This week we head to Tunnel Bluffs. There are two main different trails to reaching the view point at Tunnel Bluffs, the first trail starts directly off next to Highway 99, is about 7.4km long round trip, with about 680m elevation gain, and climbs a steep incline in the beginning sections before leveling off after the first 2km. The second trail starts in Lions Bay near Lions Bay Elementary School; the trail is about 11km round trip, with about 530m elevation gain, so it is slightly longer but less steep. I hiked the first trail on a solo hike in the summer of 2017 and the first 2km was indeed very steep. So, when my wife told me she wanted to hike Tunnel Bluffs in 2022, I took us to the second trail, as we were bringing all three kids and the first trail was simply too steep for them, especially to steep for the little one.
The trailhead had bear warning signs as well as some trail information signs. I was familiar with this trailhead, as it shares the same trailhead as the West Lion trail (a difficult trail that I went with my friend in 2017), Mount Brunswick trail, and Mount Harvey trail. The trail starts off on a wide forest logging road that climbs on a moderate but steady incline for the first two kilometers within the forest. Eventually, the trail reaches a fork where turning right takes you to the West Lion and turning left takes you to Brunswick Mountain and Tunnel Bluffs. The trail also levels off after the first two kilometers and the hike becomes more of a walk in the forest. There were a couple of makeshift bridges made of logs that allowed hikers to cross streams and creeks. I tried to train my little one to hike and kept him off the carrier for as long as possible, but I eventually started to carry him about 1hr30mins into the hike. There was a short but steep section just before reaching the viewpoint, which we passed without any issues. When we reached the viewpoint, we were greeted with thick fog that completely blocked out the view.
Just as we thought it was another one of those hikes where we put in the effort but don't get rewarded with a view, the fog started to fade, and the view began to reveal itself behind the dense fog. We sat down on the bluffs to eat our snacks while we waited for the fog to fade. About fifteen minutes later, the fog had faded enough for us to admire the beautiful scene of Howe Sound plus the nearby islands and mountains. At that moment, I thought to myself, if we had reached the viewpoint half an hour earlier, we would have missed the fog clearing and would have left the viewpoint without seeing the views. Sometimes the timing happens to work out just right; sometimes you just get lucky.
Check out my previous hikes.
- The Panoramic Views of Panorama Ridge
- The Golden Larches of Frosty Mountain
- The Winter Snow of Pump Peak at Mount Seymour
- Sapphire Waters and Azure Skies of Battle Bluff
- It Isn't Always Sunshine and Blue Skies
- The Frozen River and Waterfalls of Maligne Canyon
- The Amazing Arches of Arches National Park
- The Bizarre Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park
- The Magnificent Stones of Zion National Park
- The Flowing Walls of Lower Antelope Canyon
- A Glimpse of Hope at the Hope Lookout Trail
- Turquoise Waters viewed from Sea to Summit Trail
- The Three Peaks of Mount Seymour
- The Serene Winter Scene at Dog Mountain
- Murrin Loop and Jurassic Ridge
- Yosemite National Park
- The Bear's Hump at Waterton National Park
- Views of Okanagan from Pincushion Mountain Trail
- The Half Frozen Waterfalls at Franklin Falls
- Hole in the Wall of Vancouver Island