10 Beginner Hikes Around Vancouver to Work on Gaining Elevation

This is a list of 10 hikes to work on gaining elevation around the Vancouver area. This purpose of this article is to help anyone looking to climb harder, and longer and to taller mountains. This list has trails located within North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Coquitlam, Squamish, Abbotsford, and Mission.

I’ve always wanted to climb high as a beginner but have struggled with gaining the physical strength to help me get there. I’ve had issues with cardiovascular endurance since I was a kid with asthma. I ended up pushing myself through it by running as much and as hard as I could to eventually overcome it but have still continued to struggle to gain more endurance.

Cardiovascular endurance for elevation gain is something I’ve been working on in order to tackle longer and taller hikes. I’ve done long-distance running, CrossFit, weightlifting, yoga, pilates and HIIT training to work on endurance but nothing seemed to really push it past my own limits.

I’ve realized now that the only thing that can help you climb high is to…climb high! A LOT! Who would’ve thought? This is not to say that all those various exercising regimes didn’t help me in this process but if you want to get used to elevation you need to gain a lot of it and consistently too.

Personally, elevation kicks my butt every time. Here I am trying to normalize heavy panting on trails. But gaining elevation easily and without issue is key in transitions from being a Beginner to an Intermediate level hiker.

To get better at gaining elevation I have noted the best hikes around Vancouver and some just outside of the area for tackling the grind. I discluded some popular hikes like the Grouse Grind and Saint Mark’s Summit from this list because it’s either too heavily trafficked, it’s expensive to do, and the energy on the trail is not kind.

There are better and brighter hikes around Vancouver that are equally as noteworthy! These are my go-to hikes when I want to work on gaining elevation quickly, cardiovascular endurance, and lower body strength.

PS: These hikes have great views as well, so they are well worth the effort!

Before exploring the great outdoors, please review the Leave No Trace principles. To help protect the natural beauty of our wilderness areas, it's our responsibility to ensure we have as little impact on the areas we visit as possible.

Remember to plan ahead and prepare, hike and camp on durable surfaces, dispose of waste properly, leave what you find, respect wildlife, stay on designated trails, and be considerate of other visitors. 

Remember to Prep, Pack, and Protect

• Use this guide on How to Prep for a Hike to help plan your trek with ease.
• Remember to pack the ten essentials + extras that you need for your hike.
• Do your part to protect the great outdoors and make the Leave No Trace principles a priority on every hike.

How difficult are these hikes?

These hikes have been selected based on the fact they are steep, shorter hikes, meant to focus on gaining elevation quickly for high-intensity training. I’ve defined these hikes as either “Easy” or “Moderate” which I defined as:

• Easy, 5-8 kilometres (3-5 miles) and under 500m of elevation.
• Moderate, 9-12 kilometres (6-9 miles), between 500m and 1000m of elevation

Hikes will begin to get harder above 400m elevation. If gaining elevation is a difficult task for you, spend time hiking around the elevation level you want to exceed. This will make it easier to push yourself to the next level.

Please remember that difficulty is ultimately determined by your personal ability. This rating system is based on beginner personal ability, and fitness level. Only YOU can determine whether these trails are truly "Easy" or "Moderate", and I encourage you to do so for yourself! 

How are these hikes helpful for gaining elevation?

You will notice that although some of these hikes are shorter than others I’ve defined them as more difficult. This is because of the slope or climbing grade of the hike. 

To calculate the grade you must divide the amount of elevation gained in metres by the distance travelled (one way) x 100% (for the percentage).

You can also use online tools like TrailsNH to give you more information on the difficulty of the slope.

Hike	Difficulty	Total Distance	Elevation Gain	Grade	Location
BCMC Trail	Moderate	3.1km	789m	25.5%	North Vancouver
Coquitlam Crunch	Easy	6.1km	258m	8.6%	Coquitlam
Pump Peak	Easy-Moderate	7.2km	474m	13.5%	Mount Seymour Provincial Park
Stawamus Peak	Easy-Moderate	6.0km	654m	19.8%	Squamish
Sumas Super Grind (Baker’s Grind)	Moderate	3.9km	907m	47.7%	Abbotsford
79 Grind Trail	Easy-Moderate	5.3km	556m	20.6%	Mission
Raven’s Bluff	Easy	4.0km	360m	18%	Mission
Abby Grind	Easy	3.5km	438m	12.5%	Abbotsford
Munro Lake Lookout Trail	Moderate	4.2m	628m	29.9%	Pinecone Burke Provincial Park
Hollyburn Peak via Winter Access Trail	Easy	6.3km	424m	6.7%	Cypress Provincial Park

BCMC Trail

Trail Info: This trail is a great alternative to the popular Grouse Grind which is just a trail over. Just as tough and a bit longer this trail is a fantastic grind itself. Lots of stairs and switchbacks lead you up to Grouse Mountain, like Grouse Grind, but you’ll have to walk a bit further to get the same views at the top. Unlike Grouse Grind you can descend this route instead of taking the gondola down, however, depending on how bad your legs are shaking the gondola might be a good idea to take down.

