of Coquitlam at Lougheed Highway and terminates far beyond Crystal Falls. It is a good 2-3 hour hike just one way. A more manageable trip would be to start from David and Shaughnessy Street in Coquitlam, if your destination is Crystal Falls. This takes approximately 1hr and 20 minutes on foot according to Google. However depending on the weather and road conditions, it may take significantly longer. Winter, rainy, muddy, lots of struck down trees. All in all, it is a good way to recharge and take in some rich oxygen to detox the work week.

The Crystal Falls trail was a very easy hike. For this particular section, the trail head starts at…read morethe end of Shaughnessy Street. Stay on the trail for about 40 minutes, going over a few streams and around many mud puddles after it has rained and you will come to the falls at the end. There were a few good stops along the way to sit, take in the river and to take in all the nature around you. Some parts of the trail can be narrow. Good for all ages, but can be tricky on some of the stream crossings.

This is a great spot for an easy walk beside some lovely waterfalls. It is great for dogs to jump…read moreinto the water. There is ample parking at the top of the hill near the soccer field and the waterfall path is just about 20 steps away from the parking and a public washroom.

Like Roberts Creek isn't un-urban enough, you can truly escape away from it all with a little jaunt…read morethrough Cliff Gilker Park. Well marked trails, easy paths, a babbling creek, waterfalls, bridges and huge, red cedars make this a little sanctuary. And the canopied woods means even if it's raining, you're protected. There's a few "viewpoints" with benches and in the hour that I was "lost" in the woods, I didn't see a soul. Although I should warn, the bear sighting signs didn't sit well with me. I should have brought my dog spray and my whistle. Then I could show them who's boss! There's lots of parking, an outhouse (just jump over to the golf course) and a big map that tells you where you are. If you're staying in Roberts Creek, I'd suggest just walking. It's only another 10 minutes and the trails aren't that long.

I had such a wonderful time visiting Lynn Canyon Park. We originally went to see their famous…read moresuspension bridge but a few wrong turns at the trails and we ended up seeing much more, including the 30-Ft Pool, Pipeline Bridge, and Rice Lake. The trails are defined (though some were closed when we visited) and for the majority, are very walkable save a couple of areas with lots of stairs. Lynn Canyon Park is deceptively massive and offers a bit of everything to everyone-- if you are looking for tranquility, I'd recommend the northern trails and if you are looking for family-friendly hikes, I'd recommend the pool as it seems like a popular place for a dip. Parking during peak season can be a little tricky, especially later during the day. We ended up circling around before finding a spot and it costs $3/hr. My only complaint is that the park lacks adequate signage and maps, which contributed to our getting lost for a few hours. HUGE thank you to Hannah from the watershed for helping us find our way back!

Beautiful and easy trail. After crossing the suspension bridge, it's a short hike to the natural…read morepool.

I've just had one of the best hiking days of my life…read more Reasons: ~A gorgeous drive up the Sea To Sky past Squamish to the Cheakamus trail head. ~The best group of hiking friends I could ever imagine. ~The trail has amazingly beautiful views of mountain peaks, Starvation Lake and the rushing river with a pebble beach where people fly-fish. I felt like I was watching a fishing show only it was live! I half expected to see bear hunting there. ~A gradual elevation with gravel and well compacted stone on some parts while other parts were carpeted in perfect Autumn coloured leaves. The hike is only a few hours long and about 9k, but you feel you want to stretch it out a bit and enjoying the real wilderness feeling to be had out there. Bring a snack, there's a couple of spots to sit on a Moss carpet with incredible views of snowy peaks. Not only does this easy hike have incredible views of the mountains, but also offers some real beauties for rail-fans. This trail is an in and out, not a loop, and includes a few surprises like the makeshift 'suspension bridge' above the train tracks where there the trail fell away. It's more like a fence laid flat and supported with chain link and re-bar. Safe but a bit freaky! I felt super brave and went first of the 7 of us. One of the best hikes I've had in BC. and anyone could do this one. This has got to be on the best of BC hikes list.

I love this place. I've only been here once. I've always biked around the park (bikes aren't…read moreallowed in the park). It's a beautiful park and are lots of trails so you can spend all day here. We went up to the high knoll. It was pretty cool once we got to the top. I didn't really know what to expect on this hike but in my opinion you gotta be at least in decent shape to do it. There are some steep hills but overall it's nothing crazy. What I love the most about this park is the wildlife, ducks, snakes, toads and bears! So cool to see these guys. Amazing animals! There is an outhouse at the entrance of the park. There is a decent size parking lot. Can't wait to come back...........

