It seems that the ~earth territory, where I usually post these hiking posts, got archived. In an attempt to find a new home for my hiking posts, I guess I'll be sharing them in ~Photography from now on, since I post a bunch of original photos in every post anyways.

It was a busy weekend for me, so I only found time to write this week's hiking post near the end of day on Sunday. This week we head to Crown Mountain, a difficult trail that is just over 9km long out-and-back, with close to 900m elevation gain. I went on this hike with my hiking buddy way back in the summer of 2017. There are different ways to get to Crown Mountain, and we decided to take the alpine trails behind Grouse Mountain. To add extra challenge to the hike (and to save money), we decided to hike the Grouse Grind, with all our water and food, up to the Grouse Mountain Chalet, where we can follow the paved trail towards the alpine trails behind Grouse Mountain. With the added distance and elevation from the Grouse grind, it turns the hike into a 11.5km long with about 1700m elevation gain.

The way to Crown Mountain passes through the forest with steep sections that have permanent chains installed to help hikers get up and down. As well, the trail traverses through some bare rocks and certain sections with a little exposure that might require some scrambling. But the peak of Crown Mountain is one of the highest mountains amongst nearby mountains; and thus, rewards the hiker with 360 degrees of unobstructed views of the surrounding area plus mountains and seas afar.

After reaching the peak of Crown Mountain and admiring the breathtaking views, we made our way back to the Grouse Mountain Chalet and took the gondola down to the parking lot to finish this long and tiring hike.

Trail map of the several trails and mountains behind Grouse Mountain by taking the Grouse alpine trails.

Seeing Crown Mountain (left peak) and The Camel (right peak) from afar.

One of the several steep sections with permanent chains attached to help hikers get up and down.

Sign on the way. We are getting there.

Nearby mountain range and valley.

Rocky section.

Views to the East at the peak.

Views to the South at the peak. You can clearly see Washington State's Mount Baker. As well, the Port Mann Bridge and the Eastern part of Greater Vancouver are also visible.

Views to the South-West at the peak. We see the Western part of Greater Vancouver, Lion's Gate Bridge, Burrard Inlet, and the Strait of Georgia.

Views to the West at the peak. We see the mountain ranges to the west. Both East Lion and West Lion are also visible.

Views to the North at the peak. We see the Northern mountain ranges of the Sea to Sky Country and numerous high altitude snow capped mountains.

Check out my previous hikes: