John Harvey Photo

The Lions

Go to Slide Show Smaller Images Yes, there is some vertical


 
JHN_8115_Jesse Looking At Sunshine Coast
The Lions overlooking Vancouver are our geographical landmark if ever there is one.  The hike up is fairly well known - it's verticle and hard.  Unfortuantly the lions are well known for a third reason - every few years someone dies while trying to climb to the peak.   The most recent fatality was in the middle of September (roughly 9 days previous) durring foggy conditions - the rain covered granite was a slipperly slide to a long drop.


Helen wanted to see photos of the trip up and I didn't have any to show.  Some people like to tell stories about how ugly the bathroom was on their last internation trip - other people don't mention it.  The trail up reminds me of that situtation.  The trail is roughly broken into three sections - a gravel road, a steep assent through the forest and then an alpine section.

JHN_8141_Contrastier View Of Vancouver From LionsBudhist Prayer Flags With AView Of VancouverPrayer Flags And East Lion

Seeing the Lions close up is quite startling.  The seem smaller than you might first think.

  Two Lions Pano

Besides the view to Vancouver, there is also an open view up the sunshine coast.   Langdale and Gibsons is clearly visible as it Bowen, Keats and Gambier Island.  The Mountain on the right here (with the clear cut) is Mount Harvey, named after John Harvey (my namesake) of the H.M.S. Brunswick.

  Lions Bay Direction

  What quite surprised me was what was visible behind the lions.  The very distinctive Black Tusk is visible (It's 100km away) and the massive Diamond Head is also quite visible.  Further to the left is a glacier on the other side of Whistler.

Three Big Destinations
 
So - about the danger?  It's real.  There are a lot of granite outcroppings that are steady when dry but could be one slip from disaster in rainy or snowy conditions.  A trip organized by work a few years ago (when there was still snow on the ground) resulted in a broken ankle when someone slid down a steap slope and hit a tree.  The views are amazing - it's worth going when the weather is nice (clear) and you aren't worrying about your footing.


Prayer Flags And East Lion
Altitude: 1555m (5101 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: summit
Lions Bay Direction
Altitude: 1556m (5104 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: logging, vista
Three Big Destinations
Altitude: 1560m (5118 feet)
Location: Go To...
JHN_8115_Jesse Looking At Sunshine Coast
Altitude: 1307m (4288 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: coast, hiking, summit, vista
Two Lions Pano
Altitude: 1551m (5088 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: hiking, mountain
Budhist Prayer Flags With AView Of Vancouver
Altitude: 1552m (5091 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: vista
JHN_8141_Contrastier View Of Vancouver From Lions
Altitude: 1559m (5114 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: Vancouver, vista
Tags: vista(4), summit(2), hiking(2), coast(1), Vancouver(1), logging(1)
From: John Harvey Photo > John Harvey Photo - Hiking > Lions
From: John Harvey Photo > Lions

Wow just stunning photos. But how do you get there from Vancouver? Just wondering.
The man from Toronto
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011 at 14:15:26

Short Answer - we drove. Lions Bay is a community on the way up to Squamish/Whistler - maybe 15 minutes past Horseshoe bay. You take the exit into the community and then drive up a bunch of residential (paved) roads until you get to the exit. (You need a map). Parking is tricky - there isn't much at the trail head and everything else wants to be tow away zone. Then you start walking...
John Harvey
Monday, March 28th, 2011 at 18:33:02

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