Deep Cove – Quarry Rock Hike

Deep Cove – Quarry Rock Hike

Quarry Rock Hike - Deep CoveI’d like to introduce another beautiful yet easy hike; The Quarry Rock Hike in Deep Cove on Vancouver’s North Shore. While my sister Emmy was in Vancouver, we had a super-snowy day in the city. Marc and I wanted to show her some pretty sights, so we took the bus over to Deep Cove. I actually thought it would be too snowy for a hike, so we were just planning to show her the pretty village of Deep Cove. However once we took a peek at the start of the Quarry Rock Hike, we sort of had to walk the whole way.

Quarry Rock Hike Map

Quarry Rock Hike – the basics:

Distance: 3.8 km
Time: 1.5 hours if you’re slow, an hour for speedier folks
Facilities: There are toilets in the park before the start of the trail
Elevation gain: Around 100m
Can you do it? YES! Although there are steps, this is an easy hike

The Quarry Rock Hike is the start of the Baden Powell trail, so if you’d like to go for a longer walk, this would be a good option. I’d really like to go back and walk further along this beautiful track!

Deep Cove

The views from the pier at Deep Cove are pretty amazing when the world is frosty.

Emmy was not impressed by the icy roads and was slipping about pretty impressively. She was too cold to come out onto the pier, but Marc and I went right to the end to take a good jumping photo. The mountains at the other side of the water are the hills we hikes on the Diez Vistas walk near Buntzen lake.

We spent a little time looking around Deep Cove. There are quite a few cute small shops. Em and I both ended up buying new woolly hats (they’re called toques in Canada!) Mine is ridiculously bright orange, so Marc will always be able to spot me on our walks!

After that we headed over just to see the start of the hike.

The start of the Quarry Rock Hike

The first steps up to the Quarry Rock walk were super icy, but as the walk starts with steps, we could hold onto the rails. Then, as the steps moved further into the woods, the snow became crunchy, rather than icy, so it was easy to follow the path. Marc, Emmy and I went together and we started the walk at a very slow pace. Look how beautiful the snowy woods are.

My photos make it look quiet, but this was actually an incredibly busy walk. We were overtaken by quite a few different people and happy doggos. The walk doesn’t have a huge amount of elevation gain so it is pretty easy. It should take about 30 minutes to reach the Quarry Rock if there is no snow.

The light was beautiful. It wasn’t snowing while we walked, but there were so many flakes of snow floating down from the trees, that the air was still full of floating snowflakes. I love this kind of scenery!

Emmy had been walking quite a lot during the week. She wasn’t sure if she could do the whole walk. So, she headed back to deep cove while Marc and I zoomed to the end of the Quarry Rock Hike. As we made it to the end of the hike, there were ares of the woods that were a little more shady, so the snow piled up even further.

Once Marc and I started to walk quickly, it only took about 10 minutes for us to reach the end of the Quarry Rock Hike. The walk finished on a cliff face, looking down to Deep Cove and the Indian Arm. I have never seen sooo many people at the end of a hike! I guess because this is an easy walk and it was such a beautiful winters day, everyone seemed to have had the same hiking plans!

Jumping on Quarry Rock

I thought I should leave without my traditional jumping photo as there were just so many people. Marc thought I should jump anyway, and just keep all the people in the photo to show you all what it is really like on Vancouver’s popular walks. I heard from friends that this wasn’t actually that busy(!) In summer, you have to do the whole hike quite slowly as there are so many people that you just have to walk in line at the pace of the slowest person.

Stepping back slightly from the main Quarry Rock, you can see how large the rock is. The skyscrapers in the background are the city of Burnaby.

So Marc and I raced back along the path to catch up with Emmy. We didn’t want to keep her waiting and we were keen to see how long it would take us to do the Quarry Rock hike at our normal speed. I stilled kept stopping though. Wouldn’t you stop for photos when the world looks like this!?

Honey Doughnuts

Once we made it back around to Deep Cove, we stopped off for some famous Honey Doughnuts. To be honest, once I saw the queue, I wasn’t that keen to try a honey doughnut. I mean, can a doughnut really be worth waiting in line for 20 minutes? I was overruled, so we waited and we grabbed a whole doughnut each. So, I was wrong. Honey Doughnuts are worth waiting for. Each doughnut was hot and so tasty! I might not be a fan if they were served cold, but fresh out of the oven, these were goooood!

This was our view while we munched on honey doughnuts.

So, that was our lovely, easy hike from Deep Cove. The Quarry Rock Hike was beautiful in winter, but I have a feeling it’d be stunning at any time of the year. The trees will make you feel tiny, and it is a relaxing place to hike, even with so many other walkers nearby.

I mentioned above that this hike gets busy, but in 2019 it was getting so busy that now the number of hikers will be limited. If you can, do this hike on a weekday as it’ll be crazily busy during weekends and holidays. You can read more about the hiker limits here.

53 thoughts on “Deep Cove – Quarry Rock Hike

  1. It’s so pretty! I just don’t it when it’s really cold outside. No matter how warm I dress I still end up with a chill to the bone. But this is so gorgeous!

    1. Yeah, it can be hard to get out and about when it is chilly outside. I find the first 20 minutes I’m always cold…but then when you walk, you warm up so it is all okay! 😀

      Honey doughnuts warm you up too! 😉

    2. It is much easier to block against a dry cold- dry cold tends not to seep into your bones ever, as long as you do dress properly. That’s why so many of us in Winnipeg do layer up and still go outside when it’s -35 out, proper layers will do that! The cold on either coast is very damp though, so you can’t really guard against it!

    1. Thanks Yazhini! It is the total opposite from the beautiful tea plantation post of yours today! <3

      They're both pretty, but totally different temperatures!!

