Hiking to Deeks Lake in Cypress Provincial Park, West Vancouver

I realized the other day, with extreme surprise, that summer is only a month and a half away, and I am not in shape for summer hiking! As the sun was shining and spring was in the air, it was a perfect day to kick off some spring training. As some snow is still lingering in the mountains, I was looking for something low in altitude that required a little pushing, but not too much! Deeks Lake, nestled in the Northwest corner of Cypress Provincial Park, and offering a few great views of gorgeous Howe Sound, fit the bill for this weekend’s adventure!

To get to the Deeks trailhead, take the Sea to Sky highway from Vancouver towards Whistler. After passing Lions Bay, take the exit to Porteau Rd. Take the first right, and the road ends in a parking lot which serves Deeks and various other trails. This trailhead actually marks the beginning of the famous Howe Sound Crest Trail, an epic multi-day hike through the numerous ridges and peaks of Cypress Provincial Park, including the Lions, Mt Unnecessary, and St Marks Summit. We were only doing a small portion of this trail today, instead turning off it and finding our way up to Deeks Lake, a small-ish lake in the vicinity of some other local favourites – Harvey, Brunswick, Hat, Hanover, Deeks Peak, and the elusive Fat Ass Peak – and on the way to Brunswick Lake and Hat Pass.

The trail itself is well-marked with flags and even signposts the whole way. Roughly the first half of the trail heads up a wide logging road. The incline is steady, with a few flatter sections, and is a great warmup. Use some caution when navigating here, as there are a few forks in the road. The best advice I can give is to just follow the most traveled-looking road, and eventually you’ll reach a junction with a signpost that indicates the end of the road and start of the trail in earnest. The logging road itself, while a little dull, is not without its charms, as creeks and small waterfalls dotted the path.

The climb becomes a little steeper and more technical after the road, with roots and rocks breaking up the trail. Make sure to watch for the viewpoint on your right shortly after leaving the logging road. This small detour takes you briefly out of the trees for a look at Howe Sound.

I’ll confess that for this trail, I didn’t do a whole lot of research beforehand, and was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon a pretty sizeable waterfall midway through the trail. This is Deeks Creek Falls, created by Deeks Creek flowing out of the lake above. May is an excellent month for waterfall viewing, as rivers are fed by rapid alpine melt, so we were treated to a raging and full waterfall experience.

As we neared the end of the trail, small patches of snow appeared. We had brought micro-spikes just in case, as we were unsure about the amount of snow we might encounter, but we definitely did not need them for the thirty seconds of snow-crossing required. Shortly after this section, we were at the lake!

Deeks was in the process of shaking off the winter, so we were treated to an interesting mix of thin ice and reflective water. Despite the spring sun, the surrounding peaks were bathed in a light mist, making for an atmospheric and peaceful ‘summit’. We traveled part way around the lake to find a nice spot for lunch, settling on the log jam at the west end of the lake, from which Deeks Creek flows.

There is a light trail around the south-west side of Deeks that will take you around the lake, and then on to the other lakes from there. From the Deeks shoreline, it’s about 4 km (2.5 miles) to Brunswick Lake. However, as we eyed the snowbank across from us, I figured it must be tough going at this time of year. Perhaps best to wait a month or two for a deeper thaw for that particular trek.

After a leisurely lunch, we began our uneventful descent. As it’s been a month or two since the last of my serious winter hikes, I was definitely feeling it in my knees on the descent, and was happy to reach the car and drive back to sunny Vancouver and post-hike beers. Week one of spring training: complete.

Trail Stats

This trip was completed in the first week of May. Total round-trip time for Deeks Lake was about 4.5 hours, moving at a brisk pace, including a 30-40 minute lunch break. The ascent to the lake was exactly 2 hours. The total elevation gain was about 1000 m (3280 feet), and the total round-trip distance was about 12 km (7.5 miles).

How do you get in shape for long days on the trail? Gym, cross-training, or a series of increasingly long hikes? Give me your advice in the comments below!