North Shore Extended Triple Crown
Vancouver is often considered one of the most liveable cities in the world, and there is no question that its magnificent mountainous backdrop plays a part in this. Nowhere else in the world is a populous urban centre bounded by such a rugged, pristine, unforgiving landscape. I am fortunate to have grown up in this area, and continue to embrace living so close to the spectacular natural wonders in this area.
For quite some time I have been interested in seeing what can be accomplished in a full day of biking and hiking on the roads and ridges of the North Shore. A few years ago, I did a 'Triple Crown' ride on my cyclocross bike where I rode from the ocean to the highest ridable point of each of the 3 North Shore ski areas in one long day. However, I knew much more was possible - especially if cycling and hiking were combined. I devised a route where I would ride my road bike to the highest paved point of each of the 3 ski areas, stash my bike, and hike to the highest peak on the ridge behind each of the ski resorts, hitting as many sub-peaks along the way as I could. The route might be considered an 'Extended Triple Crown', since it adds hiking to the standard cycling Triple Crown route. The route that I planned for was very ambitious, but I was confident it would be possible if things went smooth.
Ideal conditions for this trip would be clear, cool, and dry with snow-free trails. However, summer 2018 in Vancouver was consistently hot, and the mountains had a large snowpack that took a long time to melt despite the heat. By the time the snow was all gone, it was August, and the days were getting shorter quickly. It didn't seem like we would get a cool day before the days were too short for my planned route, so I figured I'd give it a shot in hot conditions.
The forecast for Tuesday, August 7th was super hot and dry, but the air looked like it would be clear and good views would be guaranteed, so I decided to go for it. I elected to use my unattractive old steel Miyata road bike so I would have minimal stress in stashing the bike into the bushes and hiking away. I brought a pair of trail runners and a bag full of all necessary food, drink capacity, and safety gear I would need.
I drove to West Vancouver on Monday night and tried to sleep in the back of the car crunched up beside my bike and hiking gear on a sleeping pad I had brought. However, I don’t think I got any sleep - the inside of the car was hot and stuffy even with the windows open, and I was pretty sweaty. It had been a very warm day, and it didn't seem to cool off much after nightfall. My attempt to sleep ended with my 3:30am alarm, but I was still game for the trip, so I started getting my stuff together. I had brought granola and cinnamon life cereal for breakfast, but realized I had forgotten my bottle of milk - so I settled for cereal in water. I stepped out of the car to pull my bike out of the back hatch when I heard a sudden hissing and shuffling noise behind the car. I was still a little dazed from lack of sleep, and didn't think much of the noise. When I went behind the car to pull out my bike, I unexpectedly entered a conflict between a large coyote and skunk. The coyote appeared keen on a protein-rich morning snack, and the skunk was resisting an attack. The skunk reacted to the confusion by spraying everywhere and scampering away. The coyote gave me a resentful look and trotted away to look elsewhere for a meal.
I set out from the car on my old steel Miyata road bike with some trail runners and a pack full of food, water, and safety gear at 4:00am. I smelled a bit like skunk initially, but the aroma gradually faded as I pedalled into the darkness. I headed east across the North Shore along Marine Drive, enjoying the quietness and absence red lights. Before I knew it, I had arrived at the base of Mt Seymour road in the dark. I was hoping it would be a bit lighter before I started up this road, but there was no use in waiting for the light before starting. I soft-pedalled up the road into the darkness, humming to myself to minimize spookiness. I took the climb easy and steady and arrived at Seymour Lodge at 6:00am as the sun was rising.
I locked my bike up before heading up the Seymour Ridge trail. The conditions were perfect, as most of the trail was still in the shade and relatively cool, and the sun was slowly rising above the peaks to the east which created some really neat views. I arrived at Tim Jones Peak and took in the scenery briefly before dropping down into the gully to the north and climbing up to Seymour Peak.
A raven kept me company for a while on Seymour Peak before swooping deep into the Seymour valley. After few minutes on the summit I retraced my route down the Seymour Ridge trail, and after some fun rock hopping and ups and downs, I had reached the top of Pump Peak where I watched the city wake up for a while.
