Deep Cove Lookout - Vancouver Hiking Trails

At the far end of the Baden Powell Trail, in the cute town of Deep Cove is home to the fantastic Deep Cove Lookout Trail.  Also known as Quarry Rock and the Grey Rock Trail, the Deep Cove Lookout Trail is amazing.  The wonderful trail crosses numerous creek bridges to get to the impressive lookout with views of Deep Cove and Indian Arm far below.

Indian Arm is a 20k fjord that cuts deep into the mainland.  The slopes on either side are heavily forested and steep and therefore have seen little human development as compared to the heavily populated regions nearby.

The hike is fairly relaxing.  There is free parking off Panorama Drive and the trailhead is marked with a Baden Powell Trail sign.  The first kilometre sees most of the 160 metre elevation gain and from then on it is a relaxing walk in the woods the the beautiful lookout.

Dogs are welcome on the trail and there are washrooms at the parking lot.  Deep Cove is a very pretty coastal town full of nice shops and restaurants as well as a nice pier and marina to wander around in.

Directions to the Baden Powell Trailhead

From Vancouver, cross the Lions Gate Bridge take the exit toward North Vancouver/Capilano Canyon/Grouse Mountain Recreation Area and merge onto Marine Drive.  Turn left onto Capilano Rd and then merge onto the Trans Canada Highway heading East.  Take the Mount Seymour Parkway Exit.  Left on Deep Cove RD, right on Gallant Ave and left onto Panorama Drive.  49.330125,-122.950093 Deep Cove Lookout Trailhead (Baden Powell Trailhead)

More Hikes Near Deep Cove

Lighthouse Park is an extraordinarily little known piece of paradise, so close to to Vancouver as to see its tall buildings, yet immersed into a dramatically beautiful coastal rainforest.  A wonderful network of hiking trails winds throughout massive Douglas-fir trees and Western Red Cedars as well as golden Arbutus trees stretching toward the ocean.  There are so many great aspects of this hike.  The first is the beautiful drive to get there.  Marine Drive spectacularly hugs the rugged and steep coast of West Vancouver.  This beautiful stretch of road is a great attraction to Lighthouse Park as it takes you along an easily overlooked, yet beautiful area of Vancouver.  Another great attraction to the park is the wonderful variation of trails.  They stretch out in several directions in the thick forest, each leading to breathtaking ocean viewpoints.  Another is the variety of wildlife.  Along with the majestic trees there are the occasional bald eagles, oystercatchers, seagulls, shore crabs, hermit crabs and starfish, among quite a lot else.  Another is the seemingly endless array of picnic tables and even better, rock outcrops at the edge of the Georgia Strait and Pacific Ocean beyond.  Black Mountain can be reached from two different trailheads.  The trailhead from Cypress Resort and the original trail off Marine Drive halfway between Horseshoe Bay and Lighthouse Park.  The trailhead south of Horseshoe Bay is a challenging 19 kilometre roundtrip hike but fantastically scenic.  This route follows the Trans Canada Trail for about 20 minutes before branching off toward, then past Whyte Lake. The Cypress Mountain Resort is the newer, shorter and easier way to access Black Mountain and Eagle Bluffs.  Located just a short and very nice, 30 minute drive from downtown Vancouver, the Black Mountain and Eagle Bluffs trail begins next to the Cypress Mountain Resort chairlifts.  The well marked trail branches away from the chairlift to the left and quickly ascends into the deep and beautiful forest.  Follow the clear signs to Eagle Bluffs.  The route can be done in a circle route, so try to take the other route on the way back for variety.  Stanley Park in downtown Vancouver is a beautiful and astoundingly huge network of hiking/walking/biking trails.  An estimated 8 million hikers, walkers, rollerbladers and cyclists visit the park yearly.  The wonderful spider web of trails throughout the park add up to a staggering 200 kilometres, which explains how the park generally feels serene and relatively quiet most days despite its phenomenal popularity.  Any visit to Vancouver should include a wander around Stanley Park.  Everything about it is beautiful.  The seawall, the huge trees, the ocean views, small beaches, the gardens.  The Vancouver Aquarium is a great sight to see as well as the various landmarks scattered throughout the park.  The pitch and putt golf course, the seaside swimming pool, the Theatre Under the Stars, the Nine O'Clock Gun, Siwash Rock and of course the Hollow Tree.  Finally, seeing the Lions Gate Bridge from below as you pass under via the seawall is quite a sight.  The Kitsilano beaches begin as soon as you cross the Burrard Bridge and enter the residential paradise of Kitsilano.  Though only this first beach is named Kitsilano Beach, you can walk from one beach to the next via some short and scenic residential detours.  So you can connect the beautiful Kitsilano Beach to Jericho Beach, then Locarno Beach then Spanish Bank Beach.  Walking them all will add up to about 8k (one way) of wonderfully varied beaches, parks, marinas, the enormous Kits Pool and endless vantage points to English Bay and Burrard Inlet.  This is not a hiking route but rather a fantastic beach walk anytime of the year.  With the changing weather and seasons change the wonderful feel you get walking around Vancouver.  Pacific Spirit Park surrounds the University of British Columbia on the shores of Georgia Straight.  The park has a beautiful array of trails, 73 kilometres in total, that run along beaches, some old growth forest and even a bog.  The network of trails interconnects so often that you can do small 15 minute sections if that is all you are after.  Pacific Spirit Park is one of Vancouver's most popular parks and located in the wonderful and expensive neighbourhood, Point Grey.  You can wander the park for hours if you want as there are an endless number of trails heading in all directions. The park is open during daylight hours and there are plenty of washrooms and food stands.  Most trails are hard packed gravel and only the occasional elevation change.  More than 50 of the 73 kilometres of trails are designated as multi-use, allowing for biking and horseback riding as well as hiking/walking.  Much of the park is in deep forest, however, stairs lead to various beaches along the ocean.  Steep stairs descend through thick forest to finally open up at these unexpectedly beautiful beaches.  Burnaby Mountain, just 30 minutes east of downtown Vancouver has a nice network of popular trails with fantastic views of Vancouver, Burrard Inlet and beyond.  The trails link to the wonderful Trans Canada Trail.  The Trans Canada Trail when completed in 2017 will stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific and up to the Arctic Ocean.