Great place to go hike/stroll as it provides several different trails and the view is beautiful…read morewhen you go further up. The area around the lake is flat and grassy so you can sit and enjoy the view. During the summer, you may see some turtles sitting on a log or two, soaking up the sun. When you go around, it does go up. A couple of parts are steeper but if you take your time, it is manageable. Also it doesn't go up for too long either. I recommend you go early as the parking lot isn't that big so it does get full pretty quickly. That is the only drawback.

Pinecone Burke Provincial Park is a wonderful place to spend some time exploring. The park is…read morenamed after Burke Mountain and Pinecone Lake. Burke Mountain was once the location of a Ski Resort and if you poke around enough you can still find remnants of the old operation up there. Old Cabins to some old machinery are tucked away along the trail. It makes for a good treasure hunt. There are three main access points for this park and two minor access point for this park. The three main access points are as follows: by Car at the end of Harper Road at the Gun Club and Quarry Road just after Minnekhada Regional Park and through and by kayak or Canoe through Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area starting at Grant Narrows. The two minor access points are taking a water taxi to the far end of pit lake and accessing old logging roads on that side via bike or boot and on Mamquam FSR from Squamish (Mamquam FSR will get you to Pinecone lake). The portion of the trail near the Gun Club sounds like you are walking through WW3 and is a bit unnerving really but once you get around the corner and loose the sound the park comes to life with amazing forests and lakes to explore. The park is open year round but the higher elevations will require skis or snowshoes to access and care should be taken to not get into avalanche danger wile playing in the snow. Always check avalanche.ca before heading up into the back country in the winter!

Lovely trails all around and nice view. Clean area and beautiful tree, decent walk and a bit of a…read moredecent hike. Nothing too difficult but definitely not a flat ground so some trails aren't suitable for very young kids and elders. A couple lakes around the area too. Munro Lake, Dennett Lake and the Village Lake Trail. A parking lot and some street parking too. Not hard to find too

This hike is not worth the view at all. There are many hiked out there with the same level of…read moredifficulty and much better views. I saw somewhere that it should be renamed to Uno Vistas, and I couldn't agree more. Of all the 10 "views", only one was decent -and even that one was partially covered by trees. The lack of markings also made the hike super confusing. My friend and I kept getting lost and circling back Only good thing was the lake (which is at the bottom btw)

First I was heading to Buntzen Lake but when we got there at 8:30am, the parking was already full…read more So changed to here. It was lucky we could find a parking spot because here was almost full too. We left a car at Sesamat lake parking and started to hike through the beach. I recommend to stop by bathroom before the hike. There is no toilet or water spot on the hill. The ground were very variety: wood chips, soil, dirt, gravel and huge rock. Sometimes I needed to assume the trail line because it was so blended into the nature and got lost. If the tree roots were shiny, you will find that is path the hiker stepped on. There are three view points and highest one #3 must be the best.

This is a 4km stretch/trail that pretty much leads out to the ocean. The path is divided, I think…read morebikes and pedestrians on the bottom and just pedestrians on the top. It is a gravel on the bottom, not sure about the top. I always bike here. There is I believe a washroom (outhouse) along the way. When you get to the very end there is stairs to a viewing platform where you get some amazing views of the ocean. This is a great place to cycle, walk, walk your dog or whatever.......

Prepare for a long walk ! So here are the specs : 4 km , approx. one hour each way . One can…read moresignificantly reduce the travel time by at least two-thirds if you bike instead so of course that's what we did haha . Amenities along the way include restrooms and 2 rain/wind shelters which will most definitely come in handy cos . . . did I mention it's a looong walk ? Again I'd highly recommend cycling , unless you reeeally like walking .

Very Challenging Hike. Be ready for a real workout. But the climb is worth it when you get to the…read moretop

This trail is rated easy, however not for the average person. It takes about 1.5 hours round trip…read morefor an average person. However, if you play sports and can run an easy 5-6 minute mile, it is quite easy. Parking is very hard and I parked half a mile away on a Friday afternoon. The trail is very crowded but the view is beautiful.