Coquitlam Crunch

Trail Info: An easy trail located right in Coquitlam, you can see the trail from the Port Mann Bridge. This is a nice quick grind that’s easily accessible by foot, bus or car. Although it’s very exposed and does not have any tree cover, there are a few ledges you need to walk over and after each one you conquer there’s always another to climb. This trail is moderately to heavily trafficked on most days but most people are just taking a stroll along the Crunch and not proceeding to the top, so feel free to pass. If you want a harder challenge try staying on the left trail and avoid taking the staircase, also try doing some sprints up the hill to get your legs and lungs on fire!

Pump Peak

Trail Info: The trail to Pump Peak is a very rocky climb up, requiring hikers to constantly pay attention to their footing. You can also camp out on some of the peaks you’ll pass by on your way to the top, you’ll also pass Brockton viewpoint. Hiking boots are a must on this one, trekking poles may also help but may also get in the way of some of the scrambling. After you get above 200m you’ll start to see the mountains. You’re rewarded with some amazing views at the end of your hike after some scrambling to the top of Pump Peak. If you’re feeling up to it you can continue on the trail to two other peaks, Tim Jones Peak and the summit of Mount Seymour.

Stawamus Peak

Trail Info: One of the most popular and well-known trails in Squamish, Stawamus Peak is an awesome bun burner! You can do the loop if you’re looking to bag all three peaks in quick succession or you can easily proceed straight back down if you just want to check out the first. The views are the best on the second and third peaks so they are definitely worth the short grind up further. This can be a very busy trail during down time but I still think it’s a great hike for practicing gaining elevation. If you’re a complete hiking novice be aware that there are some steeper areas with lots of stairs, ladders, and chains and some areas that require you to use your hands to hike.

Sumas Super Grind (Baker’s Grind)

Trail Info: This trail is a really great quick workout with a reward of awesome views at its end. You’ll get the best view if you climb another 100m past the end of the marked trail to Baker’s Rock. Though this trail is a shorter distance to Sumas Mountain, this route offers much more elevation gain. It can be slippery in some areas be mindful when hiking after a rain or snowstorm. Parking at the trailhead can be tricky to find but there are about 3-4 spots near the trailhead off a gravel sideroad.

79 Grind Trail

Trail Info: This is a beautiful grind near Stave Falls, about a kilometre in you’ll also pass a waterfall on your way up the trail. The City of Mission built a lookout platform below Rockwell Knob which is at the end of this trail. It makes a perfect picnic or camping spot at the top. On a bluebird day, you can see all the way to Mt. Baker! There is a parking lot for this trail near the Stave Falls dam.

Raven’s Bluff

Trail Info: Don’t underestimate this short hike it’s a tough one! After the first couple of kilometres, there are a lot of technical areas that are steep on both the ascent and descent. Hiking boots are recommended here, and if you prefer, also trekking poles. There can be a lot of bugs in this area so make sure you’re packing bug spray, also there have been some reports of ticks on this trail so make sure you check yourself and your furry friends before you drive home.

Abby Grind

Trail Info: Another great leg-burning hike to do on Sumas Mountain! The best time to hike this trail is during the fall so you get to see the prettiest colours amongst the trees. There is a firing range nearby the trailhead so don’t. be alarmed if you hear gunshots. It can also be quite dry and dusty during the summer so be sure to bring plenty of water and sunglasses for protection.

Munro Lake Lookout Trail

Trail Info: This trail is a hidden gem as it’s not moderately trafficked at all, it starts off the side of a back road into a heavily forested area. The incline is a steady leg burner throughout the hike with only a few spots to take breaks. There’s a lower and upper lookout point on the trail to catch some views, you can see all the way to Langley from each point. The trail route on AllTrails can be misleading, the trail has been rerouted by markers and a well-made path of switchbacks. Follow the markers and watch out for any signs of bears as this trail has multiple wild berry bushes!

Hollyburn Peak via Winter Access Trail

Trail Info: Hollyburn Peak is more accessible and less trafficked via the Winter Access Trail year-round. You can park at the Cypress Park lot and take the trail from there but during the winter the trail will be heavy with snow and moderately trafficked during the summer. Trekking poles and spikes will be helpful in the winter. It’s a great trail to slowly gain elevation and give your legs and glutes a workout! It’s not heavily forested so you’ll be under the sun for most of the hike. Try to go for it during a bluebird day and views at the top will be awesome.

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