Viewpoint Beach: The Perfect Early Season Hike 

We hadn’t left the city in three months and as much as we had started to get used to our new very local lifestyle we were also starting to get some cabin fever. COVID-19 restrictions were starting to slowly lift and BC Parks and campgrounds had reopened. We refused to take part in the BC Parks crazy camping extravaganza reservation system which crashed as soon as it opened and some very frustrated people were on their computers at 7am trying to book sites. So as usual we just decided we’d play it by ear and see where the wind blows with our summer plans.

The first weekend in June was the first weekend when camping was possible again and we’d arranged a short overnight camping trip with friends to Golden Ears Provincial Park. I realized that despite living in Vancouver for 13 years, I have never been to Golden Ears, which is only about an hour away from home, so it was the perfect opportunity. Actually everything about this hike seemed perfect – close to home, a short hike, low elevation (so no snow), minimum elevation gain and camping right by the river that for sure was going to keep the kids happy.

We opted for a Sunday-Monday weekend, which was smart. When we got to the parking lot we could barely find a parking spot, and it wasn’t a small lot! We hadn’t been in a car for three months and basically hadn’t seen too many people at all, so all of the sudden seeing so many cars at once was a bit of a culture shock.

The trail wasn’t busy though (not sure where all those people went) and we soon started our hike. The trail itself wasn’t too interesting although there were many tall trees to look at. Neil liked having friends to hike with and there were no complaints from the kids. Kai napped like a trooper in the carrier after lunch and we were soon at our camping spot by the river. The 5km hike took about 2.5 hours including a lunch break, not too bad. From the river bank we could see nice views of close by snow mountain peaks such as Golden Ears and Edge.

We had the whole beach to ourselves and we set up our tents. The last time we used the tent was in Taiwan around six months ago so the kids were excited to get familiar with the tent again. The rest of the afternoon was spent throwing rocks into the river and jumping off a big rock. Gili and the kids were thinking seriously about a dip in the river, alas just then the sun disappeared behind a cloud to never be seen again.

During the night it started to rain hard and unfortunately did not stop in the morning. The kids didn’t seem to mind and they were still busy throwing rocks into the river (seriously what’s so interesting about it?!?!). We had breakfast under our tarps which we were grateful we’d brought. Breaking camp is always a bit annoying in the rain.

The way down was actually not too bad since in the forest we got some protection from the rain. We took a different trail part way down that involved down climbing exposed roots and loose rocks. In retrospect it would have probably been better to do it the other way around and climb up that section instead. We passed by a nice waterfall but didn’t linger there. We had lunch back in the parking lot, which wasn’t nearly as busy as the day before but still surprisingly full for a wet Monday.

The drive back took about an hour. You’ve got to love trips that are so close to home. We were back in Sunny Vancouver in the early afternoon. It turned out it didn’t rain in the city at all that day. The micro-climate of this region is still a mystery to me.