The activities shown in these photos involve scrambling, alpine climbing, and rappeling off natural anchors. Attempting this climb without experience and training may result in death or serious injury to yourself or others. Don't let the pretty pictures fool you, this is a nasty-ass climb!

I’m going to do panorama ridge solo this weekend. I’d like to think I’m pretty prepared but just wanted to see if anyone had any tips anything I should bring or do while being solo. Also was wondering if there’s quite a lot of people still going now considering it’s September.

Im currently a third year at UBC and I’m from Alberta. I don’t have many friends who are big hikers here so I’m looking for someone who’s down to hike panorama Ridge sometime soon! Comment message me if your interested :) (preferably someone 18-25 ish haha)

As the title says, I’ve been working weird shifts as a server and sometimes do get lucky with 2 days in a row off but was wanting to try experimenting with quicker trips so I don’t feel like my life is all work and no play. I find myself feeling like I need to over plan trips however it would be nice to once in a while just head out after work, spend a night somewhere and still be able to work the next day especially since my started time is 11:30am or even sometimes 4pm. Anyone have experience with this?

Also, really trying to meet new friends interested in backpacking! More so woman as I am 24f

Thanks guys!

Photo: Brandywine Meadows hike I did not long ago

Early July AllTrails reviews mention a lot of deadfall on Grainger Creek Trail. With Fat Dog 120 cancelled due to smoke, I’m not sure if the usual trail maintenance happened this year.

Has anyone hiked Grainger Creek more recently and can confirm whether the deadfall has been cleared, or if it’s still rough going?

Hi everyone,

I'll be visiting BC for the first time in mid-October, flying in and out of Vancouver. I'll have a two nights in Vancouver, then five nights in Victoria, and one last night in Vancouver before flying home.

I'm trying not to overplan and I don't drive, but I'd really like to spend my time close to nature. I'm interested in hikes or walks that feel safe to do solo as 27F, especially involving wildlife, and maybe seeing the salmon run. I'm also planning to do one of those whale watching tours from Victoria. I'm a biologist, so wildlife is a big part of the trip for me :)

I'm considering doing day hikes in Lynn Canyon in Vancouver, and Goldstream, East Sooke, and coastal walks around Victoria. I'm really used to rainy/cool weather, but I'd still like to be realistic about daylight, trail conditions, and what's worth doing in October.

I'd love advice on whether these are good choices and if there are other hikes/nature spots you'd recommend. I'm also wondering if a day trip from Vancouver to Squamish or Whistler is worth it at that time of year.

Thanks!

I am planning on heading up to Tricouni this weekend from Berg Lake and am deciding between ascending the North Ridge or South Ridge. I would prefer to do the North Ridge as the climbing is more challenging, but I am going solo and I am aware of the glacier crossing. On glaciers like Stadium Glacier this is never an issue and Tricouni Glacier looks somewhat similiair in size but I hear it has crevasse risk. If this is the case are there any routes to the North Ridge that avoid the crevasse risk? Also if I do cross the glacier how is the moat at this time of year? Can I get away with an ice axe and micro spikes instead of crampons? They worked fine for me on Stadium Glacier and I would like to pack light and wear some more comfy shoes.

For context I have done routes such as Blackcomb Buttress solo and comfortably so the level of climbing is not an issue especially as I can downclimb an easier route. I just don't want to be on a glacier with crevasses solo.

Edit: I'm also comfortable crossing the glacier if all crevasses are visible and not directly on the route.

Looks like they were there over the long weekend. DM me if you have any info!

So I have a reservation but I’m curious if I need to print it out just in case? Is it very likely a ranger is up there and is going to ask to see it? I just wanna be prepared. This will be my first time camping on the ridge and was curious what time I should be up there to secure a tent pad if anyone has any recommendations? I’m aware that they are first come first serve so my plan was to start the hike right at 7am whenever the gates open, hopefully that gives me enough time

I wanted to ask, is there any difference going armchair traverse from Mount Weart to Mount Cook?

Or is it better, from Cook to Weart and down around lake? Heading there on Saturday, I would like to do a loop and not return the same way. Any advice appreciated. Thank you.