I enjoyed a fun jog down the Seymour trail, and decided to hit Mystery Peak on the way back to the parking lot since it was an easy detour. From Mystery Peak it’s an easy jog down the ski run service road back to the parking lot. I drank lots of water and ate some food before enjoying the cool refreshing bike descent down Mt Seymour Rd. I pedalled easy along Seymour Parkway and Marine Drive over to Capilano Road and climbed at an easy pace up to the Grouse base parking lot. I stashed the bike into some bushes by the parking lot and started up the Grouse Grind. I kept a steady pace up the Grind, making sure not to over exert. It would've been easy to burn too many of my matches here, especially with it being so hot. I arrived at the chalet at the top and enjoyed some more tap water and snacks before heading up the Alpine Trail towards Crown Mountain. The hike to Crown went pretty smooth, but with quite a few steep ups and downs in the hot sun I made sure to be very focussed on the trail and manage my food and fluids well. I got to the summit of Crown and was met by the usual great views of the city and surrounding ridges.
I hung out with a couple of ravens that were soaking up the sun on the peak, and had a quick snack before hopping back down into the gully and re-ascending Goat Ridge. I felt really good energy wise climbing back up to Goat ridge, so I pushed on up to the top of Goat Mountain and got a nice view back towards Crown Mountain.
I met some nice people enjoying the sun at the top of Goat Mountain, so I chatted for a bit before dropping back down to the Alpine Trail. On the way back to Grouse Lodge I took the Ridge Trail over the top of the forested summits of Little Goat and Dam Mountain. Once I was at the lodge I got into some much needed shade and consumed some more food and fluids. I then carefully descended BCMC trail back to my bike.
The bike descent down Nancy Green Way was very pleasant, but went by quick. I rode across Cleveland Dam and climbed up to the British Properties using a section of the Baden Powell Trail. Pedalling past some very nice houses provided a distraction from my body’s fatigue. I made it up to Cypress Bowl Road and got into a consistent rhythm up the steady gradient. I felt pretty baked, so I tried to stay on the shaded parts of the road. After 1 hour of climbing in the red zone, I got to the Cypress Chalet and enjoyed a cold Gatorade from the lodge vending machine. The resort was quiet and completely empty. I stashed my bike one last time, and charged up the ski run service roads, motivated to finish the day off strong. It was a great feeling topping out at the north and south summits of Mount Strachan. The peaks were quiet and serene, and had fantastic views. The temperature seemed to be dropping a bit, and there was a perfectly moderate breeze stroking the subalpine brush. I enjoyed great views of the Howe Sound, the Lions, and some of the peaks I had climbed earlier in the day.
Not a whole lot beats a summit view of the Howe Sound as the sun is going down. I jogged back down to the Cypress Chalet and enjoyed a few more cold beverages before descending Cypress Bowl Road and weaving down the British Properties. I got back to the car at about 9pm as it was starting to get dark, 17 hours after beginning. This was an incredibly demanding day involving large elevation changes over a variety of terrain on one of the hottest days of the summer. The views were fantastic, and I was very satisfied to have gotten to the highest peaks of the ridges behind the 3 main ski areas on the North Shore, and to have hit most of the sub peaks along these ridgelines. I got home and devoured a dominos pizza before collapsing in bed to catch up on sleep a bit before work the next day.
The next four days of the week I found myself working out in the gruelling heat at my landscape labour summer job which was pretty tough. However, I definitely have to credit having this job for helping me get into shape this summer, so I can’t complain.
At 135km and 5700m of elevation gain, this is definitely one of the most challenging trips I have done.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1757505402/overview
The extensive North Shore Mountains behind Vancouver.
For quite some time I have been interested in seeing what can be accomplished in a full day of biking and hiking on the roads and ridges of the North Shore. A few years ago, I did a 'Triple Crown' ride on my cyclocross bike where I rode from the ocean to the highest ridable point of each of the 3 North Shore ski areas in one long day. However, I knew much more was possible - especially if cycling and hiking were combined. I devised a route where I would ride my road bike to the highest paved point of each of the 3 ski areas, stash my bike, and hike to the highest peak on the ridge behind each of the ski resorts, hitting as many sub-peaks along the way as I could. The route might be considered an 'Extended Triple Crown', since it adds hiking to the standard cycling Triple Crown route. The route that I planned for was very ambitious, but I was confident it would be possible if things went smooth.
