Trip Reports

Nestled in the mountains north of Coquitlam is an impressive, difficult-to-access 1583m peak named Coquitlam Mountain.  It is visible from across the lower mainland, and is an imposing figure in parts of Coquitlam that it can be seen from.  Having spent most of my early hiking days exploring Burke Ridge and Eagle Ridge, which both run adjacent to Coquitlam Mountain, I have spent a lot of time looking up at its unique build wondering when I might get to the top of it.

Sitting merely 10km north of the dense metropolitan of Vancouver is a rugged range of ridges known as the North Shore Mountains.  Spaced across the south end of this range are 3 ski resorts: Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain, and Mount Seymour.  The Cypress and Seymour ski areas can both be accessed by paved public roads.  Grouse Mountain is typically accessed by a gondola to the south of the lodge, but also has a rough gravel road running up the east side of the lodge.  This means there is a road connection to each of the 3 North Shore ski areas.  Growing up, I always thought it would be neat to ride my bike up from the ocean to the highest point on each of the ski runs in one day.  I would need a bike that was rugged enough for the rough gravel roads and smooth enough to be efficient on the pavement sections - and I knew my cyclocross bike was the tool for the job. The North Shore Mountains behind Downtown Vancouver. The ride route - a rotation...