There are some great websites online (www.vancouvertrails.com & www.outdoorvancouver.ca) and information around for hikes in the Vancouver area with a lot of up to date details including directions, maps, and a forum to ask questions. For any hike, no matter the difficulty, you should always plan it fully from different sources.

I’ve put together a selection of trails that I have completed so far and given some additional details and insights that you may find useful when planning your hike or trail run.  Each review has a variety of information, that I will explain below, along with an elevation graph and some pictures of each hike I have taken.

 

Difficulty: The overall level of the hike.

Terrain: Some key information about the trail type to give you a better idea of the difficulty and what type of shoes would be best suited.

Distance: The overall length of the hike from start to finish.  Most will end at the starting point, others may be only one direction or loops.

Gain: The total accumulation of height in meters  – use the elevation graph to understand the gradient over the distance covered.

Time: A rough estimate depending on your ability and how much you stop.

Trail Running: What kind of level of trail running you should be at to comfortably ‘run’ the route.  Easy = walking up hills or able to jog steady inclines.  Advanced = able to run technical and steep inclines without stopping.

Views: An idea of views along the route and at the finish.

Top Essentials Required: I will list all the key essentials I recommend for the hike and location. See the Hiking and trail running tips page for these.