Christine Beyleveldt

Difficulty: leisurely with one river crossing where I almost lost my shoes

Distance: 12 km round-trip, 200 m elevation gain

I can’t tell you how much I was looking forward to the start of summer this year. The spring rain lasted forever and the sun finally started to peek out from behind the clouds around the end of May, just as I was in the thick of exams. One of my classmates and I had been toying with the idea of camping for months already. But unfortunately everything along the Squamish River was booked up from May straight through to September. I spend most of my time hiking and camping in and around Squamish that I’m not completely familiar with much else. So when my friend suggested we hike along the rim of the canyon in Golden Ears to a beautiful beach where we could camp for the night instead, I was sold.

Golden Ears lies east of Vancouver just past Pitt Meadows. Apparently, it was once called Golden Eyries after the golden eagles observed at the twin summits of Mount Blanshard. But the name got corrupted somewhere along the way. We originally planned to go the weekend after classes let out, but a spur of the moment decision saw us off on a Thursday morning instead. It turned out to be a good call, because Thursday was a beautiful sunny day.

East Canyon Rim Trail

Starting from the Gold Creek parking lot we headed into the forest via the east canyon route. Like Garibaldi Provincial Park, which I’m far more familiar with, Golden Ears requires hikers and campers to carry a permit. Luckily, on a weekday this isn’t too hard to get.

We started in along the west canyon trail since the east canyon entrance from the parking lot was washed out. After about a km, we switched trails and got onto the east canyon route, which my friend promised had more dramatic scenery. It did. We passed the stunning lower falls where we stopped and got soaked by the spray. After that, the trail veered sharply uphill and we scrambled up with the aid of tree roots. This section was relatively short, and then we were back on the marked path again. Aside from this one steep section, the trail is a leisurely one with a gentle incline.

About 5 km up the trail, you’ll come to a bridge connecting the east and west trails. This is one of two river crossings. A few hundred metres later, we came to our second river crossing. A precariously placed log in the middle of a swift current. My friend nimbly skipped across with a 50 pound bag on her back and her dog, Foxy, tugging on her leash. Foxy came back to guide me across, but I had already decided to remove my shoes and chuck them across the river, thinking I’d have more purchase on the slippery-looking log with my bare feet. Side note: I did, but I missed the shore and my shoes landed in the water. My friend rescued them and I spent the remainder of our hike in flip flops with my sopping wet boots hanging around my neck.

Overnight at Hiker’s Beach

Luckily, we were only a few hundred metres from Hiker’s Beach by that point. We could have continued another few km to Half Moon Beach, but Hiker’s Beach looked like such a beautiful spot that we couldn’t resist. After we had pitched our tent, we spent the rest of the afternoon splashing in the water with Foxy, snoozing in the hammock, munching our snacks and playing card games.

Friday morning, the first raindrops were starting to land on the tarp, our canine companion had an upset stomach and we couldn’t get a fire going to cook our breakfast, so we decided to head out early. The west canyon trail doesn’t offer as much as the east side does. The path is a bit more rugged than the east canyon trail with plenty of loose stones and tree roots. But it makes for a good change in scenery.