Kennedy Falls and Big Cedar Trail - WINTER

Location: Lynn Valley, North Vancouver, BC, Canada 
Distance: 10 km (round trip) 
Time: 4 - 4.5 hours 
Elevation: 150 m 




February 17 2018, 

There are two ways to access the trail leading to the falls so we picked the easier of the two, the one starting at the top of Mountain Highway.

It's easy to access by bus. If you decide to drive, there is a sign that will not allow you to park any further up the hill at a certain location because of how busy it has gotten in the past for local residences. Fromme is known to be one of the best places to mountain bike in North Vancouver.

Keep walking up Mountain Highway until you reach a yellow gate at the top. Past this is old Mountain Highway which you continue along. You will see paths coming in from your left. Those are the ends of mountain bike runs. If you keep going you will pass a big parking lot for mountain bikers. You have to continue up the main path for a little bit further. About 500 meters up the path there is a turnoff to the right called Big Cedar Trail. There is a section junction later, Kickford trail junction, where you have to stick to the right to remain on Big Cedar Trail. If you're on the right path, you should eventually cross a wooden bridge.

There isn't a lot of elevation gain. For the most part it rolls up and down, crossing small streams and dense foliage. It's really the terrain that makes this trail challenging. It has been getting more popular in recent years so we didn't bother bringing snowshoes, assuming correctly that the trail would be pretty packed down.

Lesson #1: Wear gaiters. There are some deeper sections depending on how open the canopy is so how much snow got through. I didn't wear any and after a while of digging the snow from inside my boots, I decided to just deal with wet socks. They were merino wool so they stayed pretty warm even though they were soaked through by the end of it.

View from Big Cedar Trail across Lynn Creek

A few spots from the trail give you some quick peeks across Lynn Creek. The day we went was slightly foggy but we could still see the outlines of trees on the other side.

Lesson #2: When researching this hike, it was mentioned that the trail might be hard to follow because of the markers. While it is clearly marked with small orange circles either nailed into the tree, or bright coloured ribbons attached to branches, sometimes the snow can cover them up so if you are the first one out like we were, take your time in finding the next marker so you don't get too far off trail.

More than halfway through the hike you will come across the biggest cedar you have ever seen. It is four metres in diameter. It is one of the last trees from the old growth forest from before the clear cutting.

Fun Fact: It is hypothesized that Lynn Valley could have housed the tallest tree in the world, a Douglas Fir that stood at 125 m. But it was logged as the town started developing. There are even stories of hikers who have gone astray and return with stories of having seen 5 meter wide trees deep in Lynn Valley's forest. However, there have been no documented trees in Vancouver over 4 m.

Big Cedar - one of the last old growth trees in Lynn Valley

There are two trails on the other side, one heads to the right and veers sharply downward to the creek where it will meet up with Lynn Headwaters but it's the left one you want to take to get you to the falls.

You should hear the sound of the falls soon after but be careful as there were a few slippery sections for us close to the end. It gets quite cold down by the cascading water so be sure to throw on a warm coat before eating your snacks and taking awesome photos. 

Kennedy Falls

We left at 9:15 a from the top of Mountain Highway and there weren't a lot of hikers on the trail. The only ones we saw were on the way back. It could be that it was unpopular that day and most of the snow was starting to turn to slush. A few times when your feet sank too far down, we ended up also sinking through a few inches of mud as well.

Injury count: 
- while going under a snow laden branch, I hit my forehead against a log jutting out of the snow

Elfin Lakes - WINTER

Location: Squamish, BC, Canada 
Distance: 22 km (round trip) 
Time: 10 hours (4 in, 6 out)
Elevation: 600 m



January 20-21 2018

With the risk of heavy snowfall accompanying my first time snow camping, we brought two shovels and a probe in case the moderate avalanche risk proved dangerous. We were all so excited for this snow-filled adventure.


