One of the BEST things about British Columbia is the abundant hiking trails! Below are the 5 best hikes near Vancouver you won’t want to miss on your next BC adventure.

5 Best Hikes near Vancouver

1. Lindeman Lake, Chilliwack

I can’t even put into words how beautiful Lindeman Lake is! I loved this lake because it isn’t as busy as some other lakes in British Columbia. There are plenty of spots to sit around the lake without having to be close to anyone.

Lindeman Lake is a glacier-fed lake so the water is freezing cold all year round. Now and then you will hear people scream as they jump into the lake and then you see them get back out within seconds!

Trail Location and Parking

Lindeman Lake is located in Chilliwack and is about a 1 hour and 45-minute drive from Vancouver.

Parking is free although during the summer months and on weekends it does get busy so plan to arrive early morning. In summer the parking lot is full by 10 am!

Hike Distance and Time

It’s a fun hike, with plenty to see including a small waterfall and river on the left of the trail. There are steep parts to the trail where you will need to climb up some rocks.

Depending on your pace, it takes around 45 minutes to get to the lake. It’s a 3.4km roundtrip hike with the highest point at 840 meters.

2. Joffre Lakes, Pemberton

I have been to Joffre Lakes three times all in different seasons. Each time I visited, the colour of the lakes was slightly different and that’s because of the weather.

Trail Location

Joffre Lakes Provincial Park is a two and half hour drive from Vancouver and is located north of Pemberton. It’s a popular hike so you will find many people hiking this trail. There are three lakes you can hike to: the lower lake, the middle, and the upper lake!

If you can, I recommend you hike to all three lakes because each one is uniquely different from the other. I loved the colour of the middle lake the most but I loved the dramatic scenery of the upper lake. The upper lake has an EPIC backdrop of the snowy tall mountains behind! 

Hike Distance and Time

I would plan a whole day to do this hike so that you can spend a good amount of time at each lake. The last time I went to Joffre Lakes we took a bottle of wine, cheese, and crackers and made a charcuterie board at the Upper Lake! It was a reward well earned!

Allow at least around 4-5 hours to do this hike. It is a 10km roundtrip SCENIC hike with the trail being steep in sections.

On the hike, you will see plenty of wildlife such as some chipmunks, squirrels, and friendly Whiskey Jack birds that will eat out of your hand!

3. Jug Island, Belcarra Regional Park

Like any popular hike in British Columbia plan to arrive early morning especially during summer and on the weekends!

I woke up at 6 am and arrived at the parking lot at 7 am (opening time). My husband and I ended up being the only ones on the hike and we had the beach to ourselves for a while. It was a PERFECT morning!

Trail Location

From Vancouver to Belcarra Regional Park it’s about an hour’s drive. If you are using Google Maps you will need to type in Belcarra Picnic Area and this will lead you to the parking lot on Tum Tumay Whueton Drive.

Don’t go on Bedwell Bay Road as this will not lead you to the parking lot instead it will lead you to the start of the trail and there is nowhere to park here.

The trailhead starts across from the parking lot. After crossing the road to get to the trail, take the trail to the left.

Hike Distance and Time

The trail begins steep quite quickly but soon flattens out. It’s like that most of the way where there are steep sections and then it will flatten out. It takes about 40 minutes to get to the beach.

The hike is 5.5km roundtrip so allow 2 hours at least if not more to enjoy some time at the beach. Jug Island itself is not accessible but the trail leads you to the beach that faces you to the island and offers an amazing view of the Indian Arm!

4. Lower Falls, Golden Ears Provincial Park

Golden Ears Provincial Park is a well-known place for hikers and tourists. There are multiple hikes to do here ranging from easy to hard and from short to long.

Day Passes

Visit BC Parks Website to book a day pass to Golden Ears Park for either the morning or the afternoon. The day pass is free but you need to have one to enter the park.

If you book a morning pass you are expected to arrive before 3 pm and if you book an afternoon pass then arrive after 3 pm.

Having a day pass does NOT guarantee you a parking spot so you still need to plan accordingly.

The passes can only be booked on the day you will be visiting and they are available each day starting at 6 am.

I suggest you get on the website at 6 am. I got on at 6:01 am and the morning passes were already booked out and 15 minutes later the afternoon passes had booked out!

Trail Location

Golden Ears Provincial Park is located in Maple Ridge and is about an hour’s drive from Vancouver. Lower Falls trail is the easiest hike that I have mentioned in this blog post and it’s also the shortest hike you can do at Golden Ears Provincial Park.

The trailhead starts from the Gold Creek parking lot and quickly enters the forest. There is a well-trodden path to reach Gold Creek Falls.

After about 10 minutes you will be walking alongside Gold Creek which runs into Alouette Lake. On the left of the trail are many lookout points overlooking the creek.

Hike Distance and Time

The hike is 5.8km roundtrip so allow about 2 hours, an hour there and back plus some time to enjoy at the falls.

If you’re adventurous you can climb down onto the rocks on the left side of the platform and stand on rocks closer to the waterfall to get a better view and better photos.

Keep going upwards past the platform and you will see more little waterfalls and deep emerald green coloured water on top of Gold Creek Falls. You also have an incredible view of Gold Creek!

5. Quarry Rock, Deep Cove

Trail Location, Distance and Time

The Quarry Rock hike is located in Deep Cove, North Vancouver.

It’s a 3.8km roundtrip hike that takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes.

From Vancouver to Deep Cove it is only a half an hour drive. There’s free parking at the parking lot and some off-the-street parking if it’s full.

Quarry Rock Trail

The Quarry Rock trail leads you to a viewpoint of a large rock called Quarry Rock that sits out on the waters of Deep Cove. Here you will have a magnificent panoramic view of the Indian Arm and the Quarry Rock from above.

The trail that will lead you up to this viewpoint is called Baden Powell, and it begins along Panorama Drive just past the park.

Apart from the stairs, the hike is pretty easy. Along the trail, you will see creeks and wooded areas of Douglas Fir and Hemlock trees.

Nature is incredible in British Columbia so most hikes are rewarding! The above 5 best hikes near Vancouver are just the minority of many hikes there are to do in BC!

How about hiking to a gorgeous waterfall?