Hiking Mount Daniel on the Sunshine Coast
Contents
Mount Daniel Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 5.20Km
Elevation Gain: 395m
Highest Elevation: 450m
Average Gradient: 15.19%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Low / Low
Time Needed:
– Slow: 2.5 – 3 Hours
– Moderate: 2 – 2.5 Hours
– Fast: 1.5 – 2 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Mount Daniel Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°38’51.9″N 124°00’15.2″W
Mount Daniel Overview
Mount Daniel is a summit located in the Garden Bay Marine Provincial Park in the Pender Harbour region of the Sunshine Coast. Along with the nearby Pender Hill, Mount Daniel offers rewarding views of Pender Harbour and the Strait of Georgia after a short but steep climb up to its summit.
The entire route follows an established trail, making for a quick and seamless ascent. Unlike Soames Hill, which is right next to the ferry terminal in Gibsons, Mount Daniel is over an hour’s drive away and likely sees a lot less traffic from tourists visiting from the mainland. Still, this is a fairly popular hike and you’re likely to see a few people if you go on a sunny weekend.
Most of the summit of Mount Daniel is forested, however there are a couple of bluffs that allow unobstructed views that do make this a worthwhile hike. The views are not as open as Pender Hill, however, so if you only have time for one I would suggest Pender Hill as the better (and easier) option.
The hike begins from a small parking area on the side of Garden Bay Road, however I’m sure if it’s full there is room to park on the side of the road as well.
Thanks to its low elevation, Mount Daniel is a year-round hike. This is a dog friendly trail.
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Is Mount Daniel worthwhile?
While Mount Daniel doesn’t offer as rewarding views as Pender Hill, it is still a worthwhile hike in its own right. If you have time to do both I would definitely encourage it, however if you only have time for one I would sooner choose Pender Hill for its more expansive viewpoint at the top.
How difficult is the hike to Mount Daniel?
Mount Daniel is a relatively short and consistently steep hike. Most of the trail is moderately steep without ever being exceptionally steep, so it’s a decent gradient to allow fast travel. Fit parties can readily complete the hike in under 2 hours.
Technically speaking this is a straightforward trail that follows typical PNW terrain, with a mix of rocks, dirt and roots throughout. There is no scrambling on the hike.
Mount Daniel Route Information
As noted the trailhead is from a small parking area on the side of Garden Bay Road (see coordinates). Capable vehicles can actually drive up the initial couple of hundred meters on a small gravel road, but most parties will start from the main road as it’s a bit rough.
Assuming you begin from the main road, the initial couple of hundred meters will be a wide gravel / forest road and shortly after beginning you’ll pass by a junction, which you’ll want to ignore. After traveling briefly further the road will end at a sign indicating the start of the trail, and the trail itself narrows into a forest trail.
Almost immediately, the once mellow trail begins a steep climb through a fern enveloped forest, and after around half a kilometer you’ll pass by a BC Parks sign indicating that you’ve entered Garden Bay Marine Provincial Park. Sections of the trail can sometimes have creeks flowing through them, especially after recent rainfall, so take care with your footing if needed.
After entering the provincial park the trail flattens out a little, before beginning another climb to a sub summit of Mount Daniel. You’ll now drop down off this (there’s nothing to see there), and begin climbing back up the actual summit where the viewpoints are.
Shortly ahead you will see a small trail leading to a rocky bluff to your right, with a large cairn on it. You can walk past the cairn to the edge of the bluff, which offers fairly open views of Pender Harbour below.
Returning to the trail, it’s less obvious but you can actually continue ahead where you will reach another, much larger, bluff. This one will offer broader views of Gunboat Bay and the mountains to the east and the south. Once you’ve finished, you simply hike back the way you came.
When should I hike Mount Daniel?
Mount Daniel is a year-round hike that can be completed whenever you prefer. With a high point of 450m the summit will usually be snow free for most of the year, however as with anywhere snow might reach these elevations at times in the winter.
Top Tip
This hike can be completed in under 2 hours, including some time at the summit. If you want more bang for your buck you can drive over to Pender Hill and hike that as well, which will take around 1 hour or less, and offers even better views.
