I’ve done this mini trip several times and have always loved it. The Killarney Lake loop is very flat and easy and is great when you have a large group to wrangle. There is a surprising variety of terrain and landscape and lots of my favorite slugs (yes I love banana slugs). In the fall it’s full of berries and the 2 hour hike easily turns to 4 hours while I pick and eat along every step. This time we met up at the ferry launch in Horseshoe Bay, all 11 of us and took a quick ferry ride to the small island.
Our large hiking group on the ferry to Bowen
Nothing like company on the deck
Slugs!!! I love slugs
After a relaxing breakfast at the cafe, we wandered over to the path to start the walk. Whiskey was super bouncy and had a ton of fun. The trail was quite empty, meeting a couple runners and maybe 4 other groups including some horses! Whiskey was really excited about the horses.
Pointing out chickens
Introducing the group to our first viewpoint
Beautiful path to the lake
marshlands are so pertty
ancient forests
and horses! it was hard to hold her back
Great group this time!
At the lake she fetched over 15 times and swam in circles trying to find the stones everyone was skipping. The lily pads are hard for a dog to swim through and get tangled in their feet so we tried to keep her away from the worst of it. We found one leech on Whiskey that was easily removed so watch out for those!
swimming enthusiastically
perfect spot to stop and hang out
this girl has so much energy!
After an ice cream, some drinks, and live music on the grass, we headed back home over the ferry. What a beautiful day even covered in clouds!
Low tide at Spanish Banks is really one of a kind. Spanish Banks is regularly a great dog beach but if you can get there on a low tide (arrive at least an hour ahead of the tide time) then it’s really special. With a fantastic view of the cityscape, it feels like you can almost walk out to the tankers and the beach is 1000x bigger than normal.
The tide is an hour away from low
It goes on forever!
Expert digger…not sure what for
Seriously, is this the only Vizsla that just sits in the middle of playing?
Playing a tiny bit of fetch
So happy!
We arrived at 9:30 on a Sunday morning and there were so many dogs and owners there that we met 3 other Vizslas!
Making friends
I had to lay on the sand to get this low
Meeting and playing with Hugo
There’s nothing like two Vizslas playing
Instant friendship
This time Whiskey was accompanied by her good friend Ginger who looks like a mini Vizsla with a no-nonsense attitude. Ginger was sporting her new life jacket (complete with handles) just in case the tide pools came too high. The two had a blast running around and meeting other dogs.
Little Ginger is so short!
Ankle deep water is pretty high for her
Whiskey chases the seagulls
Ginger swimming along
This is what the handles are for!
Amazing morning
Whiskey had fun sniffing out crabs. At one point we even had to leash up Ginger when a bald eagle decided to hang out on the sand. In the end we had two very happy and tired puppies on the way home.
It’s the time again! Meetup time in Vancouver for loads of springy red dogs. This time we took over Bridgman Park in North Vancouver for a little walk with alot of pep. There were several new dogs and lots of butt sniffing, playing, and chatting with other ‘parents’.
I really huge group this time!
my little girl stops to pose
long-haired Vizsla
dogs everywhere! where is mine?
everyone is meeting little Moose
The dogs acted like a giant pack walking through the park, although one or two inevitably went off chasing scents. I even got to meet my first long-haired Vizsla and we also have a black Vizsla-mix in the group! It’s so great to have a good community that gets together like this. Vizslas are relatively rare but the show-ups to these meetups is so much higher than other popular breeds. Suffice to say we had one tired and happy puppy on the way home.
I love these dogs!
four way conversation
treat? you must bring an entire bag of treats today
by the riverside, these are not water dogs
everywhere you see, vislas!
All good news and happy pups aside, we did have a sad incident where one of our newest puppies, 3 month old Pana was attacked and bitten by a bull terrier before meeting the group, and had to go straight to emergency. It’s really terrible news, especially since that dog had attacked 3 other dogs that day. It’s always a really good reminder to keep a close eye on interactions with other dogs, especially new ones, and ensure your own dog doesn’t go charging up to meet new dogs.
Whiskey’s been feeling so much better lately after the vet visits. She’s actually been more energetic than ever and I’ve increased her daily ration to over 1kg a day, I have no idea what she does with it! With the longer hours we’ve been having, our sunsets are now at around 830 and we love walking on the beach after work. This day we headed over to Spanish Banks which has a fantastic dog beach and wanted to see how far the beach went. Well guess what? It keeps going until Wreck beach and the walk was really nice full of little beaches, and nice secluded picnic area, and no one around (how we like it!).
Spanish banks was rough today!
how lucky to be living here
the start of a really nice walk
Between Spanish Banks is a very beautiful connection with lots of smaller beaches. Perfect if you want to chill or just have a quiet walk. There’s also a small picnic area with garbage bins and bathrooms. At some point we ended up at the University of British Columbia’s grounds and headed back to our car.