When the roads became slushy we threw on our new chains and kept pushing on. Our good old RAV had a few areas of trouble where the snow was too slippery and the incline too steep but after a few tries of backing away for a run up and givin' it, we finally made it to the top parking lot. (We could also have parked further below the tough sections and hiked up farther so it wouldn't have meant the end of the trip.)

It was a bit of a struggle in the beginning trying to figure out the right combination of clothing. We had our ski goggles with us which came in handy with the bright snow farther up, a buff which also helped in the harsher winds above by protecting our cheeks, among other things.

The trails were a mixture of snowshoers like us, as well as back country skiers. There are nothing like BC trails, where you greet everyone you meet, if not start a full conversation with them.

Figuring out the best clothing choice for a steady climb

It wasn't long until we hit Red Hether, the halfway point, for lunch. We had to pack into the small cabin full of overnighters and daytrippers. There was a group of rangers just finishing up a quick course on avalanche safety, but we did manage to get into a raffle. Unfortunately, we did not win the cask of beer, but we did walk away with a few avalanche stickers.

The second half of the journey was a bit tougher. The fog was starting to roll in and the trail wasn't as packed down as the first leg. The first incline brought us past many back country skiers who used the slope for day skiing. At the top, the path paralleled the curve of the mountain (which was a little nerve racking at times because there was the mountain on one side of the ledge and nothing but air on the other.)

Then we got up over the ridge and descended down to Elfin Lakes. There was only one section that proved difficult, which we learned had been coined "Crash Hill" from other backpackers. We all took a tumble, some more heavily than others. A water bottle was almost lost but after checking the deep gouges we had made while sliding down that section, we managed to retrieve it.

Though we were tired when we arrived at the cabin, we knew we had to put up our tents first, before it got dark. We settled on digging out a nice area in front of the cabin. There was another group off to the side closer to the lake who were building a quinzee, a snow shelter.

(There is no picture of the cabin because the weather was foggy and dreary so it wouldn't have turned out very nice. For all our efforts we did not get a good photo of Elfin Lake, which means we will have to go back this summer!)

Elfin Lake Cabin Review - 5/5 stars!!!

The first floor had six tables to sit at, a furnace to warm up/dry clothes off, a propane stove and even a few large pots used only for drinking water. Upstairs were bunk beds. This is a reserved sleeping arrangement, which we didn't book since we were committed to sleeping outside for the night. But I would definitely recommend it to anyone a little weary of sleeping in the snow. It will also decrease the load in your backpack since you can get rid of your tent.

Things got interesting during dinner. We were in the cabin getting warm and dry when the ranger came through to speak to all the groups. We were going to get 30 cm of snow overnight and it pushed the avalanche danger from moderate to high. She tried to convince us all to wait another night here until the weather became more stable to go home, but no one was willing to stay until Monday. So we all finally agreed to leave the following morning as one big group.

Tip #1: It sounds counterproductive, but when using a down sleeping bag, you should actually sleep with the least amount of clothes possible. I didn't think this could be true until that night but it does.

30 cm dump of snow overnight

The craziest thing about snow camping is how your mindset has to change. You don't have to be worried if you bring a little bit of snow into your tent because your tent's temperature will always remain so low that it won't melt. The only place that it could turn to water would be inside your sleeping bag.

I woke up in the middle of the night to my doorway being more than halfway covered. I was a little nervous for my tent because it's a basic MEC Camper 2 tent so it's not spouted as being used for snow camping. So when the sides started coming in because of the weight of the snow pressing in, I had visions of the sides ripping and getting buried in snow.

But it managed to hang in there.

For the journey back, we organized ourselves in a line, with heavier people in the rear and lighter people in the front so that less energy would be spent on breaking. There were certain points the snow would come up to mid thigh! The back country skiers were the first in line because they could float on the snow more than the snowshoers.

At times big gusts of wind would come through and we had to stick our poles in to keep from falling over. Our goggles came in handy because, without them, we would have been left squinting against the harsh breeze.

