Monthly Archives: August 2015

Norvan Falls

August 26, 2015Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes, North Shoreadmin

A nice 7 km hike up Lynn Valley on gentle sloping ground will get you to the beautiful Norvan Falls. Norvan Falls is one of Greater Vancouver’s secluded gems; it’s a 30 foot high waterfall set in the depths of the north shore forest. For a little extra workout (which I did today), there is a 2 km parallel side trail that takes you into a more rugged path, 100 m higher than the river path. Alternatively, you can follow the river on a more flat route. When I arrived at the park, there was no space in the 1st or 2nd parking lots, so my trip was 600 m X 2 longer. The stats are for parking at the 3rd lot and taking the 2 km rugged parallel route. The hike starts at Lynn Headwaters Regional Park in North Vancouver.

NOTE: The access road for vehicles is now closed indefinitely. You will have to hike park on the street somewhere and hike into the park.

Distance: 15.5 km (return)
Time: 4.25 hours
Low point: 193 m
High point: 445 m
Elevation gain: 252 m
Cumulative Elevation gain: 840 m
Trailhead: 49° 21’ 40” by 123° 01’ 41.5” (Google Map)

Here is the route…

Here is the beautiful Norvan Falls…

At the entrance to the park, you’ll see the 1908 BC Mills House…

Here are upstream and downstream photos of Lynn Creek…

Along the trails, you’ll find relics of logging operations in the area…

Here is a tree bridge…

Here are two trail photos…

If you reached this suspension bridge, you’ve missed the Norvan Falls turnoff…

Here is a mushroom I found…

★★★★★★★★★★★

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.

★★★★★★★★★★★

Heliotrope Ridge

August 22, 2015Mt. Baker, Non-Buntzen Lake Hikesadmin

Back to the North Cascades in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington. The Heliotrope Ridge trail is very popular and it’s also a climber’s route to summit Baker. This hike offers stunning views of Mount Baker and the Coleman Glacier, as well as many other peaks in the area. The trail is well built and easy to follow – The tricky thing about this hike are the four unbridged stream crossings – they require confident foot steps on the rocks and some hopping. Today, all but one of the stream crossings were quite easy; there was one tricky crossing that required a big rock to rock hop over rushing waters and then some careful stepping on wet rocks. If you are unsure of the crossing, just wait for other hikers to do it and that might give you confidence. If you are very unsure, don’t do it because you cannot be tentative when hoping the rocks. That said, some people made it look very easy and one guy carried small children on his back and he made 4 back and forth trips. The stream levels will be lower on colder days, so you could wait to do it in late September or October for lower stream levels; you can also check out trip reports on the Washington Trails Association website.

Remember – You will need a Northwest Forest Pass, 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 location of the start of the forestry road (NF-39) to the trailhead is HERE

Here are the stats (with a little exploring at the end)

Distance: 8.8 km (return)
Time: 5 hours
Low point: 1109 m
High point: 1679 m
Elevation gain: 570 m
Cumulative Elevation gain: 790 m
Trailhead: 48° 48’ 7.6” by 121° 56’ 44.4” (Google Map)

Here is the route…

Here’s an interesting graphic showing how much the Coleman Glacier has retreated…

Here are the four stream crossings in order…

Here is a view of Mt. Baker from the trail…

The amazing Coleman Glacier…

Detail view of Coleman Glacier…

Some people on the glacier…

A view from the trail opposite direction of Mt. Baker…

There were several volunteers fixing the trail today…

Cool glacial striations (scratches or gouges cut into bedrock by glacial abrasion)…

Nice field of Fireweed…

Waterfalls on other side of Coleman Glacier…

Found these strange spots on this plant…

★★★★★★★★★★★

Joffre Lakes

August 11, 2015Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes, Squamish - Whistler - Pembertonadmin

Joffre Lakes Provincial Park is just north of Pemberton, BC and about 200 km north of Vancouver. This hike features 3 stunningly beautiful glacier-fed turquoise-coloured alpine lakes. If you’re not into hiking, you can see the first lake with a short easy walk. I was in awe of this place – it is so stunning and it should be on everyone’s list. We went on a sunny and hot Tuesday in August. We arrived at the parking lot around 12:00 and it was almost full. There is a pit toilet at the trailhead, so that’s nice ! When our group reached the last lake, we had a quick lunch and then went exploring up the lateral moraine and then down towards the creek. The stats below are to the end of the 3rd lake and back…

Distance: 8.7 km (return)
Time: 6 hours (with plenty of breaks and exploring)
Low point: 1217 m
High point: 1570 m
Elevation gain: 350 m
Cumulative Elevation gain: 575 m
Trailhead: 50° 22’ 10” by 122° 29’ 55” (Google Map)

Here is the route (including some exploring at end)…

Here are four photos of the upper lake…

Someone standing on a log in the middle lake…

On the way up, there is a nice waterfall…

Up close of the glacier…

Strong meltwater flow in the creek…

Great camping spot…

Another nice waterfall near the glacier…

Wildflowers on slope…

★★★★★★★★★★★

Heather Trail

August 1, 2015Manning Park, Non-Buntzen Lake Hikesadmin

Heather Trail (aka Three Brothers Trail) in Manning Park is a very popular hike. Manning Park is a Provincial Park and covers an area of 70,844 hectares (175059 Acres). It is known for its amazing scenery and alpine flowers. To get to Heather trail, follow Highway 3 for about 65 km east past Hope. Turn off the highway and head up an asphalt – then gravel road to the parking lot. To take 1 km off your hike, park at the north end of the parking lot if possible. There are pit toilets at the trailhead. The day we went was hot and sunny. The wild alpine flowers were still in bloom and looked marvelous ! The first 4 km of the trail are downhill (so you know what that means for the last 4 km !!). The grades aren’t too steep on the entire trail – the steepest section is on the approach to the first Brother (of Three Brothers Mountain), which was our destination.

The Stats:

Distance: 19 km (return)
Time: 7.5 hours
Low point: 1793 m
High point: 2272 m
Elevation gain: 479 m
Cumulative Elevation gain: 930 m

Trailhead: 49° 6’ 12” by 120° 45’ 32” (Google Map)
Location to turn off Hwy 3: 49° 3’ 47” by 120° 46’ 57.5” (Google Map)

The route…

Here is the ridgeline to the 1st Brother peak..