My route to the high point on the ridges of each of the 3 North Shore ski areas.
Ideal conditions for this trip would be clear, cool, and dry with snow-free trails. However, summer 2018 in Vancouver was consistently hot, and the mountains had a large snowpack that took a long time to melt despite the heat. By the time the snow was all gone, it was August, and the days were getting shorter quickly. It didn't seem like we would get a cool day before the days were too short for my planned route, so I figured I'd give it a shot in hot conditions.
The forecast for Tuesday, August 7th was super hot and dry, but the air looked like it would be clear and good views would be guaranteed, so I decided to go for it. I elected to use my unattractive old steel Miyata road bike so I would have minimal stress in stashing the bike into the bushes and hiking away. I brought a pair of trail runners and a bag full of all necessary food, drink capacity, and safety gear I would need.
The collection of gear that would make the adventure happen.
I drove to West Vancouver on Monday night and tried to sleep in the back of the car crunched up beside my bike and hiking gear on a sleeping pad I had brought. However, I don’t think I got any sleep - the inside of the car was hot and stuffy even with the windows open, and I was pretty sweaty. It had been a very warm day, and it didn't seem to cool off much after nightfall. My attempt to sleep ended with my 3:30am alarm, but I was still game for the trip, so I started getting my stuff together. I had brought granola and cinnamon life cereal for breakfast, but realized I had forgotten my bottle of milk - so I settled for cereal in water. I stepped out of the car to pull my bike out of the back hatch when I heard a sudden hissing and shuffling noise behind the car. I was still a little dazed from lack of sleep, and didn't think much of the noise. When I went behind the car to pull out my bike, I unexpectedly entered a conflict between a large coyote and skunk. The coyote appeared keen on a protein-rich morning snack, and the skunk was resisting an attack. The skunk reacted to the confusion by spraying everywhere and scampering away. The coyote gave me a resentful look and trotted away to look elsewhere for a meal.
I set out from the car on my old steel Miyata road bike with some trail runners and a pack full of food, water, and safety gear at 4:00am. I smelled a bit like skunk initially, but the aroma gradually faded as I pedalled into the darkness. I headed east across the North Shore along Marine Drive, enjoying the quietness and absence red lights. Before I knew it, I had arrived at the base of Mt Seymour road in the dark. I was hoping it would be a bit lighter before I started up this road, but there was no use in waiting for the light before starting. I soft-pedalled up the road into the darkness, humming to myself to minimize spookiness. I took the climb easy and steady and arrived at Seymour Lodge at 6:00am as the sun was rising.
Daybreak from the Mount Seymour ski area.
I locked my bike up before heading up the Seymour Ridge trail. The conditions were perfect, as most of the trail was still in the shade and relatively cool, and the sun was slowly rising above the peaks to the east which created some really neat views. I arrived at Tim Jones Peak and took in the scenery briefly before dropping down into the gully to the north and climbing up to Seymour Peak.
Looking down at the Indian Arm and towards a vast array of peaks to the northeast.
Looking towards many ridges to the east.
Crown Mountain and Mount Strachan to the west - objectives for later in the day.
Morning sun rays smothering ridges to the east.
Cathedral Mountain to the left, and Mount Garibaldi to the distant right.
A zoom-in of ridge layers to the northeast enhanced by the low sun angle.
A raven kept me company for a while on Seymour Peak before swooping deep into the Seymour valley. After few minutes on the summit I retraced my route down the Seymour Ridge trail, and after some fun rock hopping and ups and downs, I had reached the top of Pump Peak where I watched the city wake up for a while.
Looking towards Downtown Vancouver.
A sample of the great views along the Mount Seymour Ridge trail.
