Belcarra Bluffs Lookout Trail near Vancouver

The Belcarra Bluffs and Jack’s Lookout Belcarra Regional Park is one of the best hikes in the area.

It makes a great winter hike in Vancouver since it’s mostly always snow-free (apart from a few days of the year).

As much as I love winter sports, there comes a time every year when I start to look forward to snow-free activities and snow-free hikes near Vancouver.

The Belcarra Bluffs Lookout trail isn’t a huge hike but it has great views, and beautiful forest and is a great option for hikes near Vancouver this spring.

If you’re looking for information on this lesser-known hike near Vancouver, be sure to check out my hiking guide below!

Belcarra Bluffs Hike, Vancouver

The Belcarra Bluffs hike is in Belcarra Regional Park near Port Moody, about an hour east of Vancouver.

The Belcarra Bluffs lookout viewpoint looks out onto the entrance to the Indian Arm, towards Burnaby and the North Shore Mountains.

You can see Deep Cove and even Downtown Vancouver in the distance.

The hike begins from Belcarra Regional Park parking lot, the same place as the Jug Island trail head, and can be done as a loop or an out and back.

If there’s a loop trail available, then I’m always going to choose the loop!

Enter Belcarra Regional Park from the Tum-Tumay-Whueton Drive road and aim to get there early on a sunny weekend. It’s a super popular park with limited parking on sunny weekends!

From the parking lot, walk towards the bathrooms and stick left, look for the small trail and signpost that heads into the forest. This is the Springboard Trail.

Soon, you’ll cross over a gravel path, go straight over it to stick to the Springboard Trail.

This trail takes you on switchbacks through the forest and has a bit of elevation to get you warmed up.

After the third switchback (which bends around to the left), look for a small sign that marks the Springboard Trail. Then, 10-15 metres past this, there’s an unmarked, faint trail up through the forest.

We missed this the first time around, you have to look closely but the trail is there!

This trail gets quite steep and it climbs quickly.

You’ll come out to a junction, here go left then follow a trail down over some rocks before following it right and climbing up again.

There are no trail markers on this section, but if you look at the ground you can see where other people have walked and made a trail.

As the tree canopy begins to open up, there’s an unmarked 4-way junction.

Here, go right. It’s not the most obvious of trails, you can use this All Trails Belcarra trail map and your phone GPS to check you’re still heading the right way.

You’ll head slightly downhill and see a junction going down to the right as well as a trail to your left.

At this time, to get to the Belcarra Bluffs lookout, you’ll take the junction to your right. It’s quite a steep descent but you’ll shortly come out to viewpoint!

Enjoy the view (we even got it to ourselves for a bit!) and then, when you’re ready, head back up that hill to the junction. This time, go right (i.e. not the way you came), and follow this path downhill towards the Admiralty Point trail.

As you come out to a flatter trail, make a right and enjoy the relatively flat Admiralty Point trail back to the parking lot.

This is a great way to combine the Belcarra bluffs and Admiralty Point trails together.

This trail has beautiful views of the ocean that are worth stopping off at as you head back.

If you’re keen on post-hike swims, this is a great spot for it!

Belcarra Bluffs stats

• Elevation: 300 m
• Distance: 6.6 km
• Duration: 2-3 hours
• Difficulty: Easy – Moderate

AllTrails is my go-to hiking app for finding, planning, and navigating while I’m out on the trails. With offline maps on AllTrails+ you can be confident you’re still on the right track, even without mobile signal.

Important things to know about Belcarra Bluffs

• Dogs are allowed on leash on this Belcarra trail
• Always practice leave no trace ethics.
• Take bear spray, you’re hiking in bear country! And remember your bear safety tips. 
• Be adventure smart: Remember to respect the terrain, environment, and other users while you are enjoying the trails. Follow the three Ts—trip planning, training, and taking the essentials AdventureSmart is a great resource to help you get informed before heading outdoors.
• This is one of my top picks for transit hikes in Vancouver

What to pack for hiking Belcarra Lookout

What to pack for this hike depends on what season you’re hiking in.

• Check out my day hike packing list here.
• If you’re hiking in summer you should pack sunscreen, sunglasses, layers, water and bug spray as well as everything in the 10 essentials for hiking list.
• Here is what to wear hiking in hot weather
• Check out this post on the best leggings for hiking or what to wear hiking in summer for more details and my gear recommendations.
• If you’re hiking in winter after the snow has started falling you’ll need microspikes at the very least. If there is a lot of snow you will probably need snowshoes.
• You should also take plenty of layers including a fleece layer, a puffy insulated jacket and a wind and waterproof outer layer. Hats and gloves are also necessary as well as a good backpack to keep everything in.
• You should also pack water and some snacks too to keep you going as they’re part of the 10 essentials for hiking!
• Planning a hiking date? Check out what to wear on a hiking date but still look cool.

Final thoughts on one of the best Belcarra hikes

This Belcarra hike is less known than popular Belcarra trails like Jug Island and those around Sasamat Lake and Belcarra Lake but it’s still well worth doing.

These Belcarra hiking trails are relatively easy as there’s not too much elevation gain, especially compared to hikes on Vancouver’s North Shore.

I loved my hike on the Belcarra Bluff lookout trail and was super impressed with the views so if you’re looking for things to do in Belcarra Regional Park I highly recommend it!

This is a great year-round hike near Vancouver, including as a fall hike in Vancouver when you’ll get some cool mist in the forest and still have the same beautiful views.

If you’re looking for other hikes not too far away, check out the Quarry Rock hike in North Vancouver, or take a look at all my hiking guides.

Last Updated on September 14, 2023 by Hannah