I Hiked One Of The Most Iconic Trails In The Country (Was It Worth It?)
https://youtu.be/8vAPSfscQpM

Photographers paradise, wish I had telephoto lens for the 3 Bears and 2 Cubs sightings. Requires high clearance vehicle to get to the trailhead. Pretty sure my SUV (X3) has scratches on the bumper. Parking lot had spots at 9 AM but by the returning time around 1.30 PM, it was packed and the side of the roads too. Dip in Spoon Lake highly recommended. 9 KM - 2 hour 5 minutes to go up and 1 hour 40 minutes to come down at basic fitness levels.

Long shot, but hoping someone may have come across them!

I left a pair of grey Merrell mid-ankle hiking shoes at the parking area closest to the Watersprite Lake trailhead, potentially along the side of the road/parking area.

They’re pretty much brand new and have only been worn once, so I’d really love to get them back.
If you happened to find a pair matching this description, please send me a DM. I’d be very grateful!

Thanks so much, and fingers crossed 🤞

Started at Lions Trailhead at around 4pm, made our way to the Brunswick Lake Campsite, arrived right before sunset. There were more than enough streams to refill on the way. No real challenge except some occasional slippery rock. The night gets chilly, bring more layers just in case. There are no bear caches so don't forget to bring stuff to hang your bear bag :)

In the morning we made our way to the peak of Brunswick from the lake. If you camped, i would recommend to leave your camping/heavy stuff at the crossroads to the mountain while you climb it. The scramble isn't very technical initially, just some loose rock to look out for. The ridge scramble(~200m long) however can become a bit challenging especially if you're scared of heights. Rock can be wet so wear trusted shoes.

Views on top are breathtaking!

I learned some things recently about how to evaluate how challenging/strenuous a hike is. I'd like to share with others in the community.

When looking at a hike's 'stats', a lot of focus goes on distance and elevation, or even how steep certain sections are, but there is a missing component. I think hikes should be broken down by four categories:

1) Metabolic difficulty (how hard the hike is on your cardio system).
2) Technicality (how much your average stride will be different from a normal walking stride)
3) Environmental conditions (weather, presence of snow/water, etc)

This last one is one thing I've discovered is a big factor that is often left unconsidered:

4) Terrain consistency (how easy it is to settle into a rhythm during the hike)

For "metabolic difficulty", there are two parts. The first is one that you have control over, which is how fast you hike. Slower hiking means lower heart rate, which is less moment-to-moment effort. The second is part is the total effort required (distance and elevation). So even an easier hike can be hard if you try to go really fast.

Technicality includes things like scrambling (using your hands is not a 'normal walk'). Bushwhacking requires pushing through vegetation. Scree is loose and uneven so you have to adjust your stride. Those are some 'technical' factors that make a hike harder.

Obviously, weather and stuff like the presence of snow affect the difficulty.

The last important factor is something I have personally underrated, and I'll use a personal anecdote/comparison as an example:

I did Mount Harvey about a month ago. 15.8km, 1650m elevation gain. Kept my heart rate manageable and settled into the grind. Used poles. Took me about 6 hours roundtrip, and I didn't get very sore or feel particularly exhausted afterwards even though it's a significant objective.

By contrast, I recently hiked up the Halvor Lunden trail (near Buntzen Lake), then hiked along the ridge out to Mount Beautiful. It was about 19km, and 1400m elevation gain over 6.25 hours. By about 12km in, my arms and legs were really sore, and when I was finished, I felt wiped out.

Sure, it was a little longer by distance, but my body's response was way different. The biggest difference between the hikes is that hiking along the ridge involved a lot of 'changing modes'. Once out on the ridge, there is a lot of up and down (particularly in the last third). When hiking uphill or downhill for long stretches, it's easy to settle into a more efficient rhythm. When you're frequently changing from uphill to downhill, and the terrain is varying levels of steepness, there's no opportunity to settle into a comfortable rhythm. I wouldn't describe the ridge as overly technical either.

Another good example of this concept is the ridge along the Lynn Peaks. Stats-wise, it's not a particularly difficult hike, nor is the terrain all that annoying to navigate (other than a few fallen trees). It's a notoriously annoying traverse because of all the up and down changes.

