Where to Snowshoe in Vancouver
Vancouver is one of the only major cities in the world that has its very own local mountains where you can go skiing and snowshoeing after work!
Snowshoeing has become a really popular Winter activity and it is one of the best things to do in Vancouver in the Winter! In Vancouver, there are free snowshoeing trails and paid snowshoeing trails and you can also rent snowshoes if you don’t have your own. I go over all of this in the guide below so that by the end of reading this guide, you will be an expert in all things snowshoeing in Vancouver and know the best places to go!
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Vancouver Snowshoeing Map
Click here to open the map in Google Maps!
What is Snowshoeing
You might be asking yourself, what the heck even is a snowshoe?!
The whole point of snowshoes is to enable you to hike in the snow. Snowshoes provide floatation, meaning they enable you to walk on snow without sinking. Because they have a larger footprint than a normal hiking boot, they even out the hiker’s weight across the snowshoe making the hiker sink into the snow less. Snowshoes also come with adjustable bindings to help them attached to appropriate winter hiking boots.
Is Snowshoeing Harder than Hiking?
Snowshoeing is most definitely harder than hiking! Snowshoeing is essentially hiking in the snow with huge devices attached to your hiking boots. If you have ever hiked or just walked around in the snow with or without snowshoes, you will know that it uses quite a bit more effort than normal hiking.
The Health Benefits of Snowshoeing
Apart from snowshoeing enabling us to keep hiking in Vancouver in Winter, it is also great for your fitness and cardiovascular health. Some of the benefits of snowshoeing are:
- Low-impact muscle building
- Fresh outdoor air is good for both your physical and mental health
- Cardio exercise
What to Wear Snowshoeing in Vancouver
When snowshoeing, you are going to want to dress in layers and make sure you wear waterproof outer layers. These are some of the things that you should bring along with you.
🥾 Check out a full list of our hiking gear!
- Micro Spikes – just in case the snow is packed down and the trail is too narrow for your snowshoes
- Waterproof outer layer
- Puffer Jacket – this is my favourite puffer jacket that you see in all of our photos
- Fleece mid-layer – my favourite fleece
- Merino hiking t-shirt – my favourites are from Icebreaker
- Fleece Leggings or water resistant snow pants
- Hiking boots or insulated hiking boots
- Warm merino hiking socks
- Hiking poles if required
- Beanie
- Sunhat
- Sunscreen
- First aid kit
Lastly, if you are looking to purchase your own snowshoes, you can get them online from MEC here.
Is Vancouver Good for Snowshoeing
Vancouver is an awesome place to spend the Winter as the temperatures are milder than other parts of Canada AND you have the local mountains just a hop skip and a jump away. In Vancouver’s local mountains you can go hiking, skiing and snowshoeing and they are so close that you could even go after work, which we have done a few times.
Snowshoeing Trails in Vancouver
This list includes some of the best snowshoeing trails in Vancouver and also highlights which trails are free and which are paid as well as where to rent shoe shows from. There are 3 mountains in Vancouver where you can go snowshoeing. These are Mount Seymour, Grouse Mountain and Cypress Mountain.
The Hollyburn Lights to the Lodge – Cypress Mountain
Distance: 1km to the Lodge and a 2.5km loop
Elevation gain: Little to none
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Yes ($30-40)
Dogs allowed: No
Snowshoes available to rent: Yes
The Hollyburn Lights to the Lodge Snowshoe is one of the best snowshoe trails in Vancouver for beginners. It is only 1km to the historic Hollyburn lodge and a 2.5km loop if you prefer to do a loop rather than an out and back. The trail will likely take you around 1 hour and begins from the Nordic Ski area on Cypress Mountain.
The trail takes you through a beautiful forest and is lit up with fairy lights strung sustainably through the trees. Once you reach the lodge, you can have a nice hot drink or meal to warm up before snowshoeing back to the parking lot.
If you don’t have your own snowshoes, you can purchase the ticket which includes the rental of some (The Lights to the Lodge Experience). You can book your tickets on the Cypress Mountain website.
This snowshoe trail is family friendly and a must do Vancouver Winter activity! This is an evening activity and is open from 4pm – 9:30pm nightly.
Bowen Lookout – Cypress Mountain
Distance: 4km return
Elevation gain: 110m
Difficulty: Easy – Moderate
Cost: Free, however you will need to get a free backcountry access pass from the Black Mountain Lodge (the old, smaller lodge in the lower parking lot).
