Posted September 4, 2018 by travelaroundthegalaxy british columbia

Murrin Provincial Park

The Labour Day long weekend is the unofficial end of summer in North America, as September marks the beginning of school and the weather slowly marching towards autumn. We have decided that the best way to cap off an amazing summer is to go for a nice hike into the wilderness. This early September hike has become a tradition with my buddy Fraser and I, so this year we decided to try a hike in Murrin Provincial Park, and we were treated to some amazing views of Howe Sound.

It is a really easy place to access. The parking lot is located just off of highway 99, between Britiania Beach and Shannon Falls; just look for Browning Lake and you can’t miss it. Many people come here just for the lake, as it is a good place for floating in a canoe or kayak or just a picknick on the shore. But we came here to hike; there is a network of trails that climb the nearby mountain, and you can ascend quickly towards the top.

Squamish is a world-class rock climbing destination, and along the way, we passed many mountain climbers scaling the many different features. Once you reach the top, there are several options for viewing. The Murrin Park Loop Trail is perfect for experiencing everything. We took the first right-hand turn and ended up going straight to the top, and came back down on the other side of the loop. We also climbed to the top of Jurassic Ridge, which seems to have been a fairly new trail.

We were really lucky to have blue skies and minimal clouds, so the views of Howe Sound were unbelievable. Each viewpoint had a slightly different perspective and a new place to sit and enjoy the view. Had we not stopped many times to take pictures, and done the extended trail, we could have easily done a round trip from the car in just over an hour. There are some challenging parts, but overall this is a pretty basic hike. I would definitely recommend this hidden gem along the Sea to Sky highway to anyone who wants to experience British Columbia in its full glory.