Using our poles to keep from falling over in the gusts of wind

What really added to the length of the time it took us to get home, was the precautions we took in case of an avalanche. In those sections we crossed with along the steep ledges that made us nervous coming in, we walked back one person every twenty or so meters so if one person was taken away in an avalanche, the next person in line would be safe to go help them. son was taken away in an avalanche, the next person in line would be safe to go help them.

Once we reached Red Hether, it was pretty easy from there on out. There were already new snowshoers and skiers coming up and they gave us a pretty easy path to follow back down the mountain.

Lesson #1: I will never go on such a demanding snow trip until I have taken an avalanche safety course. It's easy to brush things like that off by saying it will never happen to me, but it's something that everyone should know to keep us safe when we're off on our fun adventures. 

Injury count:
- sore knees

Juan de Fuca Trail - WINTER

Location: Vancouver Island, BC, Canada 
Distance: 47 km
Time: 21 hours
Elevation: 25 m



This multi-day backpacking trip along the West Coast of Vancouver Island can be done within 3-5 days. There are multiple trail heads to start your hike along Highway 14. On the far east side is China Beach. 27 km in from the East is Sombrio Beach (which includes a campground), a popular spot for local surfers. At 37 km is Parkinson which is not a campground so you can choose to do a nice day hike by continuing west, or do the longer overnight trek to the east. On the far west side in Botanical Beach.

It is typical to park at one end of the trail and once you get to the other side, hitchhike back or take the West Coast Trail Express shuttle (which costs $30 per person). Or if you can organize with another car, have one vehicle at each end of the trip.

You pay for camping in advance, which costs $10 per person/night or $5 per person/night for persons 15 years of age and under. You can register online or pay with self-registration envelopes at the trail head (it will come with a slip to put in the dashboard of your car).

Going East to West, here at the possible campsites, each one with its own outhouse, bear cache and water source:

1. Mystic Beach - 2.2 km
2. Bear Beach - 10 km
3. Chin Beach - 21 km
4. Sombrio Beach - 27 km
5. Little Kuitshe Creek - 33 km
6. Payzant Creek - 40 km

Note: Only Little Kuitshe Creek and Payzant Creek are not on the beach.

There are major tide problem areas along this trail so it is important to learn how to use the tide tables before the start of the trip. Tables will be posted along the way but it is still recommended to print one out to carry with you:

1. Bear Beach east - 8.7 km
2. Chin Beach east - 20.6 km
3. Chin Beach west - 21.3 km
4. Sombrio Beach east - 28 km
5. Sombrio Beach west - 29.6 km
6. West of West Sombrio Bluff - 30.2 km

Note: At high tide there is an alternate forest route available for Chin Beach west, and a slop failure at Sombrio Beach west has made the alternate trail inaccessible from the east end.

February 21-23 2018,



Originally we had planned to do this in four days from East to West, sleeping at Bear Beach, Chin Beach, and Sombrio Beach. We slept the night before the start of our hike at French Beach, a provincial park, that is a ten minute drive away from the China Beach trail head. That way we wouldn't have to worry about ferries and travel delay on the day of the hike.

Since we did the trip in late February, high tide was at 9 AM/PM and low tide was at 3 PM. By the end of the trip we agreed that this was ideal as we needed to cross many of the tide problem spots in the afternoon.

Day 1 - China Beach to Bear Beach (10km)

A waterfall off the rock slabs at Mystic Beach.

We left the China Beach trail head at 10 AM. The first 2 km to Mystic Beach were relatively moderate. It's a popular trail for a day hike so it's well maintained. The beach is pretty with waterfalls coming down from the large slabs of rock.

As soon as we moved past it, it began to snow (one of the downsides to hiking in winter) but it was light so we stayed dry. Other than the people at the beach, we didn't see anyone else for the rest of the day. Spoiler, we didn't see any backpackers on the trails our entire time out there.

Crossing some snow covered logs over the river.

We arrived at Bear Beach at 3 PM. The best campsite on Bear Beach is one of the furthest west. So if you have the energy, I highly recommend you get over there. You have to cross a couple streams which can be a bit tricky, but the outhouse is newer, and much more accessible in the middle of the night when you don't want to be crawling over rocks.

