The Best Easy Day Hike From Vancouver
The best day hike from Vancouver is less than 45 minutes away from the downtown area and takes less than four hours to complete! Tunnel Bluffs is a stunning hike that takes you by small waterfalls, through thick forests, and to a stunning view over the coastal highway below and the islands in the distance. A short hike with such rewarding views.
Trail Stats: Tunnel Bluffs
- Distance: 3.5 – 4 hours
- Elevation: 529 metres
- Time: 4 hours (out and back)
What To Know
The Area
This day hike is found in Lions Bay on your way to Whistler from Vancouver. It’s a short drive from downtown (30-45 minutes depending on traffic) and offers some amazing views – driving and hiking! The hike starts in a residential area and the area may have some bears, so do your research and be respectful and careful of both the residents and the nature.
Parking
The parking lot at the top of the trail head is called Sunset Trailhead Parking Lot. This parking lot right beside the start of the trail is paid parking, and theres a high chance that there wont be any availability so try and come early or late. Parking is limited here.
There is a lower parking lot which is actually overflow parking for a nearby elementary school, which can also get quite busy. This will add another 1 km of hiking each way with a pretty steep incline, so if you can plan to come early to snag a higher parking spot, definitely try!
Note that there is no street parking and rangers often pass by this area to ticket or tow.
Facilities
There are portable washrooms at the start of the trail head, however there are no washroom facilities throughout the rest of the hike.
At the viewpoint at the end of the hike there is plenty of room to sit and enjoy a snack and the view! This hike is also dog friendly but the dogs must be on leashes.
Routes
The trail stats above (11km route) is the one we did and you can find the All Trails route here. However, there is a shorter route available, that can be found at this All Trails link here!
They both have similar times for hike completion according to All Trails and we already found the initial incline from the 11km route to be quite steep (however, it eases up and the rest of the hike is pretty easy after you get past the first piece). It was stated that the shorter hike has a relatively technical initial incline thats a bit more of a workout so if you opt for the shorter hike, do some more research – we recommend the 11km hike.
Best Time To Visit
The best time to do this hike is during the summer months and the periods right before after. We did this hike in October and the weather was so perfect (over 25 degrees in October … what!!!).
We would also recommend doing the hike early or later in the day to try and snag a parking spot – plus avoiding the high periods means you may also avoid some of that downtown Vancouver traffic (depending on which way you’re coming from).
Our Experience
This day hike from Vancouver we found when visiting the area during thanksgiving and scrolling through All Trails (we seriously love this app) for a quick day hike recommendation. Overall we LOVED this hike and would recommend it to anyone looking for a shorter but equally epic Vancouver area hike. It was 11 km and took us under four hours to complete (including our lunch break at the top).
Our hiking experience started when the SWEETEST local resident offered us a spot in her driveway close to the trail head (we live for people like her!) as the trail head parking lot was full and it was quite a ways down to the next parking lot (not to mention a steep uphill climb).
We left the car at about 11 am and we only ran into 5-10 other people along the trail – it was quite peaceful. It was a sunny Friday at the beginning of October so we were expecting more people! Once we got on our way, our hike started with towering trees and the sound of nearby waterfalls.
It was quite a steep start and theres no views along the way, however the effort is 100% worth it. With a few switch backs and finally reaching some level ground, there a few turn points where you’re going to want to just pay a bit extra attention to the signage and/or All Trails guide. There are multiple hikes along this route so make sure you pick the right route or you may be in for a much longer day than you imagined!
After crossing some small waterfalls on makeshift bridges and finally seeing some breaks in the tree line, the easy meander will end and the last stretch near the top gets a little bit more technical (but not difficult). You just require a bit more focus and will need to slightly climb the rocks. This is the last 10 minutes before you get to the view which will blow your mind!
You will finally see the ocean peaking through the trees and on a high visibility day you’ll see the Islands far out and the Sea to Sky highway views. Grab a spot overlooking the water below and soak in the sun. Once you’ve admired enough, the walk back down feels SO easy. After a quick four hour round trip, you’ve already had an amazing adventure on one of the best easy day hikes from Vancouver!