Last week we hit St Marks Summit again, but unfortunately this we were hit with crowds everywhere (our previous hikes up here had very little people)! So this weekend our goal was an uncrowded hike with breathtaking views. We decided to try a new hike that starts at Buntzen Lake -Eagle Ridge or Swan Falls Loop/Lindsay Lake Loop.
Having a hiking dog really keeps you outdoors
She always stays really close when we are on trails
Buntzen Lake from the North Beach
We went up (2) and down (1)
We got to the parking lot super early (8am for us) as we knew we would be fighting sunset times if we took breaks. Surprisingly, a large amount of people also start hiking at 8am on a Saturday morning in March so it was busy for the first section around Lake Buntzen. We knew most people would be doing the Diez Vista hike (a nice one, but we were going higher!) or trail around Buntzen Lake. By the way, I’ve never seen so many warnings around dogs (where to go, where not to go), as well as warnings about hiking in general. I can understand when Buntzen lake is very busy that dogs should be kept to the dog-beach (there were summer days when the lake was “full” and you get turned around) but everyone we saw had their dogs off-leash in this non-busy season
The trail around the lake is very flat and easy
A crazy amount of warnings awaits us.
The first section from south to north beach
early morning at the lake
Pose? ok I’ll pose
artifacts people have found and placed for other to see
evidence of logging in the past
At the turn off to the Halvor Lunden- Eagle Ridge Trail, we were finally alone and looking up a very very high mountain (are we really doing this?). The climb is neither difficult nor technical, just long and the markers are pretty easy to follow though there are some sections where you must climb over a fallen log. It should take 2-4 hours for the 3km, 1150m altitude climb and this is by far the longest section. Please be careful if there is bad weather as it seems there lots of people that need to be rescued here.
the turn off for the higher trails with lots of warnings
investigating
Up up up we go
The trails were easier than we thought
A couple optional rope sections
waiting for our group to catch up
it feels like we’ve been doing this awhile now!
snack time
starting to see some peeps
Fantastic trails here
We met no one on the way up
a cat-nap while we wait for the group
oh we are so close!
we pass a couple frozen ponds
very little snow this year, sometimes it looks like this in July
I can almost taste my upcoming sandwich…
the last hump, you see the peak there?
The peak is beautiful and a great place to eat, rest up, and soak in the sun. After an easy cruise along the ridges’ high forests, you have a choice between a walk around some lakes, or a panoramic view-point walk. We were advised by a friendly forestry hiker we met that the viewpoint walk was a little longer, but nicer compared to the muddier lake walk so we took in the views.
Mt Baker on this clear day
on top of Mt Beautiful
heading through the ridge
my dog glows!
sometimes we would get lost if we just followed Whiskey
what an amazing day
more panoramic views
You can see downtown,Richmond, the Island, etc
Whiskey always runs ahead to the cliff and looks down
I sort of think she appreciates the view too!
By the time we started the decent, the sun was sinking lower and we picked up our feet so we could get back to the car before they shut the gates at 6pm (gate times are posted as you enter). The decent down the south park is less steep and easier on the knees. The hike took us a total of 10 hours at a pretty leisurely pace.
Starting at the same parking lots as the popular “Chief” hike, Upper Shannon Falls is slightly longer, with similar views, but less busy and has in my opinion, a nicer trail to enjoy. I really enjoy this option during the Summer/Fall months when hoards of tourists descend to hike up the Chief. It’s also better for the dogs when there are less crowds and more space to run. Details of the hike: 5 hours, 470m gain and 7.5km.
scouting ahead, but always checking back
I swear she knows she’s posing for photos
it’s a nice workout, but not difficult
We prefer to park at the Shannon Falls parking lot vs the Chief parking lot, because though it’s a wee bit longer to walk, it has proper bathrooms and you also have a nicer view to start of Shannon Falls (the hike will lead to the top of the falls). The trail starts the same as the Chief with lots of stairs and people, but soon it turns off with a small sign and you are on your way- no more stairs!
little lion king
Such a nice sunny February day
The trail also passes under the new sea to sky gondola which today was closed, but for another day, you can keep going further to the gondola platform and take the gondola down (with the dog!).
under the gondola
Today though, we stopped at the look-out for a fantastic view of Howe Sound and Squamish where we enjoyed some tasty treats before heading down.
