Category Archives: Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes

Pender Hill

September 15, 2016Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes, Otheradmin

Pender Hill is on the Sunshine Coast of BC. The trail is maintained by the Sunshine Coast Regional District. This hike is fairly short compared to many in this blog, but, you still get fantastic views and it is well worth it. If you want more of a workout for your day, combine this hike and Mt. Daniel together. The Mt. Daniel trailhead is only 6km from the Pender Hill trailhead.

To get to Pender Hill from Vancouver, you need to take the 1-hour BC Ferry trip from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Langdale. From Langdale, there is a 73 km trip to the trailhead on Coastview Drive.

The stats:

Distance: 2 km (linear return)
Time: 1-2 hours
Low point: 57 m
High point: 235 m
Elevation gain: 178 m
Trailhead: 49° 38’ 32.8” by 124° 03’ 42” (Google Map)

The route…

The Photos…

If you have time, stop in Gibsons; it’s a quant little town and stop by Molly’s Reach (of Beachcombers’ fame) for fish and chips !

Molly's Reach, Gibsons — Molly’s Reach, Gibsons

★★★★★★★★★★★

Before heading out on your hike, make sure you are well prepared. This means, having the TEN ESSENTIALS. It is also important to leave a trip plan (route details and estimated return time) with someone you trust.

Bring your smartphone, fully charged and put it in airplane mode while hiking. I always bring back-up battery packs for extra piece of mind. It is highly recommended that you bring a GPS device; I use my smartphone with a GPS app (Backcountry Navigator). The GPS will work in airplane mode. Learn how to use it before your hike.

For anyone new to hiking, there is a rule to which hikers follow; it is called “Leave No Trace” or LNT. The concept is generally to pack out what you pack in and respect nature, so all future visitors can enjoy what you have enjoyed.

To learn more about LNT, please check out this BLOG by a certified LNT Trainer.

★★★★★★★★★★★

Mt. Daniel

September 15, 2016Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes, Otheradmin

Mt. Daniel is on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. After the 400m elevation gain hike to the summit, you are treated with stunning views of Pender Harbour and the surrounding hills and mountains. The hike traverses though a forest canopy all of way to the top, so it’s great on a hot day.

After this hike, I highly suggest you do another nearby hike, at Pender Hill. The Pender Hill trailhead is only 6km from Mt. Daniel trailhead.

To get to Mt. Daniel from Vancouver, you need to take the 1-hour BC Ferry trip from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Langdale. From Langdale, there is a 67 km trip to the trailhead on Garden Bay Road.

The stats:

Distance: 4.8 km (linear return)
Time: 2-4 hours
Low point: 77 m
High point: 435 m
Elevation gain: 358 m
Trailhead: 49° 38’ 51.6” by 124° 00’ 15.7” (Google Map)

The route…

The Photos…

If you have time, stop in Gibsons; it’s a quant little town and stop by Molly’s Reach (of Beachcombers’ fame) for fish and chips !

★★★★★★★★★★★

To learn more about LNT, please check out this BLOG by a certified LNT Trainer.

★★★★★★★★★★★

Mount Nutt

August 20, 2016Golden Ears Park, Non-Buntzen Lake Hikesadmin

Mount Nutt is in Golden Ears Provincial Park and the trail was made between 2011 and 2013 by Alan Lizee and the Ridge Meadows Outdoor Club. The first 1.6 km from the parking lot is a very gentle slope on a gravel path (East Canyon Trail), which is a good warm up. At the 1.6 km mark, you take a right turn into the forest and the vertical gain really starts – suddenly you find yourself heading up fast – well not that fast ! The trail is very well marked (can be slippery when wet). For a while, the climb follows a small creek, which drains a small lake further up.

The lake is nice and the area around it gives you a little reprieve from the gruelling climb. Soon after leaving the lake area, the climb continues. Eventually, we reached a viewpoint (680 m), which offered a pretty good view of Alouette Lake.

Continuing along the ridge, you are treated with about 4 more viewpoints overlooking Golden Ears, Evans Valley, Edge Peak and Alouette Lake, among others. The trail ends before the true summit. We couldn’t find a trail to the summit, but some people have done it.

The Stats:

Distance: 10.7 km (return)
Low point: 160 m
High point: 1150 m
Elevation gain: 990 m
Trailhead/parking: 49° 20’ 4” by 122° 27’ 24.5” (Google Map)

The route…

The Photos:

View of Alouette Lake at first viewpoint

★★★★★★★★★★★

Chain Lakes Loop

August 13, 2016Mt. Baker, Non-Buntzen Lake Hikesadmin

Ok, I really can’t get enough of the Mt. Baker area. Second time back in a couple of weeks. It was another sunny day today.

There are a few variations of this hike. We started at Artist Point, descended to Heather Meadows via the Wild Goose Trail and looped around Northern Bagley Lake, before starting our ascent up through Herman Saddle. 95 % of the hike was bug free (only some around Chain Lakes). Only very minor snow (almost not even worth mentioning). This hike is amazing as are most Mt. Baker area hikes – the views are non-stop ! This was a sunny Saturday and there were many people on the trail, but not so much that it deterred from our enjoyment. There was only some snow on the shore of Iceberg Lake – some of which apparently recently broke off and made icebergs (info from a camper at the lake). I definitely recommend this hike and I will go back for sure !

So, for this hike, you drive to Artist Point, which is paved the entire way.
Yeah ! No pot-holed forestry road !
The location of Artist Point is HERE

You will need a Northwest Forest Pass (one per car), which can be purchased in person at the Glacier Public Service Center at 10091 Mt. Baker Highway,Glacier, WA (Link to Map)

Or you can buy an epass in advance online at the Discover Your Northwest website

Border crossing tips: Bring passport, Nexus or enhanced ID !!; no fruit, no veges, no meat (this isn’t a complete list !); trailmix is ok. There is an IGA just across the border if you want to get some fruit or a sandwich for your hike.

A great resource for current conditions for this hike is the WTA website.
Check it OUT !!!

The trailhead for the Wild Goose Trail is just behind the washrooms.

Today’s stats:

Distance: 10.7 km
Time: 6 hours
Low point: 1259 m
High point: 1654 m
Elevation gain: 395 m
Cumulative Elevation gain: 725 m

The route…

The photos…

Northern Bagley Lake through wild flowers

★★★★★★★★★★★

Barnston Island

July 29, 2016Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes, Other Metro Vancouveradmin

Barnston Island is a 1500-acre agricultural island in the Fraser River. There is a free ferry that takes you to the island at the east foot of 104th Avenue in Surrey. When I went in 2016, the parking was free.

There are many choices for recreation here. You can bike or walk around the island, or just go to one of the ends and back again. You can take cars on the Island, but there are no parking lots (so what’s the point unless you live there ?).

Distance around island: 10 km
Distance to west point and back: 3.5 km
Distance to east point and back: 8.3 km
Time: varies
Low point: near sea level
High point: near sea level
Elevation gain: minimal
Location for Parking: 49° 11’ 30.14” by 122° 43’ 35.8” (Google Maps and navigation)

Perimeter route with downloadable gpx…

The Photos…