Hiking Belcarra Bluffs in Belcarra Regional Park
Contents
Belcarra Bluffs Hike Information
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 5.50Km
Elevation Gain: 290m
Highest Elevation: 254m
Average Gradient: 10.50%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Low / Low
Time Needed:
– Slow: 2.50 – 3 Hours
– Moderate: 2 – 2.50 Hours
– Fast: 1.50 – 2 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Belcarra Bluffs Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°18’44.8″N 122°55’31.1″W
Belcarra Bluffs Overview
Belcarra Bluffs is a viewpoint overlooking the Indian Arm, Capitol Hill, Burnaby Mountain, Burrard Inlet and, on a clear day, Downtown Vancouver. The hike begins at the picnic area of Belcarra Regional Park, with a moderate yet consistent climb up to the viewpoint. From the viewpoint hikers can either descend the same way they came or return via the Admiralty Point trail as described here, which is the most popular choice.
This isn’t an exceedingly trafficked trail, especially outside of the summer, but it does see a reasonable amount of people.
There are a number of trails in Belcarra Regional Park, many of which are poorly signposted and marked, including this, so a map will likely be required for anyone hoping to reach the bluffs. The bluffs themselves are below the true summit of Belcarra Mountain, however, the summit itself is entirely forested, offering no views whatsoever, so only peakbaggers tend to care about reaching it. For those interested, it only requires a minor detour with minimal more elevation to reach the summit.
Thanks to its low elevation Belcarra Bluffs is a year-round hike, typically free of snow and ice even in the midst of winter. In fact avoiding the summer might be recommended as Belcarra Regional Park is incredibly busy at this time of year, with paid parking in effect. This is a dog friendly trail.
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Is Belcarra Bluffs worthwhile?
Given the relatively benign stats of this hike, the viewpoint at Belcarra Bluffs is sufficiently rewarding. It’s somewhat surprising that this isn’t a bit more popular in reality, as the view is just as good as something like Quarry Rock, which is incredibly popular.
Overall this is a worthy outing if you’re looking for a short, quick hike to a pleasant viewpoint, and makes for a good option in the shoulder seasons or even winter when the park is quieter. In the summer you can expect the park to be very busy, with an early start (as soon as the park opens) and paid parking required.
How difficult is the hike to Belcarra Bluffs?
Most of the hike is physically straightforward, though there is a 1km stretch where hikers will ascend around 170m (the majority of the total ascent) for a 17% average gradient. Outside of that the remainder of the hike is physically quite simple.
Technically the hike is also straightforward, with the only real challenge being navigation as there are no signs or markers directing to Belcarra Bluffs, and there are a number of trails within the park. With a map this won’t be an issue at all, but without one you may struggle to get there at all. Most of the terrain is the usual PNW forest: dirt, rocks and roots.
Belcarra Bluffs Route Information
The trailhead for Belcarra Bluffs is from the Belcarra Regional Park picnic area. There is a lot of parking available here, however it is incredibly popular, especially in the summer on a weekend. There is seasonal paid parking in effect so make sure to confirm whether you need to pay, and if you’re going during peak season I would strongly advise getting there as soon as the park opens. During the low season you’ll usually have more flexibility.
From the picnic area the trail will begin in front of the washrooms heading left, running adjacent to the road you will have driven in on. Initially you will follow the Admiralty Point trail, but after a hundred meters or so you’ll depart from this trail and turn left onto the Springboard Trail.
Over the next kilometer the Springboard Trail, which is a spacious gravel trail, will gradually climb up at an easy gradient. After around 1km you’ll want to pay attention to your map as you’ll now be departing this gravel trail, turning onto a very inconspicuous, unmarked trail into the forest. This will be easy to miss without a map.
The easy gradient will now give way to a slightly more challenging gradient, and the smooth gravel trail will change into your typical PNW, rugged, narrow forest trail. After climbing for a few hundred meters you’ll reach a junction where again it’s easy to make a mistake and end up following the wrong trail. Your intuition will probably take you to the right, when in reality you want to go left.
Over the next 500m or so the trail will zigzag through the forest, climbing steadily to a high point of around 250m. Here you’ll reach another junction where you’ll want to head right towards Belcarra Bluffs. If you intend to summit Belcarra Mountain you would continue straight on here.
From this high point the trail now begins descending, and in a few hundred meters you’ll reach another junction where you’ll want to continue descending for another 100m to the bluffs. Up to this point you’ll have had no views at all, so it’s somewhat surprising to find such an expansive viewpoint overlooking the Indian Arm. There is plenty of space for several groups, and lots of rock to sit down on to enjoy the views and have a bite to eat.
Once you’ve finished at the bluffs you’ll now return back to the junction and, assuming you’re returning via Admiralty Point, turn right to avoid going back the way you came. Almost immediately ahead you’ll want to turn right again, now descending fairly steeply through the forest. After almost 500m of descending you’ll reach another trail junction, this time turning left and continuing the descent towards the Port Moody Arm and the Admiralty Point trail.
Once you’ve reached the Admiralty Point trail you simply turn right and follow it all the way back to the picnic area, around 2km away. You may want to stop at Admiralty Point or Maple Beach along the way, but there are plenty of viewpoints along the Admiralty Point trail to appreciate the views. This section of the trail will be a lot more popular, with lots of dog walkers and families in particular.
When should I hike Belcarra Bluffs?
As noted, Belcarra Bluffs is a year-round hike so you can really go whenever you please. If you don’t like dealing with crowds and parking issues I would try to avoid the summer and instead opt for the shoulder seasons or even winter. Cloudy days are often fine as well, since the viewpoint is only at 180m elevation.
Top Tip
You’ll certainly need a map for this hike as the signage and markers to the viewpoint are nonexistent.
If you’re going on a sunny summer weekend, arrive as soon as the park opens to ensure parking.
If you are looking for an optional extension of this hike you could also explore the Jug Island trail, another very popular trail from the same trailhead.
