Stoney Hill has a lovely loop trail with fantastic views. The trail is well marked. It's an easy…read morehike that I've been doing with a senior dog who struggles with anything steep and can't jump over logs. Overall, the trail is well maintained. They clear anything blocking the trail. It's been a little wet and washed out this fall, but so has everything in BC! There's a parking lot, trash can, and toilet facilities at the trailhead.

A great ridge hike with amazing views! Remember the parking opens after 9am though! There's only…read moreone outhouse at beginning of trail but the signage on the trails are awesome and you will not be lost! Value 5/5 Atmosphere 5/5 Service 3/5 Quality 5/5 18/20

This is a great spot for an easy walk beside some lovely waterfalls. It is great for dogs to jump…read moreinto the water. There is ample parking at the top of the hill near the soccer field and the waterfall path is just about 20 steps away from the parking and a public washroom.

Like Roberts Creek isn't un-urban enough, you can truly escape away from it all with a little jaunt…read morethrough Cliff Gilker Park. Well marked trails, easy paths, a babbling creek, waterfalls, bridges and huge, red cedars make this a little sanctuary. And the canopied woods means even if it's raining, you're protected. There's a few "viewpoints" with benches and in the hour that I was "lost" in the woods, I didn't see a soul. Although I should warn, the bear sighting signs didn't sit well with me. I should have brought my dog spray and my whistle. Then I could show them who's boss! There's lots of parking, an outhouse (just jump over to the golf course) and a big map that tells you where you are. If you're staying in Roberts Creek, I'd suggest just walking. It's only another 10 minutes and the trails aren't that long.

"Ye ghosts of all the dear old trees, The oak, the elm, the ash, Nightly those gentlemen go tease,…read moreWho hew you down like trash." It's like if a menthol punch of freshness sensation would hit the deepest nook of your lungs. That first inhalation provides you with an instant invigoration. What better medicine than nature's air cleaning the toxic waist passing through your veins. Your muscles shaking away negativity will give you an instant mood booster, the oxygen modifying every molecule in your body, a shiver that reconnects you with the source, or in Carr's words "...the God in you responding to the God in them". Welcome to a real "Pandora", an almost intact landscape of natural monuments in where the heaviness of the branches will hold wind's melodies. My neck hurt at times when trying to reach by sight the top of these enchanted trees. Once surrounded by that foggy green darkened reality, I understood why some fairy tales were inspired by forests. It's unavoidable to feel observed, every step felt as trespassing, as if I was intruding a sacred space. I tried to understand Carr's perspective, why trees became her obsession until she exhaled them. Every tree had a personality, some of the roots' shapes reminded me of "Pan's Labyrinth", would those muddy holes take me to other realms? The shadows created obscure introspections, the ambivalence of existence, as above as below, a darker interpretation of nature. Some trees languished and perished long time ago, their remains acting as a pillar for new sprouts of life; moss, younger trees, mushrooms, bushes, they all use the elements of the fallen one to continue life's cycle. The Gnarliest Tree in Canada might be the star, with a conjugation of shapes resembling multiple fists, all kind of stumps appearing to flow in circles, as if its circumference was formed by dozens of human extremities piled towards and unreachable sky. Come hike to realize how tiny, irrelevant and forgettable you are. We all should play to be forest Rangers, deep thank you to the First Nations and Ancient Forest Alliance for standing against logging in this area.

I can believe the hidden gems this world has to offer. I never thought after driving on a rough…read moredirt road in the middle of nowhere would lead to such an amazing place. Don't get discouraged by the road a car can make it. We saw lots of them up there. The journey is well worth it.

Oof, what a hike! I went to the Summit and back from the north parking lot, so about 2km each…read moredirection. There is not an elevation profile of the trail on the trailhead map which seems a shortcoming here. I'm not sure if this one is typical of BC or not but it surprised me how much straight up and straight down was on this trail. I'm used to a lot more switchbacks in Colorado. The uphill was tough but manageable, though not many people yielded as they were coming down. On the way down I figured out why. This trail is BRUTAL on the downhill. There's so much constant down that knees and quads are working constantly and the muscle fatigue around the halfway point was alarming. I wish I'd had hiking poles. Yeah, your experience will vary wildly depending on your personal level of ability. Stay within your limits and keep in mind that down is every bit as tough as up, if not more so, depending on how creaky your joints are. The area is beautiful and the mud was very manageable after a few days of dry weather. Make sure to walk through the mud - there were many areas where people had tramped a lot of vegetation around mud. There were many tracks of mountain bikers using the trail even though they are not supposed to be on the summit trail, so stay aware and able to bail off in an encounter.