Dogs allowed: Yes
Snowshoes available to rent: None at Cypress Mountain for this area
The Bowen Lookout hike can be done as a snowshoe in Winter. The Bowen Lookout trail 4km return with an elevation gain of 110m located in Cypress Provincial Park. The trail will take you around 1.5 hours to complete. For such a short hike, it has an amazing view overlooking the city and Howe Sound.
The trail takes you through the forest for the majority of the way until you reach the viewpoint. Look out for squirrels trying to steal your snacks! They are not afraid. 😂
We actually did this trail in Winter just using micro spikes as we found that due to the trail popularity, snowshoes were not required. However, this is a great trail if you want to practice your snowshoeing.
If you are looking to rent snowshoes to do the Bowen Lookout trail, although the Hollyburn Nordic Ski Area does do snowshoe hire, you are not allowed to take them out of that area and so this wouldn’t work for Bowen Lookout. Instead, you can rent snowshoes from Vancouver from places like MEC or Bees Knees.
Black Mountain – Cypress Mountain
Distance: 6km
Elevation gain: 360m
Difficulty: Moderate
Cost: Free, however you will need to get a free backcountry access pass from the Black Mountain Lodge (the old, smaller lodge in the lower parking lot).
Dogs allowed: Yes
Snowshoes available to rent: None at Cypress Mountain for this area
Black Mountain in Cypress Provincial Park is 6km with an elevation gain of 290m and will take you around 3-3.5 hours to complete. From the peak, you will be able to see Howe Sound and Mount Gardner over on Bowen Island.
If you are going on a popular day, when the snow has been packed down from other hikers, you may find micro spikes easier to hike in rather than snowshoes, but its always nice to have a pair of snowshoes with you in case. If you are going just after a fresh snow fall, snowshoes will be your new best friend.
Similarly to the Bowen Lookout Trail, if you are looking to rent snowshoes for the Black Mountain Hike, although the Hollyburn Nordic Ski Area does do snowshoe hire, you are not allowed to take them out of that area. You will need to rent snowshoes from Vancouver before heading up the mountain from places like MEC or Bees Knees.
Hollyburn Mountain – Cypress Mountain
Distance: 7km
Elevation gain: 450m
Difficulty: Moderate
Cost: Free
Dogs allowed: Yes
Snowshoes available to rent:
Hollyburn Mountain or Hollyburn Peak in Cypress Provincial Park is a bit more of a difficult snowshoe compared to Black Mountain or Bowen Lookout with a long steep section that is hard on the knees on the way back down. Hiking poles may help with this. The views however, are awesome, looking out to Vancouver, Burrard Inlet, and the Lions. You will also be able to see Mount Baker on a clear day!
For the Hollyburn Mountain trail, you can park in the Nordic Ski Area parking lot, however, it should be noted that Hollyburn Peak is not part of the paid snowshoeing area on Cypress Mountain.
If you are looking to rent snowshoes for the Hollyburn Mountain Hike, although the Hollyburn Nordic Ski Area does do snowshoe hire, you are not allowed to take them out of that area. You will need to rent snowshoes from Vancouver before heading up the mountain from places like MEC or Bees Knees.
Discovery Snowshoe Trails – Mount Seymour
Distance: Varies per trail
Elevation gain: Varies per trail
Difficulty: Easy / Intermediate / Black Diamond
Cost: Paid ($17pp)
Dogs allowed: Yes
Snowshoes available to rent: Yes
Mount Seymour Resort (the ski resort) offers a few paid snowshoe trails which are called the Discovery Snowshoe Trails. These trail are maintained by the resort and the entrance to them is at the bottom of the Magic Carpet ski hill.
There are quite a few snowshoe trails which are rated by difficulty. This is shown by different colours on the trail map, with a green circle which is easy, a blue square which is intermediate and a black diamond which is difficult.
You can do these trails on your own or you could do a snowshoe tour with a guide. Either of these options is a great Winter’s day out in Vancouver and can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Dog Mountain – Mount Seymour
Distance: 5km
Elevation gain: 150m
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free
Dogs allowed: Yes
Snowshoes available to rent: Yes – at the Mount Seymour Ski Resort
Dog Mountain is a trail on Mount Seymour which doubles as a snowshoeing hike in Winter. It is 5km return with an elevation gain of 150m and will take you around 2-2.5 hours to complete.
The views from the Dog Mountain viewpoint look over Vancouver and the Fraser Valley and are absolutely stunning! The sunsets from here are incredible. The trail is easy and a great hike for beginners, however you may find the snowshoeing difficult at times as the highly trafficked trail is quite narrow.
During Winter, while the ski resort is open, you should park a little down from the ski resort carpark. The trailhead is located opposite the tubing and tobogganing ticketing office on the other side of the road.
