Vancouver Hiking Trails RatingSt Mark's Summit is a relatively easy way to get hiking deep into Vancouver's amazing mountains.  Starting this hike at Cypress means you drive most of the elevation.  Even though you still have another somewhat challenging 460 metres in 5.5 kilometres to hike, the beautiful forest and frequent Howe Sound views make it seem quick and easy.

  • Vancouver Hiking Trails ProIncredible views of Howe Sound
  • Vancouver Hiking Trails ProFun, scenic, not too hard trail
  • Vancouver Hiking Trails ProOn the Howe Sound Crest Trail!
  • Vancouver Hiking Trails ProCamping is amazing & free!
  • Vancouver Hiking Trails ProDogs are welcome
  • Vancouver Hiking Trails ProStart at Cypress Resort
  • Vancouver Hiking Trails ProMost find it easier than expected
  • Vancouver Hiking Trails ProTrail continue to The Lions!
  • Vancouver Hiking Trails ProSnowshoe in the winter(difficult)
  • Vancouver Hiking Trails ConVery busy on weekends

Vancouver Hiking Trails

Moderately Difficult Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverBlack Mountain Difficult and Steep Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverBrunswick Mountain Easy Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverBurnaby Lake Easy Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverBurnaby Mountain Difficult and Steep Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverColiseum Mountain Difficult and Steep Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverCrown Mountain Easy Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverCypress Falls Difficult and Steep Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverDeeks Peak Moderately Difficult Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverDeep Cove Easy Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverDeer Lake Easy Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverDog Mountain Moderately Steep Pay Use Trail - Hike in VancouverGoat Mountain Easy Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverGoldie Lake Steep Trail - Hike in VancouverGrouse Moderately Difficult Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverHollyburn MountainEasy Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverKitsilano Beaches Easy Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverLighthouse Park Easy Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverLynn Canyon Difficult and Steep Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverLynn Peak Difficult and Steep Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverMt Elsay Moderately Difficult Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverMt Fromme Very Steep Technical Terrain - Hike in VancouverMt Hanover Very Steep Technical Terrain - Hike in VancouverMt Harvey Difficult and Steep Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverMt Seymour Moderately Difficult Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverMt Strachan Moderately Difficult Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverMystery Lake Easy Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverPacific Spirit Easy Trail No Dogs - Hike in VancouverRice Lake Moderately Difficult Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverSt Mark's Easy Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverStanley Park Moderately Difficult Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverThe Lions Difficult and Steep Dog Friendly Trail - Hike in VancouverUnnecessary

It takes well under two hours for the average hiker to reach St Mark's Summit and the views are fantastic.  Not only because of the incredible vantage point over Howe Sound, but the abruptness of St Mark's Summit.  The cliffs below you are frighteningly vertical, making the views fantastically majestic.  Also the sheer drop off makes Howe Sound and the speck sized boats seem so surreal.  The third and possibly the best feature of the St Mark's Summit hike is the intricately huge and varied terrain on the summit.  You stand and marvel at one viewpoint, then moments later your friend appears at an extraordinarily improbable, and worryingly dangerous rock outcrop a few dozen metres away.  This hilarious game of hide and seek, seemingly can go on forever.  As one leads to another, then another.  Over and over, the St Mark's Summit reveals one breathtaking vantage point after another, until you are exhausted more with the views than the hike that got you there.  When you estimate your hiking time for St Mark's Summit, be sure to include an hour at least at the top.  And before you begin your hike back to Cypress, take a moment to glance back at the distant Lions.  This incredible trail continues to them and beyond, you've just done 5.5k of the 29k, phenomenal Howe Sound Crest Trail.

St Mark's Summit View of Howe Sound

St Mark`s Summit is part of the amazing Howe Sound Crest Trail in Cypress Provincial Park and is one of the many beautiful peaks to be climbed if desired on the 29k trail.  Among the hiker friendly mountains (in order from Cypress north) on the Howe Sound Crest Trail are: Mount Strachan, St Mark`s Summit, Unnecessary Mountain, The Lions, Mount Harvey, Mount Hanover, Brunswick Mountain and finally Deeks Peak.

St Mark's Summit Tent View

St Mark's Summit Tent View

The beautiful Cypress Mountain Resort is the location of the trailhead to the hike to St Mark's Summit. As it is one of among several hikes along the Howe Sound Crest Trail, the trailhead signs and markers don't indicate St Mark's Summit. Instead you have to follow the well laid out and frequent signs that direct you to the Howe Sound Crest Trail and The Lions. The Lions is the well known and highly visible Vancouver mountain on the Howe Sound Crest Trail and sits just beyond St Mark's Summit on the trail. So if you follow the signs for The Lions you will reach the Summit of St Mark's.

The gravel and dirt trail winds through a beautiful and deep forest, occasionally following switchback as the trail ascends further into the mountains. After 20 minutes the trail and forest above and around it noticeably changes to a more wild and natural looking forest. The trail skirts the edge of some steep, though very safe cliffs and your first amazing view of Howe Sound.  The intense blue of the ocean far below contrasting with the distant, dark green, tree covered mountains, which then contrast back to the light blue of the sky is breathtaking. So close to Vancouver, yet very little of humanity is visible. No building, no houses, cars or highways in this enormously sweeping view of the British Columbia's coast. Just the occasional, and very distant sailboats silently catching the famous Howe Sound wind shown by the tell-tale white wash trailing behind.

St Mark's Summit

St Mark's Summit is, you suddenly realize is quite large as there are in fact several different and equally beautiful viewpoints to see. Each one has a different perspective on the Howe Sound below. Some views are framed by impossibly huge trees seemingly growing out of the solid rock of the mountain. Other viewpoints have gorgeous clearings where you could sit and enjoy a picnic on the edge of the world or put up a tent with a hard to beat view. There is even a small waterfall barely audible in the background forest that you can reach in just a two minute hike from the summit. The Howe Sound is the view you see in the foreground. As you turn away from the ocean view to the mountains behind you, you see The Lions just a few kilometres away and looking very impressively near. Looking in the direction of The Lions, the Howe Sound Crest Trail disappears down from St Mark's Summit and invitingly north into the distance.

Discover St Mark's Summit at HikeInVan.com

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