The hike to Garibaldi Lake! This was a difficult one for me, maybe one of the tougher ones I've…read moreaccomplished and I'm saying that because I'm not the most patient of hikers. I'm more of a speed hiker that likes to get in and get out! But to access Garibaldi Lake, (the obvious main event to the park), you must take the Rubble Creek Trail. It's an 18 kilometer out and back hike (or as us Americans would say - "roundtrip")...that is a length of 11.5 miles long. And with that 11.5 miles, the path is all uphill! Everything about it is uphill until you eventually arrive at...Garibaldi Lake! So...for the folks out there who maybe don't hike often, I'd just suggest preparing for the long haul. The hike will be strenuous, but pace yourself, take breaks when necessary and before long...the reward will be worth the grind! And then, you'll be coming back for more! Another thing, I'm always motivated to capture undisturbed pictures in nature. And it's this inspiration that I use to discover what's out there. I want to reflect back on the experience and know I afforded myself ample time during the day to accomplish the sights and sceneries that make for memorable stories. Lol, it's this type of internal mentality that pushes me to strive for greater heights, so to speak, hehehe. Okay so this Rubble Creek Trail to Garibaldi Lake! You must make a reservation 2 days in advance prior to visiting. Just go to bcparks.ca and sign up for a pass. I also used this website for accessing Joffre Lakes Provincial Park situated in Mount Currie, BC. And btw, this Garibaldi Lake is located just north of Whistler, BC. One side note...the parks, lakes and hikes here in Lower British Columbia are simply fantastic! There's a laundry list of things to do. And especially when you speak to locals and they recommend hidden, under the radar places that the public eye doesn't know much about. I thought the Canadian Rockies in Alberta were stunning, but British Columbia nature is really, really scenic! Before arriving at Garibaldi Lake, I suggest taking a short side trek to Barrier Viewpoint for some quick panoramic looks. Also, along the trail you'll pass over a short bridge looking up at a waterfall. It's worthy of a photo. Finally arriving at Garibaldi Lake, at first it may not be so picturesque (even when the sun is out!) but give it a chance. Walk around and explore and you'll find colorful instances where you'll connect with those green and turquoise blue waters. Especially when you're looking back towards the entrance area of the lake, the return hike back down had some of my most fulfilling pictures of the day. It's weird, it's like the angle of the sun can play tricks on you. Be patient and hopefully magical moments will evolve! I tried to walk around the perimeter of Garibaldi Lake, but that wasn't possible. So...I had to relax a little and take my foot off the gas pedal, lol. In fact, some of my best views were simply looking out at the snowcapped mountain peaks. There's a glacier set in the distance as well. A lot of visitors brought their bathing suits with them. And although the lake is glacially fed and freezing, people were still swimming! I even joined in on the fun and took my clothes down to my underwear and hopped in the waters, lol. Granted, it was only briefly, but still, I wanted to leave no stone unturned while here! I'd also point out that since the lake is not navigable 360 degrees around, it sort of took the pressure off me to find the best picture angles. Instead, I really tried to embrace the setting and live in the moment! There's camping allowed here, but again you must make reservations for it. Btw, it's free to book your entry pass to the lake. Parking is free too. One last thing, remember...when you head back towards the entrance of Garibaldi Lake, you'll be pleasantly surprised with the lake colors illuminating from the tree line pathway. I left the lake around 3pm and suddenly, light greens and blues were evident! There are vault toilets at the lake. Interestingly, they ask you to bring your own toilet paper. Never seen that before. Overall, Garibaldi Lake was a wonderful way to enjoy a summer day in the great outdoors. I can't believe I hiked 18 kilometers. And the path through the forest makes for a quiet atmosphere in the woods. I would still rank Joffre Lakes as my favorite BC landmark, but this Garibaldi Lake has its value and major popularity among hikers. Thank you for taking time to read this.

All I have to say is be prepared.. As this is about an 18km hike, I recommend leaving early in the…read moremorning and staying over night in Whistler so you don't feel rushed. This time around when we went, due to the pandemic, we had to book a time slot the day of as they were limiting the amount of hikers. Driving there isn't the problem nor is the parking, it's the length of time but the reward at the end is worth it. I recommend bringing a small bag for liquids, snacks, bug spray, hat and towel as you could swim there but keep in mind you can't throw away your garbage at the site due to bears even though there's a camp site there. The hike isn't super steep and you won't have to climb anything (at least I didn't), you just have to be ready to walk a lot. The path is well marked so you can't get lost. I would say the average round trip if you aren't including staying at the destination to eat and take photos is roughly 4-5 hours round trip at a steady pace. Hike's are always calming and it helps clear your mind from stress and clutter. This is probably one of the best local hikes I've done so far and I would definitely recommend it to anything looking for a challenge and beautiful view. And if you want to be more adventurous, you can also extend your trip to panoramic ridge and black tusk!