St Mark's Summit Day Hike

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If you have been living in Vancouver for a while but have not done this hike, your loss is big!

 Distance: 11km (round trip)
Elevation gain: 460m
Highest point: 1370m
Hiking time: 3-4 hours (break excluded)
Pace: Intermediate (micro-break)

St Mark's Summit trail is part of the Howe Sound Crest trail that stretches for 29km from Cypress Bowl to Porteau Cove.

From the Cypress downhill parking lot, head towards the nearby skilift  and look for the How Sound Crest trail.

I first took a group of hikers up to this trail in June. Unfortunately, when we got to the viewpoint, we could barely see anything. It was completely cloudy even though the weather forecast said it was partly cloudy -_- The St Mark's summit's viewpoint was not high enough so we were trapped in the middle of the cloud blanket.

After waiting for an hour for the clouds to clear, we eventually decided to head back without any proper views :(

A month later, I decided to give it another try. This time, I learnt my lesson. I chose an entirely clear day to hike up. It took us 1 hour 45 minutes to arrive at the top. With this relatively short distance, the view is incredibly breathtaking, to be honest.





There are 2 spots you can stand to take in the view. The first spot is immediately on the left of the trail. You can't miss it! The second spot , further on, can be seen from the first spot if you look towards the northwest. Since the second viewpoint is more hidden,  it is often less busy and there are more squirrels, birds willing to come out.







You can see Bowen Island in the south, Gambier island northwest, and the Lions in the northeast. If you are early enough and ready for another 3 hour of hiking, you can make it to Unnecessary Mt and the Lions. The lions looks very close by but don't be fooled.

I've heard from other fellow hikers that it is gonna be a long day if we hike the Lions from Cypress. The more popular popular path is from the Lions Bay. The elevation gain is higher but the overall trip is shorter. Up to you!

We returned the parking lot through the logging road which was very open and fully exposed to the sun. It looked stunning with wild yellow flowers and a view of all of Cypress. However, step carefully as the descent is very gravelly so it's easy to loose your footing.


If someone wants to hike this trail with me, I wouldn't mind going back! :)










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