You can rent snowshoes from Mount Seymour Ski Resort by purchasing a snowshoe trail pass/make a reservation in advance. You can find more information on this here.
Pump Peak – Mount Seymour
Distance: 7.1km
Elevation gain: 474m
Difficulty: Moderate
Cost: Free
Dogs allowed: Yes
Snowshoes available to rent: Yes – at the Mount Seymour Ski Resort
Pump Peak is also known as First Peak which took me a while to figure out as I had both of these hikes on my hiking bucket list. This hike will take you around 3-4 hours to complete. The hike is a great snowshoeing workout with absolutely incredible views at the summit on a clear day!
The Pump Peak trailhead is located at northern end of the parking lot. Once you have park, head over to the Mystery Peak Express chairlift. Before you reach the trailhead you will come to a B.C. Parks information board in the parking lot next to the trail.
For Winter hikes like Pump Peak, we always like to bring along a pair of micro spikes as well as our snowshoes just in case the trail is nicely packed down from the other hikers.
You can rent snowshoes from Mount Seymour Ski Resort by purchasing a snowshoe trail pass/make a reservation in advance. You can find more information on this here.
Blue Grouse Loop – Grouse Mountain
Distance: 1.5km
Elevation gain: Little to none
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: There is a cost to purchase the mountain admission ticket
Dogs allowed: No
Snowshoes available to rent: Yes
The Blue Grouse Loop is a super short beginners snowshoe trail located at the top of Grouse Mountain. It will only take you around 30 minutes to complete and is great for the whole family.
You are able to rent snowshoes from the Fireside Hut on Grouse Mountain beside the skating pond.
Grouse Mountain has a few different snowshoe trails that you can try out such as the Blue Grouse Loop and the Snowshoe Grind which I have provided details for below. For a full list of trails and a map check out their website. To do any of the Grouse Mountain snow shoe trails, you will need to purchase a Ski & Snowboard Pass, Mountain Admission Ticket or Annual Pass.
Snowshoe Grind – Grouse Mountain
Distance: 4.3km
Elevation gain: 240m
Difficulty: Moderate
Cost: There is a cost to purchase the mountain admission ticket
Dogs allowed: No
Snowshoes available to rent: Yes
Grouse Mountain has created a Winter experience version of the Grouse Grind called the Snowshoe Grind. This version will take you around 1-1.5 hours to complete. Like the Grouse Grind, you can purchase a Grind Timer Card to track your time and try to beat it on the Snowshoe Grind.
You are able to rent snowshoes from the Fireside Hut on Grouse Mountain beside the skating pond.
To do any of the Grouse Mountain snow shoe trails, you will need to purchase a Ski & Snowboard Pass, Mountain Admission Ticket or Annual Pass.
Thunderbird Ridge – Grouse Mountain
Distance: 6.1km
Elevation gain: 280m
Difficulty: Moderate
Cost: There is a cost to purchase the mountain admission ticket
Dogs allowed: No
Snowshoes available to rent: Yes
Thunderbird Ridge is a bit of a longer snowshoe trail on Grouse Mountain and will take you around 2-3 hours to complete. Thunderbird Ridge is a great trail to do if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the more popular shorter snowshoe trails.
You are able to rent snowshoes from the Fireside Hut on Grouse Mountain beside the skating pond.
To do any of the Grouse Mountain snow shoe trails, you will need to purchase a Ski & Snowboard Pass, Mountain Admission Ticket or Annual Pass.
The Hollyburn Cabins – Cypress Mountain
Distance: 100s of cabins-worth
Elevation gain: a lot or not a lot – it’s entirely up to you
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free
Dogs allowed: Yes
Snowshoes available to rent: Yes – at the Hollyburn Nordic Ski Area
The Hollyburn or Cypress Mountain cabins have become very popular recently with hikers and photographers. There are about 100 cabins located all around the trails from the Hollyburn Nordic Area and you can walk as far as you feel like. The cabins are privately owned so make sure you are respectful of any people staying in them and keep your distance.
This trail is pretty easy but there is a section with a steep incline if you choose to go down it. There are loads of cabins to admire and you will have so much fun trying to find them all!
Our Thoughts
We love that Vancouver is full of outdoor adventures even in the Winter and the fact that you are able to go snowshoeing in the local mountains is amazing! Snowshoeing is a Winter activity that everyone should try at least once.
You might also enjoy:
- The Best Things to do in Winter in Vancouver
- Pump Peak Hike in Winter – Mount Seymour
- How to Spend a Magical Christmas in Leavenworth
- How to Visit Scenic Hot Springs in Washington
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