If you’re looking for a long beach walk with excellent views, close to the city, and undisturbed, this is it! We’ve come here twice, both on weekends, and we’ve seen very few people here. It may be because it involves a bit of driving, and is not super close to any residential areas, but it’s also pretty close to the city (next to the airport) and easily accessible.
no one in sight!
she likes to follow me around on logs
beautiful view of the mountains and the logging boats
queen of her pile
Iona Beach is much longer than it initially looks and covered with logs, sand and grass. Before you reach the beach, there is also a super long jetty that most people aim for, but it’s crowded enough that I would not want to let my dog off leash there. Stick to the beach and you’ll have plenty of space to yourself.
snow geese taking off
view from the beach back onto the airport
playing fetch with found balls
perfect place for a stroll if you need some peace and quiet
getting almost to the end, it narrows down
There are only garbage cans near the parking so wait for your dog to poop or you’ll have a long way to carry a poop bag. Make sure you note the well marked no-dog areas that are wildlife areas (behind the parking area) so just leash up your dog until you are well into the beach before letting them run.
throw the ball mom!
watching the tug boats organize the logs
there are no shortage of sticks
kisses!
We found two balls on the beach to play fetch, and Whiskey even reluctantly went swimming a little (furthest she’s ever been). The first time we came we were surprised at how far the beach went down and only made it halfway. This time we went until the beach ended and turned into rocks before heading back.
We look forward to our quarterly Vizsla meetup for weeks and this time we met at a 100 acre off leash field area called North 40 in Delta. It was rainy and gray and we didn’t expect many people to show up, especially since it was also pretty far from our normal locations but hey, Vizsla people are pretty dedicated because we got at least 20!
Very dedicated Vizsla owners
There were red dogs as far as we could see chasing each other around, jumping over ditches, stealing sticks, and smelling butts. Whiskey had a ton of fun and is still curled up under my feet sleeping it off (after an agility class and another walk).
We were so happy to see so many people out and the location was really perfect. The dogs just blended into the background. We had quite a flock of bald eagles watching us from above (probably not happy with the invasion) and Millie even flushed out a crane from the bush. I’ve been speed editing this video so hopefully it gets across the amazing bunny-vizslas of the day. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- this breed is awesome!
We’ve done this hike a couple times with Whiskey but what makes it so strange this year is that Cypress Mountain has no snow! The ski mountain is bare this year and I’ve never seen it like this, especially in January.
The Cypress Ski slopes in January
Not much snow on the trails either, but a little slippery
beautiful mist on a snow covered pond
Whiskey blends in, this is her land!
Eagle Bluffs is a great short hike if you are ok with a steady incline. The elevation is only 350 meters and is over pretty quickly. Once you reach the top of the elevation climb, there is a nice view from Black Mountain and then you head through a meandering trail to Eagle Bluffs for a beautiful view of the city. It’s a great 3-4 hour hike from the Cypress parking lots but be warned you’ll need to get a free yellow “hiking pass” to walk past the ski area during the ski season (you can get the pass at the old lodge where the buses pick up and drop off).
A little stream of melting water
Vancouver’s mountains are gorgeous
pausing for a break on top of Black Mountain
A view from Black Mountain
the trail is sometimes also the stream
Normally I wouldn’t attempt this hike in winter because of the incline and the snow (well maybe with snowshoes), but there was barely anything this year and with only a couple slippery bits, we could easily accomplish it in hiking boots.
markers and trail is very easy to follow
breathtaking view from the Bluffs
the city from the mountain
Whiskey just wants to play with the snowboarders
We had a bit of trouble keeping our curious Vizsla off the ski slopes, as the hike follows the ski slope up. Be sure to keep your dog on-leash if there is any traffic! Whiskey was exceptionally bouncy today and must have ran 3x times the path going up and down like it was nothing. This must be an “extra bouncy” stage of puppy-hood.
One thing when you have a dog and need to get out for walks is that you quickly get bored of your local park no matter how awesome it is (ours is pretty awesome). So when our washing machine broke and we needed to pick a new one out ASAP, we found ourselves in a new part of town we rarely visit. We discovered the Everett Crowley park near the Knight St bridge to Richmond.
It’s quite pretty in the rain. I can’t say for a sunny day yet.
It’s great to have the park to ourselves.
Lots and lots of space! 100 acres
Our crew today is 2 humans 1 princess
At 100 acres the park is a good size to walk an active dog and not feel like you are going in circles. All the inside trails are off-leash and on our very rainy walk, we basically had the whole park to ourselves.
she will climb anything
the inside off leash trails
a little wildlife area
taking some smaller paths
There is a lack of garbage cans around so watch out for them and remember to pick up. There’s a beautiful pond in the middle dedicated to wildlife in the area. Aside from the large flat gravel path there are also some smaller trails that criss-cross throughout. We’ll certainly come here again when we want an easy stroll and are in the area.
Where does this trail go? who cares!
all tired she decides to sleep UNDER the seat covers
