You don’t always have to climb to the top of a mountain peak to have a great hiking reward! There are many great beginner hikes in the Lower Mainland that provide an awesome reward.

I have seen a few posts lately about people inquiring about beginner hikes for various reasons. I, myself, am just recovering from an injury so I have had to go back to the beginner hikes to work myself back up. But, let’s face it, sometimes we want to just go out in nature to some really cool spots and not have to put in hours of hard work for it! Whatever your reason for an easier hike I’ve compiled 8 of my favourites. I will start with some flat trails and work up to some beginner trails with some elevation gain.

So here are my top 8 favourite beginner hikes in the Lower Mainland, BC with awesome rewards:

1) Crystal Falls

This is an easy beginner hike along Coquitlam river to a beautiful waterfall! If you are feeling adventurous you can also hike up along the side of the waterfall up to some nice little swimming holes or quiet areas to hang out for lunch. 7km round-trip hike (1.5 hrs-2 hrs hiking time). Directions to >>CRYSTAL FALLS. << are here. Parking is on the side of the road.

2) Lower Falls

This hike is a mainly flat trail at Golden Ears Park in Maple Ridge, BC. This is a beautiful walk along Gold Creek through the forest full of mossy trees. 5.4 km round trip hike to a powerful waterfall (1.5hrs-2hrs hiking time). If it is warm out, you have tons of options for some good swimming spots! The hike starts from the Gold Creek day use parking lot, take the “Lower Falls Trail”. Directions to >> LOWER FALLS TRAIL<< here. NOTE: you could opt to make this hike a loop trail by cutting over to the East Canyon trail on the way back if you desired; which would also be considered a beginner hike!

3) Dog Mountain

Dog Mountain is a beginner hike with some ups and downs but minimal elevation gain. It is up Mt. Seymour in North Vancouver, BC. You need to pay attention to your footing on this hike as there are a lot of tree roots on the trail. This trail is great for year round. In the winter it is an awesome beginner snow-shoeing trail. The viewpoint you hike to is spectacular as you have already driven up part of the mountain. 5km roundtrip hike (~2hrs hiking time). Directions to >> DOG MOUNTAIN. <<

4) Quarry Rock

This one is a nice scenic hike in North Vancouver (Deep Cove), that offers beautiful views of the Indian Arm. 3.8 km round trip (1.5 hours hiking time). It is a good short workout with an elevation gain of 100m. In the summer, I would recommend kayaking down at Deep Cove before or after the hike for an added adventure (rentals available). Parking can be tricky here, if you cannot find parking in the main lots you can drive back up some of the nearby side roads and park there. Directions to the Quarry rock trailhead can be found here: >> QUARRY ROCK.<< For more information check out my blog post: “Quarry Rock Sunset Hike“.

5) Buntzen Lake Loop

Buntzen lake has many amazing trails to accomplish including a great beginner hike around the lake. This trail can be hiked year round. In the summer you can find your own private swimming spots on your route or enjoy a nice lunch break at North beach. The hike starts at South beach where the main parking lot is. It is up to you which side you want to start at. The hike is 8km with 100m elevation (around 3 hours to complete). If you want to make this hike shorter and easier I would suggest hiking on the right side to North Beach and walking back from the same side, as this side is a bit shorter and easier than the other side. Make sure you arrive early in the summer months otherwise the parking lot may be full. Directions to Buntzen lake are here: >> BUNTZEN LAKE.<<

6) Bowen Lookout Trail

Here is a great beginner hike for an amazing view of Bowen Island and the sunshine coast! Also, a great spot to catch a sunset. The hike is pretty quick 4.6km with 110m elevation gain (around 1.5 hours round trip to complete). The first half is easy and then becomes steep at the end but just as your heart begins to race you realize it’s over! This one is a little preview of what to expect if you were to come back and head up further to St. Marks Summit. The trail begins just past the ski lodge up at Cypress Mountain, West Vancouver. Directions to the trailhead can be found here: >> BOWEN LOOKOUT. <<

7) Minnekhada Regional Park

This is a great park for a customizable hike. It is located in Coquitlam, BC. If you want to keep the hike mainly flat you can opt to do the loop that goes through the forest and through the beautiful marsh OR I recommend you add the short but fairly steep trail up to High Knoll (180m elevation), which will give you a beautiful view of Pitt Meadows/Pitt lake. The park has a total of 10km of trail and only takes around 2 hours to complete. Below is the view up at High Knoll. Directions to the trailhead are here: >>MINNEKHADA REGIONAL PARK<<. For more information and photos check out my previous blog post “Minnekhada hike to High Knoll“.

8) Lynn Loop

At Lynn Headwaters park in North Vancouver, you can find this relatively easy loop trail. 5.1km round trip with 160m elevation gain. Walking along the river is the easier flat side of the loop and the forest side of the loop has some ups and downs. I recommend doing the forest side of the loop first and finding a cool private spot along the creek to hang out at on your way back! Lynn Creek is very beautiful and even in the busy summer months, you can still manage to find your own hang-out spot away from the crowds. Directions to Lynn Headwaters can be found here: >>LYNN HEADWATERS<<.

NOTE: These are just brief descriptions of these trails, for more detailed information and detailed maps check out “www.vancouvertrails.com” and/or the app “all trails”.