A single-day hike to the summit of Golden Ears in Maple Ridge, BC

Golden Ears is one of those hikes that has been on my list FOREVER. A Vancouver classic, it’s a monster of a mountain, its prominent silhouette drawing your eye towards its kingdom in Maple Ridge, BC. Known in years past as “Golden Eyries”, the place where the golden eagles nest, its distinctive double summit just begs to be climbed. Due to its length, and, let’s be honest, its reputation as being an overnight hike or a brutal single-day hike, I had been putting it off for a while in hopes of the stars aligning for the right weekend. At 24 km (14.9 miles), and a whopping 1700 m (5577 feet) of elevation gain, plus some serious snow cover in the early season, it’s a hill that demands some respect. On a hot July Sunday, however, I found myself driving off to Golden Ears Provincial Park for a late-morning start on this iconic trail.

The conditions felt right: I was solo (I almost never solo-hike!), but the weather was pristine, the alpine snowfield nearly gone, and the trail likely to be full of other hikers on this beautiful summer weekend. I was also feeling strong from an unbroken series of mountain conditioning, and was ready, not only to try Golden Ears as a single day challenge, but to set an aggressive time goal: sub 8 hours. This meant I needed to get to the summit in 4 hours max, and make the descent faster than the ascent. I confess that I had done about 90% of this trail before (on a cold, rainy day, we hiked through considerable snow to the emergency shelter, about 500 m from the summit, before deciding to turn around). Because of this, I knew what to expect in terms of terrain, and was able to pace accordingly. The difference this time would be the view; while before, we had hiked in a hazy white cloud of nothing, this time, I would be treated to hours of the famous views of Panorama Ridge as I climbed.

I arrived in the parking lot at Golden Ears Provincial Park at around 10:30am. By this time, many of the weekend campers had already packed up and made it back to their cars. Their celebrations were not exactly heartening as I thought about the long day ahead. I was to take the West Canyon trailhead; this is also the starting point for another hike I had completed a few months prior, Evans Peak. After a brief inspection of the posted map, and queuing up about 8 podcasts on my phone, I was off. The first section of the trail is quite flat, changing to a wide and very gradual ascent. I moved quickly, knowing that this easy terrain would allow me to bank time for the more tricky sections.

I reached the first major landmark, Alder Flats, a backcountry campground, in well under an hour. The terrain begins to get more difficult from here. Probably the worst section of the whole trail is shortly after the campground: the creek bed, a steady uphill lined with large rocks which make footing uncertain. Fortunately, this section isn’t very long, and after a few viewpoints, you’re back on soft terrain under the trees. At about the 2 hour mark, I had completed the next section – steep, muddy ascents, the beginning marked by wooden staircases – and gained the ridge. Having emerged from the trees, I paused for a quick snack break, sizing up the looming mass of the summit, visible now for the first time. From where I sat, me and my Clif bar were feeling pretty insignificant at that point, and very far away.

The next section of the trail leads you across the ridge. There is a gradual ascent, but also sections of steep descent, making for interesting terrain. At the 3.5 hour mark, I had stood in front of the emergency shelter below a steep rocky slope, snow clinging to its sides and a wide, icy stream running down its face. On this hot day in late July, this was my first sight of snow, but the path still remained clear. In a previous attempt on Golden Ears, only about 2 months prior, we had already been climbing through deep snow for an hour by the time we reached the shelter, where we ultimately decided to end the trip due to the steepness of the slope before us and our ice axes sitting warm and happy back in the car. The now snow-free rock was easy to ascend, and, standing at the top, evaluating the summit and my watch-face simultaneously, I can remember thinking: “there is no way in hell I’m going to get to the top in 30 minutes”. I estimated closer to an hour. But nothing to do but press on as quickly as I could.

Crossing the snow-melt stream that had formed, I followed a valley between two rounded hills, which led up the mountain. This was the only section of the trail still covered in snow. I’m glad it was, because trail markers were hard to find (or perhaps non-existent) at this point, and I wouldn’t have been sure I was taking the established route up to the peak but for the footprints in the snow. I paused here longer than I should, filling my Platypus bag and fiddling with my micro-spikes. After only 5ish minutes, the snow had ended, and I had to again stop and take off my spikes.

While the summit still seemed really far away, the horizontal distance was less than half a kilometer – it was really only vertical distance left. The final section of the trail consists of some steep, class 3 scrambling, meaning that, through use of your hands, you’re really just climbing straight up the rock. The climbing is easy, with lots to hold onto, and is incredibly efficient. In about 20 minutes from the shelter, I was on the pre-summit bump, and in less than 10, I was on the summit. Trip time? 3:58.

I paused for a quick lunch break while admiring the view. Langley, Surrey, Pitt Meadows, and the wide Fraser River can be seen below, as well as Pitt and Alouette Lakes, all shining blue in the bright sun. Around me, the famous twin peaks of Robie Reid, and the other classics of Golden Ears Park: Edge and Blanshard peaks. And, far off in the distance as always, towers Mt. Baker in Washington.

After lunch, I set off on a speedy descent. At this time, most of the campers on the ridge were packing up their tents and following suit. While the first section, through the scrambles and snow back to the shelter, was not particularly fast, the rest of the trail provides an easy enough descent, baring a few tricky mud bogs. From the Alder Flats campground on, about the last 6 km, the trail is downright easy. In fact, I ran portions of this wide, gentle downhill section, as the clock was ticking and I was getting a little tired of being on my feet!

I reached the parking lot, feeling sore but strong, after 7.5 hours total. Victory! I was extremely grateful for the water tap installed in the parking lot, and spent the next 5 minutes catching my breath from the run, and rinsing off the layer of sweat and dust from my face and arms with clear, icy water. I was feeling very happy I had come back to complete the trail and see the view; the pacing of the trail, the frequently changing terrain, the view on the stunning ridge, the satisfying peak, the frequent camping spots, the alpine flowers, and the access to clear, fresh mountain water, all served to demonstrate to me why this hike is such a Vancouver classic. While I’m happy to finally cross it off after being on my list for years, I would certainly return to complete it again.

Trail Stats

This hike was completed in late July. There was minimal snow left (micro-spikes were used for about 10 minutes). There was plenty of fresh water available on the upper trail due to snow runoff, but that might change later in the season. I highly recommend going in July, as all the wildflowers were in bloom!

The total distance of Golden Ears is 24 km (14.9 miles), and includes about 1700 m (5577 feet) of elevation gain. While it took me 7.5 hours to complete the roundtrip, I’m a very fast hiker (and this included some running). Probably best to allow 8-10 hours. Many people choose to do this trail as an overnight also, as there are plenty of places to camp on the mountain (Alder Flats, the emergency shelter, or right on the ridge below the summit).

Ever been up Golden Ears? How long did it take you to muster the courage to tackle that one? Are there any mountains you’ve always wanted to climb, but keep putting off? Let me know in the comments below!