I enjoyed a fun jog down the Seymour trail, and decided to hit Mystery Peak on the way back to the parking lot since it was an easy detour. From Mystery Peak it’s an easy jog down the ski run service road back to the parking lot. I drank lots of water and ate some food before enjoying the cool refreshing bike descent down Mt Seymour Rd. I pedalled easy along Seymour Parkway and Marine Drive over to Capilano Road and climbed at an easy pace up to the Grouse base parking lot. I stashed the bike into some bushes by the parking lot and started up the Grouse Grind. I kept a steady pace up the Grind, making sure not to over exert. It would've been easy to burn too many of my matches here, especially with it being so hot. I arrived at the chalet at the top and enjoyed some more tap water and snacks before heading up the Alpine Trail towards Crown Mountain. The hike to Crown went pretty smooth, but with quite a few steep ups and downs in the hot sun I made sure to be very focussed on the trail and manage my food and fluids well. I got to the summit of Crown and was met by the usual great views of the city and surrounding ridges.
Looking back towards Seymour Ridge from Crown Mountain.
Looking towards Cathedral Mountain from the pointy tip of Crown Mountain's summit.
Looking west towards Mount Strachan, where I would be in a few hours.
I hung out with a couple of ravens that were soaking up the sun on the peak, and had a quick snack before hopping back down into the gully and re-ascending Goat Ridge. I felt really good energy wise climbing back up to Goat ridge, so I pushed on up to the top of Goat Mountain and got a nice view back towards Crown Mountain.
Looking back at Crown Mountain's granite pyramid from Goat Mountain.
I met some nice people enjoying the sun at the top of Goat Mountain, so I chatted for a bit before dropping back down to the Alpine Trail. On the way back to Grouse Lodge I took the Ridge Trail over the top of the forested summits of Little Goat and Dam Mountain. Once I was at the lodge I got into some much needed shade and consumed some more food and fluids. I then carefully descended BCMC trail back to my bike.
The bike descent down Nancy Green Way was very pleasant, but went by quick. I rode across Cleveland Dam and climbed up to the British Properties using a section of the Baden Powell Trail. Pedalling past some very nice houses provided a distraction from my body’s fatigue. I made it up to Cypress Bowl Road and got into a consistent rhythm up the steady gradient. I felt pretty baked, so I tried to stay on the shaded parts of the road. After 1 hour of climbing in the red zone, I got to the Cypress Chalet and enjoyed a cold Gatorade from the lodge vending machine. The resort was quiet and completely empty. I stashed my bike one last time, and charged up the ski run service roads, motivated to finish the day off strong. It was a great feeling topping out at the north and south summits of Mount Strachan. The peaks were quiet and serene, and had fantastic views. The temperature seemed to be dropping a bit, and there was a perfectly moderate breeze stroking the subalpine brush. I enjoyed great views of the Howe Sound, the Lions, and some of the peaks I had climbed earlier in the day.
Looking back at Crown Mountain and Mount Seymour from Mount Strachan.
The falling sun's beams extend across the wide valley between Mount Strachan and the Lions.
Some distant peaks to the northeast.
A picturesque view of Howe Sound from with the sun low in the sky.
Not a whole lot beats a summit view of the Howe Sound as the sun is going down. I jogged back down to the Cypress Chalet and enjoyed a few more cold beverages before descending Cypress Bowl Road and weaving down the British Properties. I got back to the car at about 9pm as it was starting to get dark, 17 hours after beginning. This was an incredibly demanding day involving large elevation changes over a variety of terrain on one of the hottest days of the summer. The views were fantastic, and I was very satisfied to have gotten to the highest peaks of the ridges behind the 3 main ski areas on the North Shore, and to have hit most of the sub peaks along these ridgelines. I got home and devoured a dominos pizza before collapsing in bed to catch up on sleep a bit before work the next day.
The next four days of the week I found myself working out in the gruelling heat at my landscape labour summer job which was pretty tough. However, I definitely have to credit having this job for helping me get into shape this summer, so I can’t complain.
At 135km and 5700m of elevation gain, this is definitely one of the most challenging trips I have done.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1757505402/overview
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