One of the more popular hikes in Vancouver is St. Mark’s Summit in Cypress Provincial Park. However, once you hike past the crowds you will continue on to the Howe Sound Crest Trail. This amazing 29km trail has the most spectacular views of the Howe Sound and varies greatly in terrain, including the iconic peak of The Lions.
We embarked on our excursion on a hot August long weekend. We stocked up on as much water as we could carry and started our adventure at Cypress Mountain.
Once we pushed past St. Mark’s, we had our sites on Mt. Unnecessary. It is aptly named for its unnecessary and unavoidable elevation gains and losses. Enjoy taking in the beauty before it gets really challenging, especially carrying overnight packs. Soon after we stopped to take a bunch of photos (featured below), I decided to put my camera away after it struck a rock I was climbing up.
Things got progressively more challenging as the terrain became more sketchy and we became more fatigued. The trail from Mt. Unnecessary to The Lions peaks seemed endless. We were hoping to reach the plateau above Enchantment Lake after The Lions, but it was getting dark quickly and we were all extremely hungry. We finally reached The Lions as the sun was disappearing so we decided to set up camp right between the two peaks. This became the highlight of our trip. We ate our dinner as we overlooked the city on one side, while on the other side stars began to appear above the waves of distant mountains. Sleeping between the peaks of The Lions was quite the experience.
Waking up in the morning, we snapped a few more photos while one of our friends decided to scramble up the West Lion. Camping between the peak of the Lions was an extremely rewarding experience.
Have you ever hiked The Lions of the Howe Sound Crest Trail? We’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below!
Hikers: Devon, Josie, Kevin and Nick
For more detailed information about The Lions and Howe Sound Crest Trail, please visit outdoorvancouver.ca
All photos by me, Josie.