A quick hike to the summit about 2.5km each way with steady incline. Most of it is in the shade…read moreuntil the last bit but you get some amazing views! The view is better just before getting to summit. Value 5/5 Atmosphere 5/5 Service 4/5 Quality 4/5 18/20

So worth the walk/hike up the hill which gives you amazing south east/west vistas of all the gulf…read moreislands towering over Active Pass west side entrance from one of the highest peaks in the islands at just over 1000 ft. with views into the USA, Victoria etc. There are a few different trail routes, The main route is via the parking lot at the end of Active Pass Rd.. I've only taken the Alistair Ross trail which is an acceptable trail partly through private lot, which is located 1km before the above route. Easily reached with a 40-50 mins (one way) at a strong pace walk up hill on open trails (no climbing) all the trail is well marked. If you take Alistair Ross trail from the road well marked but two spots, when the trail meets the old service road head up hill for a few turns and when you reach the fork take left trail straight ahead, it's all makes there with small metal arrows. On the trail 3/4 of the way up there's left over parts from a small plane crash that appears to be very old.

One of the best views for intermediate hike! The beginning is very rocky and slippery when coming…read moredown but rest is beautiful forest trail. You can go via black mountain for view of the lions and stop by canine lake for a swim Value 5/5 Atmosphere 5/5 Service 4/5 Quality 4/5 18/29

Rated as a moderately challenging hike I'd say Eagle Bluffs is a great hike if you want to start…read moretraining your body for other hikes at Cypress like St. Marks Summit. At an estimated elevation gain of over 400m it has a great effort to reward ratio. The first 2kms are always talked about because it's switchbacks that are just dirt and loose rock. I've done this hike a handful of times and i'm always blown away by how many people I see wearing sandals and jeans. Good on them for being able to do it, but I don't recommend it, especially the sandals. The switchbacks on the way down will kill your feet and knees. Also, as much as I love dogs, I'm an owner myself, I wouldn't bring mine with me on this hike. It's just too taxing on their body, especially if it's a hot day. I saw a poor shitzhu yesterday panting like crazy on the way up. The trail can also get very busy and having a dog on a leash can cause a bit of a traffic and also make parts of the hike harder for you. Logistics: - Parking is at Cypress Bowl. - Bathrooms can be found at the lodge at the parking lot - You don't need a pass this year. - You want to take the Black Mountain Trail (aka The Baden Powell). Not the Howe Sound Crest Trail; this will take you to Bowen Lookout, St. Marks Summit, and beyond.

Super busy park - when I went last month, it was difficult to find parking on the south end of the…read morepark. There are two entrances so maybe the north end was better? Anyway, I went to Goldstream Falls and saw a huge group of salmon trying to jump up the falls. I'm not sure if any of them made it as it's very tall... The hike took a leisurely one hour, with the steepest part being right before the falls as there is a staircase leading down to the falls. There are huge trees and cool-looking fungi that dot alongside the trail. The trail follows the stream for a good bit so you hear the bubbling stream. The toilets are the composting/septic tank toilets without water, so be prepared. I wanted to go to Niagara Falls, but ran out of time. Maybe next time! At the time of this review, it looks like the trail to Niagara Falls is washed out and so inaccessible.

Their website states: This winter, from early December until late January, Goldstream Provincial…read morePark's Visitor Centre will be celebrating the return of the Bald Eagles with special programs and exhibits focusing on birds of prey. Not true. We came on January 22nd and the place was deserted. The Visitor Centre was closed and there was no eagle in sight.

Beacon Hill Park is such a beautiful and vast park! Our party of four had to break our exploring of…read moreit into two different rounds and each time it was great! There are beautiful ponds and fountains here in amongst lush trees. There are paths that lead you into all sorts of park adventures! On the first excursion we saw a juvenile owl in a tree and got some pictures of it as well as well as the Moss Lady statue as extra bonuses. On the second excursion we went to a wonderful rose garden, the Children's Farm which consists of various animals which are primarily barnyard types. We then went to the south end of the park and went to Mile Zero for the Trans Canadian Highway and a gorgeous view of the water from the Straight of Juan De Fuca. And we saw more juvenile owls out and about in the trees. Definitely a park to go to and it's the kind of place that will bring in tourist sightseers but will have locals or residents as well because it's clear it's a park that is loved by all.

A beautiful park in Victoria that reminded me a lot of of a small version of Central Park in New…read moreYork City. Tons of towering trees, lots of untouched, wild Lasic, beautiful, well tended to gardens, areas for kids to play as well as Pickleball and other courts for people to use to play. There's a dog park in There so you can take the dogs out for a walk as well. So many beautiful places and sites in this park. Which I'm sure would make for a great afternoon for any family that wanted to get away from home. A lot of it is taken care of by just a few People, and a number of volunteers to take care of gardens.