We knew we hit jackpot when we found a stack of wood under a makeshift bench at the campsite, as well as newspaper and an axe. We tried to make a fire but it was too damp for anything but smoke. But we gave it a fair shot. 

We were able to set up our tents under a thick canopy of branches so we weren't even bothered by the snow. Since it was so cold, it didn't matter whether we kept the tent door open so we could watch the sunrise right from our sleeping bags. There were also no bugs to deal with so only a few snowflakes made their way in.

Day 2 - Bear Beach to Sombrio Beach (17km)

We left at 8:30 AM from Beach Beach. The tide was high but there was no problem getting around the last bit of Bear Beach since we had passed the tide problem area the day before. To get back onto the path we had to cross a small stream with a riverbed of clay which was very slippery. But we took small steps and made it across.

Already climbing back out of a ravine.

This stretch of the trail is considered the most difficult. I was worried that it meant technically difficult with lots of mud patches and scrambling sections, but the rating mostly comes from the amount of uphill and downhill you have to do. You are constantly climbing out of ravines to get over a hill, then going back down to cross a bridge. We read that there were supposed to be thirteen of these ups and downs but we quickly lost count because sometimes the trail wouldn't go completely down to a ravine before skirting a rough area and going straight back up again.


The trail has not been cleared since the previous spring so there were many trees that had fallen onto the path, as well as broken steps or planks gone on bridges. There were three immense trees that were exceptionally difficult to get around. Not only were they at least one and a half meters in diameter, they were also so thick with branches that they couldn't be climbed over. Instead we had to get creative with bushwhacking around. 

The emergency shelter at Chin Beach is quite nice. We took a quick peak inside when we passed. There were two bunks up high and what appeared to be another one under one of the bunks.

Chin Beach was beautiful but we hesitated at staying there overnight. Low tide for us occured at 9 AM - right around the time we started every morning - so we didn't want to wait until noon to start the following day. It was really beautiful, though. As we walked down there was even a seal that poked its head out of the water and watched us walk past. Overhead we saw a few eagles and a red plane.

View from West Sombrio Beach campsites.

The second part of the trail wasn't quite as physically demanding as the beginning of the day, but it had more technical sections with marsh, especially when we neared Sombrio Beach. That was tough since we were so tired at that point that we had to slow down to make sure we didn't get hurt. Sombrio Beach pops into sight long before you actually get there because it is so treacherous that it's quite slow.

The first part of the beach is NOT the best place to camp. We almost made that mistake before deciding to venture around the corner where it is so much nicer. The outhouse is better, there are nicer places to put your tent, and there are surfers to watch as you get ready for the night.

We arrived at Sombrio Beach at 4:30 PM.


Day 3 - Sombrio Beach to Botanical Beach (20 km)

We left Sombrio Beach at 8:30 AM. This day was a lot easier than the previous one in terms of elevation gain and loss, but it does have a lot more technically difficult sections with horrible muddy sections where you are hopping from log to log, keeping balance with your poles.

We walked straight through Little Kuitshe Creek campground because it looked a little dismal, hidden within the trees without much light coming through. There is a place to walk out onto the shoreline but after the beautiful spots we camped the previous nights it wasn't very inspiring.

At about halfway through the day, we reached Parkinson which is a place where the trail meets a road coming down from Highway 14. The trail just before and after it is quite nice and flat with minimal mud.

Then we came upon Payzant Creek campground which looked a lot nicer than Little Kuitshe Creek campground, except there isn't a way down to the shore from there. But the creek beside this campground was quite beautiful to cross. If I had to stop overnight, I would have preferred this one over Little Kuitshe Creek because you spend so much of your hiking days right on the coast so one day without is not so bad.

In the last five kilometres of the trail, it did get a little rougher where logs had been brought up by the tide and blocked the trail. We either had to carefully climb over them or find another way around. We arrived at the parking lot on the Botanical Beach side just before 4 PM.