St Mark's Summit Hiking Trail along the Howe Sound Crest, West Vancouver, BC

Lee from Vancouver writes:

Hiked up last Sunday (July 25th). Trail was fairly clear with just some patchy snow near the top. A bit muddy from snow melt but fair easy to navigate around muddy sections. Reached the top around 1:30pm and found that the bugs were not nearly as bad as expected. I was able to sit and enjoy my lunch and the view without to much distraction from them. Good hike, great view, highly recommended.

Posted: July 26, 2010 02:29:25 PM PST

Jeremy from Burnaby writes:

hiked this yesterday and definitely not worth it. The bugs were so bad at the top we had to turn around and leave right away.

Might try The Pumps on Seymour this week, hopefully the bugs aren't as bad above the treeline.

Posted: July 24, 2010 03:10:44 PM PST

Nik from Langley writes:

Hiked up on the morning of July 17th, 2010.

Patchy snow in places that can be navigated without any technical gear.

Under layers of snow are melting quickly due to this great weather so be careful when traversing over snow patches.

You won't fall far but you could fall far enough to sprain an ankle and make for an uncomfortable trip down.

Bugs were not too bad and the view, of course, is still outstanding.

One of the best hikes on the North Shore as far as effort vs. view goes.

Posted: July 18, 2010 10:02:11 AM PST

C Sun from Vancouver writes:

Hiked St. Mark's today with a couple of friends. There is snow in some areas, but you can make it to the top. I did it in runners and when I came down, they were dirty and one of my shoes was soaked.

Posted: July 11, 2010 10:00:52 PM PST

Adrian from Vancouver writes:

Hiked to the summit on Saturday. Great hike but lots of snow near the top. Will do it again later this summer when there is less snow.

Posted: July 5, 2010 04:08:13 PM PST

Ryan from Vancouver writes:

Hey, did the hike this morning. Lots of snow around Charles Creek which I think is about 1km from the summit. It was a cloudy day so also didn't see much of the view. But it was lots of fun. Good mix of terrain.

Posted: June 20, 2010 04:03:57 PM PST

Mike from Burnaby writes:

It sounds like you were in the right area. It's the Howe Sound Crest trail and with all the construction going on at Cypress for the Olympics, some of the trails have been changed slightly and I do recall having to go up a skill run at the beginning.

The key to finding the Howe Sound Crest is when you get to a gravel road up the first ski run, go left towards a big green water tank. There is a sign next to it and a trail that goes up behind it that will put you on track. Follow the trail up to another gravel road and go left again and then you'll be on the Howe Sound Crest trail to St. Mark's.

Good luck!

Posted: July 27, 2009 06:58:31 PM PST

SH from Vancouver writes:

Tried to do St. Mark's yesterday - but couldn't find the trailhead. Any one know where it starts? Is it at the end of the 2nd parking lot past the old cafetaria?

We saw a sign near the first parking lot that pointed towards the Howe Sound Crest Trail and ended up climbing up a ski run. We finally get to the top but it was the start to the Baden Powell Trail. So we ended up doing Eagle Bluffs instead.

Posted: July 27, 2009 11:05:34 AM PST

Karl Vietnieks from Mission writes:

Beautiful trail takes you to a nice open viewpoint with a good view of HoweSound and surrounding islands and shores.

Karl

Posted: September 15, 2008 08:55:33 PM PST

Mike from Burnaby writes:

St. Mark's Summit is a great hike. Nowhere near as difficult as the Lions but also with a great view of Howe Sound. I hiked up there yesterday and the trail is snow free, just a little muddy.

Posted: August 4, 2008 10:26:35 AM PST

Ric Mazereeuw from Vancouver writes:

Great hike, well worth the time. Can be snow until late summer

Posted: August 2, 2008 11:20:29 PM PST