West Lion

Introduction

The Lions are a prominent set of peaks in the North Shore visible from many parts of Vancouver. The East Lion is located in the watershed and is therefore off-limits. Furthermore it requires some technical climbing on somewhat dubious rock and therefore is rarely climbed. There is a popular hiking trail to the base of the West Lion, and the final climb to the summit is exposed class 3.

From Cypress Bowl

The traditional approach begins at the Cypress parking lot and follows the Howe Sound Crest Trail past a few peaks (Unnecessary Mountain) before reaching the base of the Lions. Park fees are in effect at the Cypress parking lot.

From Lions Bay

The "modern" approach is from Lions Bay. To reach the trailhead, get off the highway at the off ramp (not the traffic light). Go right (uphill) on centre road, then left on bayview, pass by a school, left on mountain drive and finally left on sunset drive and park at the gate. Community shuttle bus C12 now serves Lions Bay on weekends. Check the Translink website for up to date schedules. The bus route ends in the middle of the village, so you will have to walk the last 2km or so from the bus stop to the trailhead.

Parking at the trailhead has been a bit of an issue. The municipality has put up "No Parking" signs. There is limited parking for non-residents at the trailhead. You may need to hunt around for parking elsewhere in town. Additional parking can be found at the school that you pass on the way to the trailhead.

The trail starts out on logging roads, and it's important to know which fork to take. At the first fork, go right; the left fork doesn't go anywhere. At the second fork go right again; the left fork here crosses Magnesia Creek and goes to Mount Brunswick. At the third fork, go right once more; going left heads to the north face of Mount Harvey. Finally, the road climbs up into Harvey Creek. The trail departs on the right side, crosses Harvey Creek and goes straight up the other side to the Lions.

Climbing to the Summit (standard route)

Reaching the summit involves some exposed scrambling near the top. It's not difficult when dry, but if you fall in the right place you could seriously injure yourself. There's no shame in bringing a rope along for the climb. At the very least, it will dissuade other unequipped hikers from attempting the climb and getting in over their heads.

Climb down to the notch just south of the west lion, and traverse right across the east face on a downsloping ledge. Past the ledge, easy climbing tending up and right leads to the summit.

Doing a loop

If you have two vehicles, an excellent day trip can be had by starting at Cypress and returning via Lions Bay.