Monthly Archives: March 2016

Quarry Rock

March 30, 2016Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes, North Shoreadmin

Quarry Rock hike is a very popular hike in North Vancouver. It is relatively easy for regular hikers and you will see many people on the trail, including families and runners. The trail starts just off Panorama Drive in Deep Cove, North Vancouver; and it traverses through Cove Forest. There are many steps, boardwalks and bridges, which make the trail family-friendly. On my route today, I took the regular trail to the viewpoint at Quarry Rock, but then on my return, I took a trail north to Indian River Drive, where it then turns west. Most people will follow the same path back and that is just fine. The trail I took on my return is not very busy and less marked.
Overall, this is a great little hike, especially for families. The parking and crowds would be the only problems I see with this hike.

Here are the stats for the loop (which I took) and the back and forth on the same trail route…

Same Trail Return / Loop
Distance: 4 km / 5km
Low point: 9 m
High point: 130 m / 222 m
Elevation gain: 121 m / 213 m
Cumulative Elevation gain: 325 m / 411 m
Trailhead: 49° 19’ 48.4” by 123° 56’ 59.4” (Google Map)

Here is the loop route…

Here are some photos from the viewpoint…

Bridge and Boardwalk…

Bridge over creek…

Stairs…

Steps on Trail

Trail pics…

★★★★★★★★★★★

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.

★★★★★★★★★★★

Past Featured Photos of the Week

March 27, 2016Buntzen Lake Blogadmin

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 31 July 2016
– by Desiree Mark

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 24 July 2016
– by Cam Lee

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 17 July 2016
– by Gerta Heba

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 3 July 2016
– by @maybe.lynn

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 26 June 2016
– by Bob Hare

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 19 June 2016
– by Bob Hare

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 12 June 2016
– by Diane Swartzberg

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 5 June 2016
– by Jonathan Andrade Cordova

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 29 May 2016
– by VanCityWild

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 22 May 2016
– by Bob Hare

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 15 May 2016 – by Lauren Wolfe

A photo posted by Lauren (@lw0lfe) on May 3, 2016 at 3:23pm PDT

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 8 May 2016
– by Melissa Nietschmann

A photo posted by Melissa Nietschmann (@mnietschyxo) on May 2, 2016 at 8:23pm PDT

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 1 May 2016 – by Bob Hare

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 24 April 2016 – by Rafael Rosiello

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 17 April 2016 – by Evgeny Demin

Can’t get enough of this #view #mountains #lake #nature

A photo posted by Demin © (@demin.ca) on Mar 6, 2016 at 9:41am PST

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 10 April 2016
– by Andy Gibb (Flickr)

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 3 April 2016
– by Grant Mattice (Flickr)

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 27 March 2016
– by Janet Slater (Website)

Featured Photo of the Week Starting 20 March 2016
– by Bill Boyd (Flickr Page)

Upper Shannon Falls

March 25, 2016Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes, Squamish - Whistler - Pembertonadmin

Upper Shannon Falls is the 3rd highest waterfall in British Columbia and the hike to the top is well worth it. Today, we parked in the Shannon Falls Parking lot, but you can also park in the parking lot for the Sea to Sky Gondola, a short distance to the north. The initial part of the trail is shared with the trail for the Stawamus Chief hike. If you park in the Shannon Falls parking lot, you can see the bottom of the falls before your ascent. The trail is well maintained by BC Parks and there a few bridges to cross. Sections of the trail are steep, with some parts having nicely placed cobbles for steps. We did this hike in March 2016 and the trail was quite busy. I would imagine a summer weekend would be very busy there.

The trail rises steeply and there are a couple of viewpoints before the top. There is also a section of the falls, where you can get very close (but not too close). There is also a nice pool of water in the creek, where you could go in – in the summer, but I would imagine the water is very cold all year. At the top, you are rewarded with an amazing view of the end of Howe Sound, the Stawamus Chief and Squamish. The bluff at the top is a large area and accommodates many many people.

The stats:

Distance: 7.4 km (return)
Time: 5.5 hours (lots of breaks)
Low point: 3 m
High point: 485 m
Elevation gain: 482 m
Cumulative Elevation gain: 820 m
Trailhead: 49° 40’ 18.6” by 123° 09’ 35.2” (Google Maps and Navigation)

The route with downloadable gpx…

View from the top…

The falls from the bottom…

Bridge over Olesen Creek…

Squamish River Estuary…

Another Bridge…

Cascading Water…

Junction…

Many People at the top…

Olesen Creek…

Sea to Sky Gondola…

Pool of water…

Another Bridge…

Rope for Assistance…

Steep Section…

The Chief Overlooking Squamish…

Trail pic…

Waterfall…

Full Flickr photo album of hike here… https://flic.kr/s/aHsktHWSzp

★★★★★★★★★★★

Fishing

March 20, 2016Buntzen Lake Blogadmin

Like many Metro Vancouver lakes, Buntzen Lake is regularly stocked with rainbow trout by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC in the Spring (March to June) and Fall (September to November). Stocked rainbow trout are typically between 12 and 14 inches and 250 grams. Buntzen Lake is also inhabited by a native population of cutthroat trout and other coarse fish such as northern pikeminnow; small kokanee are also present. Trout fishing is best during spring and fall, while anglers often find coarse fish plentiful in the summer with a possibility of hooking some trout in deeper water.

Fishing off a pier at Buntzen Lake…

Fishing from a boat at Buntzen Lake…

Westwood Plateau Hiking

March 17, 2016Non-Buntzen Lake Hikes, Other Metro Vancouveradmin

There are some great little hiking trails all around Northeast Coquitlam, specifically Westwood Plateau. One hike I do regularly starts from Bramble Park, goes down to David Avenue and then west on David Avenue – a trail starts just west of Forest Park Way and heads upwards beside West Noons Creek. At the top of the residential development, there are a couple of ways to go. I decided to go down Hickory Drive and start heading up again at the Reservoir at the end of Hickory Drive. From there, you head up many mountain biking trails until you reach the large cell tower at the top. I make my way onto a gravel road and head southeast, eventually reaching Eagle Mountain Drive and then onto the Eagle Mountain Park driveway. Heading north for a bit, I pass the first field and turn right, heading down a path towards Westwood Plateau Golf Course. Eventually reaching Parkway Boulevard and finding the trail again on the other side. There are again many choices for trails in here and I find myself choosing different options each time. Heading down, I eventually reach Panorama Drive and head back towards Bramble Park.

Here are the stats for this route:

Distance: 10 km (return)
Time: 2 hours
Low point: 177 m
High point: 459 m
Elevation gain: 282 m
Cumulative Elevation gain: 518 m

Here’s a PDF of Coquitlam trails from the City HERE

The route:

Some photos on the hike:

Viewpoints…

Looking south towards Lafarge Lake…