Golden Ears Provincial Park / Vancouver District
1610 Mt. Seymour
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V7G 1L3
Phone: 604-924-2200 / Fax: 604-929-2425
*Map of Vancouver Coast & Mountains*
 
Season - Year Round. You'll find snow in the higher elevations in late autumn until spring.

Location: Coast Mountains 11 km north of Maple Ridge on the north side of the Fraser River. Follow park signs north from Hwy 7. About 48m east of Vancouver going up the Fraser Valley. The nearest center is Maple Ridge B.C.

Size: The size of the park is 55,590 Hectares

 
 
  The park is 55,590 hectares in size and is only 48 km east of Vancouver. It has 9 hiking trails equaling some 80 km of trail. For backpacking there are 50 wilderness sites within the park, as well as, the Golden Ears Cabin. Here is a list of each trail with links to more information about the trails:
 
Backpacking and Hiking:
  • Allouette Mountain Hiking Trail - 10km, Difficult. This trail takes you to Alouette Mountain and has fantastic panoramic view of the area. This is a strenuous hike with elevation changes of 1000 meters and taking about 5 hours to complete one way. Golden Ears Provincial Park, Vancouver Coast and Mountains
  • Mensies Trail - 9km, easy. This is a multi-use trail of horse/hike/bike. There is very little elevation change, making it an easy hike of about 3 to 5 hours.
    cover the park area.
  • Lookout and Loop Trails - 2.5km, easy. This is an easy loop trail that should take about 1 hour to complete. It goes from Parkway to Look Out and back.
  • Mike Lake Trail - 4.2 km, easy. This is a horse/hiking trail that takes you to Main Corral. It's an easy trail that should take you about 2hours and has an elevation change of about 100 meters.
  • Viewpoint Trail - 3km, easy. There is a beautiful waterfall that flows down a cliff just beyond the Lake Viewpoint during the wet seasons. The trails elevation change is about 150 meters. The triail should take about 1 1/2 hour to complete.
  • Incline Trail - 1.2km, moderate. The trail is a steep horse/hiking that takes you to Mike Lake. It should take about 1 hour and has an elevation change of 150 meters.
  • West Canyon Trail - 5km, easy. From the west canyon parking lot the trail follows an old logging road before turning sharply uphill. There is a short trail to Lower Falls.
  • Golden Ears Trail - 12km, very difficult. Head out on the West Canyon Trail until you reach Alder Flats. This trail climbs to Panoramic Ridge where you are rewarded with an incredible view of the area. From here you can ascend to the North Ear that takes you across a permanent snow field. In order to attempt this you must have the requisite equipment and skills. Designated campsites are available at Alder Flats and Panorama Ridge. The Panorama section has snowpack well into the summer. You can expect snow to fall in this area at any time of year. The trail should take about 7 hours one way and should only be attempted as an overnight backpacking trip. It has an and has an elevation change of 1500 meters.
  • Lower Falls Trail - 2.7km, Easy. This is a hiking trail only that is an easy walk along Gold Creek to Lower Falls. You'll pass a beach along the way that has some of the best mountain views in the park. It should take about 1 hour to complete and has very little elevation change.
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    Mountain Biking:

    East Canyon Trail. This is a moderate to easy one way trail which follows the creek. Total distance is about 30km both ways.

    Allouette Mountain Fire Road: This is an easy fire road which lets you get a little further into this beautiful park. If everyone's equipped, it could make for a good family ride.

    		  
    Alouette Lake
     
    Camping Front Country: The park has three from country camping areas. North Beach Campground has a total of 55 sites. Gold Creek with 148 sites and Allouette with 205 are both located on Allouette Lake and have shower and toilets. The park takes campsite reservations, which are highly recommended during the peak months.

    Camping Backcountry: There are several backcountry campsites for paddlers on Pitt Lake and Alouette Lake. Backpackers will find designated spots available on the Golden Ears Trail at Alder Flats and Panorama Ridge. There is also an backcountry horse camp on the East Canyon Trail.

    Camping Group: Two locations are reserved for group camping. Resevations are required, contact the park for more information.

    Canoeing and Kayaking: For paddlers, there are several marine wilderness campsites available along Pitt and Alouette Lake. You can launch from one of the access roads and paddle into you site. The scenery as you paddle up the lakes is beautiful. The lakes are large and can be difficult or worse in high winds. Stick close to a shore on which you can land should the weather change.

    Backcountry Skiing: There is opportunity for backcountry skiing in the park as the high country can hold its snow a large part of the year, however, the lower elevations are often without snow all year.

    Horse Packing: A number of the parks trails are open to horses including the Incline Trail, East Canyon Trail and the Mike Lake Trail. These are multi-use trails. Horse rentals as well as reservations of a backcountry horse camp on the East Canyon Trail are available near the Main Corral.

    Huts: The park has one hut the Golden Ears Cabin.

    Nature: Golden Ears has an abundance of animals and birds for those with the patience and inclination to observe them. Well over a hundred species of birds have been observed in the park, Willow Flycatcher, Cedar Waxwings and several variants of woodpeckers. Deer, along with black bear, are frequently spotted in the park and if you're lucky, you might see some mountain goats in the high country, so bring your binoculars.

     
    B.C.'s typical moist climate encourages moss to cloak everthing in the dense forest of Golden Ears
    		  Maps:

    The park literature includes a brochure which has a general map of the park.

    National Topographic Series Maps, Scale, 1:50,000, sheets 92G7, 92G8, 92G9, and 92G10 cover the park area.

    An online Map is now available from the official Golden Ears site online from BC Parks.

    Literature: A brochure which includes a park map is available from the park. Contact the Lower Mainland District, 1610 Mt. Seymour Road, North Vancouver, BC, V7G 1L3, Phone: (604) 924-2200 / Fax: (604) 924-2244

    Additional Information: Official Golden Ears site online from BC Parks.

     
     

     

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