Ever since someone shared this link on facebook about 10 amazing day hikes near Vancouver of which I’ve done none, I thought this needs to change! So begins my summer of hiking. And why not start with the list’s #1 (and probably easiest hike?)
at the top of Dog Mountain
Dog Mountain
Dog Mountain is one of the peaks that makes up Mount Seymour on the North Shore. It’s a pretty easy hike about 2 hours round trip with minimal elevation gain. The 5k trail had tree roots to climb over as well as some muddy and snowy sections, for which I was thankful to be wearing hiking boots.
It was a gorgeous day with the sun peeking through the canopy of trees and glistening on the leftover spring snow. I can see why this is a popular trail for snowshoeing in the wintertime.
First Lake
The view overlooking Vancouver was a bit hazy despite the good weather, so it doesn’t compare with the breathtaking shot from the link I posted above, but it was still so worth it.
We took our time at the top to have lunch and enjoy these birds that feed right off your hand. As you can tell by how many pictures I took, they were my favourite part of the hike! Any birdwatchers out there who know what they’re called?
Not sure how Dog Mountain got its name, but we did see quite a few people along the trail with their dogs, including a golden retriever cooling off by rolling around in the snow. Not a bad idea! I cooled off by climbing into the shade of this tree. (quite literally. Can you see me?)
Deep Cove
We finished off the day relaxing on the grassy hillside of Deep Cove, just a short drive from Mount Seymour. This is a popular spot to rent canoes and kayaks from and explore Indian Arm. Of you can hike the trail that leads to Quarry Rock which gives a great view (I hear) overlooking the water below. The town of Deep Cove has some ice cream shops, pizza parlours and other restaurants, as well as an art gallery and some cute gift stores. It was my first time there and I would like to go back to climb Quarry Rock.
And for those of you wondering/worrying if this is going to turn into a hiking blog, don’t worry, it’s not. You may see a few more of these types of posts since it is summer and I want to take advantage of the beautiful geography surrounding me, but I plan on posting something urban again soon. So stay tuned!
textingthecity 
The big grey birds you guys fed were Grey Jays. I also wrote about how social they were from my blog. http://t-nl.blogspot.ca/2012/11/gander-thomas-howe-demonstration-forest.html
cool, I guess they’re all over the place! apparently another name for them is whiskey jacks
This post inspired Sandra and I to explore Deep Cove. We made it to Quarry Rock – which was totally worth the effort. Thx š
awesome! glad you got to experience the beauty of Deep Cove. Your pics look fantastic!