  2. It looks awesome! Love hiking in every place I go to – the fresh air and nature is just the best! Thanks for sharing this, if I am every in Vancover I will make sure to check it out!

    1. Thanks Jaqueline! We’re the same! I love going for walks whenever we travel, you get to see the prettiest paces! 🙂

    1. I love a good jump shot!!

      It’s a good toque isn’t it!? Marc said it is brilliant for spotting me through the trees! 😀

    1. We were sooo lucky with the weather while my sister was in Vancouver! I’d been wanting to visit deep cove for a while. It’s a bit slow to get there on a bus, but oooh it was so worth the trek!

      It’s pretty different to the Belgium landscapes, but I love your photos of parks and walks too! <3

  3. EVERYONE should call them toques, it references it specifically instead of just a beenie (which may or may not provide any real warmth) or even just a hat! Canada is behind in a lot of things, but we do know our cold weather accessories 🙂

    1. Wait, so is a toque a *type* of beenie? I thought it was just a different word for it!

      I was sooo confused when someone first mentioned “toque”!!

  4. Sooooo stunning!! Am I the only one who had heart palpitations looking at that huge, slippery-looking rock? Maybe this is why I’m not a proficient hiker! I’d be too scared I’d slip right off that thing!! I can’t belive you did your trademark jumping shot! You’re fearless, friend!

    1. It looks slippy, but it really wasn’t. My walking boots had good footing on that rock! 🙂

      BUT some of the wooden steps/bridges were really icy and slippy! Those were the sections where we had to walk really carefully!

  5. I loved these pictures and you jump so good. I have never been able to jump that high. Well, weight issues.
    I’m sure that was such a good day for you guys. Lovely hike and memories all along!

    1. Thanks Parul!
      I think it is just Marc is so good at taking jumping photos. He catches me on the highest point so it looks more impressive! If he takes one of you it’d look like you’re jumping high!

    1. Thanks Suzanne!
      It really was a lovely walk and the rocks weren’t slippy – it was the wooden sections of the board walk that were slide-y and scary!

  6. So let us discuss these honey doughnuts. I have decided to think that doughnuts are part of the hiking experience and that just makes the whole thing miles more appealing!!

    1. YES! I am pretty sure they are an official part of the walk. If you look at the yelp reviews of the doughnut place, nearly everyone mentions popping in after their hike! 😀

  7. This post makes me feel really nostalgic 😌 I lived in Vancouver for a year (in Burnaby actually 😁) but haven’t heard of this walk. It looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing ☺️

    1. Yay! Thanks for commenting Sabrina! I love that it made you nostalgic, it such a nice feeling to remember fun places you’ve lived! 😀

      Do you know about the Baden Powell trail? This is the start of it…the whole trail follows the North Shore over to Black Mountain (over by Cypress…)

  8. There is something inexplicably beautiful about a frozen forest. It’s beautiful but haunting. While the woods may still be alive the layer of snow creates an illusion of dead stillness….you know, aside from all the people you encountered haha.

    Anyway, you definitely earned that donut after all that walking. I would wait 20 minutes. I would wait indefinitely for my one true love – food.

    -Knurly

    1. Lol I think I have been brainwashed by my husband. We always try to avoid long lines for food…we just keep walking (and probably take even longer to get the actual food!!)

      I totally agree about frosty scenery though. I love it sooo much. I think it is really cool that so many people appreciate heading out to walk in nature here. Even if it means all the popular routes are crazily busy!! Back in the UK, we hardly ever saw other young people out for walks. It was mostly just us and pensioners!!

    1. Thanks Cherie!
      I looove jumping photos. My poor husband is used to my excitement by pretty views when i want to snap a jump. I’m just glad he puts up with me!

  9. Never heard about this hike but since you explained so beautifully I would definitely try this hike if I travel to Vancouver in near future. Love off beat places 🙂

  10. Beautiful photos! ..and hello from a fellow BC outdoors blogger!
    I’ve written a blog post on 20+ Gorgeous and Easy Winter Hikes Near Vancouver and Deep Cove’s Quarry Rock hike also made it to the list! I absolutely love that trail, and even my 4yo son had managed to hike it already. Excellent trail description. Thank you

  11. No jumping photo means you were not there. Glad you found the time. 🙂
    This looks more like a hike to me that I would do in summer or fall for the foliage.

  12. I’m glad you did your signature jump at the end of the trail Josy! I agree who can resist to not stop with a winter wonderland view! Thanks for sharing… I will try to try doing a walk this year. 😊😁

  13. Okay, I think I’d hike anywhere to get my hands on one of those honey doughnuts. Thanks for showing how busy it actually was. It still looks like a beautiful hike even if it’s super popular!

  14. I love to follow along your hiking adventures, first of all, you have the best information- from the distance to the experience level; and to top it off, your photos! I love this jumping one! It shows your free spirit, especially with the other hikers in the background. It’s great to know that this is definitely not a trail you do in the summer due to the amount of people. Oh, and the honey doughnuts, I am guessing they put our Tim Horton’s to shame!

  15. I love winter hiking! There’s just something about the snow that adds to the magic.

    Your pictures are fantastic as usual!

    Also, shouldn’t every hike end with a donut?

  16. I haven’t heard of Deep Cove Quarry Rock Hike but I would say that it looks magical in winters. Your pictures are so nice and amazing. There are similar trails in India and snowfalls has made them look spellbinding.

    1. It really is, you will love it! Where is Vancouver do you plan to visit? Let me know if you need ideas of fun things to do on the West Coast. 😉

  17. Quarr Rock is definitely my favorite hike and I love that it’s short and not too difficult. I’ve never done it in the snow though but those winter scenes look amazing. And a Honey Doughnut is definitely a must after!

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