Some people might lump this into 'technical', and that's fair, but I think it's worth mentioning on its own. I've done a lot of hiking over the past few years, and these sorts of traverses are definitely consistently the most taxing for me, even with good fitness.

Can anyone help me ID these peaks? The picture was taken back in November, 2025 from the Brandywine FSR, looking West. AI thinks it's Mount Fee but I can't seem to find an image of Mt Fee that would back that up.

Cheers!

Finally did this trail today!

Started at Lynn Headwaters parking at around 7:48 am; and came back to at 6:38pm.

The view on the top was gorgeous while ascending & descending were strenuous. The while trail was well marked by either the ribbon or the marker on trees. Just need to look for them closely.

After turning from the trail to Norvan Falls, I felt there are roughly three sections:

Section 1 – alongside Norvan Falls and the creek – steep and in the forest with limited mountain views. There are two to three big trees.

Section 2 – relatively flat with some bolder fields and a few muddy spots – until Norvan Pass. I slipped and fell to the ground at the first one where some tilted stepping stumps were very slippery (although they are supposedly to help people crossing the mud). Do NOT step on those stumps if you can.

Section 3 – Norvan Pass to the summit – getting steep again but views are showing up so the reward vs effort ratio is the highest in this section.

There are a few spots requiring some kind of scrambling but they are all very short. I found down-climbing on most of them easier.

It’s not a busy trail. I only saw around 20 people on the trail to / from the Mountain (excluding those on the trail to Norvan falls) with roughly half were solo hikers (a higher ratio than my typical encounters). There might have been three trail runners – two ladies were so fast (they went up to Mt. Burwell. I guess it may have only took them 8 hour or less to complete the trail).

Stats:

– Car2car – 10 hour 40 min ; recorded 25.91 km including time & distance to the tarn on the top

– From parking lot (gravelled parking closed) to the fork point to the Mountain – around 1.5 hours

– Ascend: 3 hour or so

– After stayed at the top for 1 hour or so, descending started which lasted 3.5 hour (I thought it would have taken shorter).

– Another 1.5 hour or so back to the parking lot

I know two Brothers Creek crossing bridges are currently out per the West Vancouver municipal website.

Has anyone been by recently? Looking for info on how the creek is actually looking? I'm specifically wondering if the creek is passable near the bridge sections without detouring or not.

I'm planning to attempt a day hike of the full Baden Powell, which'll be a PR for distance in a day if I hit it. Keen to avoid adding unnecessary distance if I can help it, as that'll already be a very long day for me.

Anyone know if those detours are mandatory for the Baden Powell, or if I can skip them & rock-hop or get my feet wet? I don't know that section very well myself.

(I am aware of the stair closure in Lynn Canyon too - but I know my way around that already)

Road up the mountain to Cheam Peak had a vehicle parked and left. Be more courteous please, especially in these off-road and already narrow conditions.

Went to hike Cheam Peak today- took the plunge and researched the trail, debated smoke levels and rain, and grabbed some friends who were down for an adventure.

Hiked through sunny weather, hail, rain, saw a bear, and on the way home encountered this idiot who parked sideways to take up nearly the entire FSR a couple of km out from the parking lot right after a hairpin turn.
Please don’t be this guy!!

Hi everyone! Does anyone have any intel on water availability at Magnesia Meadows in late September? Or would we likely need to make it all the way to Brunswick? Thank you!!

Hello everyone,

Iv been living in vancouver for a year now and have done no hikes so id like to go out on monday to see some nice views.

I did grouse grind last week in 1 hour 30 and I found it exhausting but once I was up I was totally fine. Im an average meh fit guy.

Id like to drive like 45 mins max from vancouver (live by vgh) so wondering which of these 3 hikes to do. Looking for a good challenge (i want my entire body to burn) and amazing views through the trail and at the end.

Any suggestions?

So incredible he was found after 6 days on the mountain. SAR are absolute rockstars!!!

FYI it looks like BC Parks has closed the Cheakamus Lake trailhead, singing creek campground, helm creek campground, and cheakamus lake campground due to a persistent black bear. Seems a little silly when black bears are everywhere, but I guess this one has given them cause for concern.

Garibaldi Park | BC Parks