
Devil’s Peak – Peak Bagging
Devil’s Peak is one of the small sub-peaks of Mount Seymour on Vancouver’s North Shore. The beautiful trail through the forest will take you to a rocky outcrop with great views over Vancouver and Burnaby. This is one of those trails where the fun is in the entire walk, rather than just the view at the end of the trail. It’s also one of the ones I discovered from Peak Bagging, so if you are lucky, you might find some hidden whiskey on this peak.
Devil’s Peak trail map
Devil’s Peak trail – the basics
Distance: 8Â km
Cumulative Elevation gain: All Trails says 270m, strava says 489m
Highest Point: 640m. The viewpoint is lower than that, at 600m.
Time: 3-4 hours
What to bring: The 10 Essentials
Facilities: There is an outhouse at the mushroom parking lot
Dogs: There are some creek crossings which would make this hard for some dogs.
How hard is it?
Intermediate. This isn’t an official maintained trail, so you may need to use route finding skills. It also undulates a lot and includes a couple of creek crossings, so it is harder than you might expect for a small peak. Don’t attempt this when the creeks are high from snow-melt.
Wait, what is Peak Bagging?
Peak Bagging is where hikers and climbers try to reach a collection of summits in one geographical area. Every summer people compete to see who can bag the most North Shore peaks. Last year I joined a facebook group of friendly peak baggers in Vancouver. There are loads of sub-peaks around Mount Seymour! I have trip reports about Mount Underhill, First Pump Peak, Tim Jones Peak, Third Peak, Mount Elsay and Dog Mountain (although that one doesn’t count for peak bagging)
Devil’s Peak – Getting Started
There are quite a few possible trails to Devil’s Peak; But we opted for one of the easier routes, starting half way up Mount Seymour. We parked in the mushroom parking lot (located on the second big switchback as you drive up the mountain.) Cross the Mount Seymour Road carefully and head straight into the forest.
If you zoom into the map, you’ll see there is a whole network of trails in this part of Mount Seymour. Most of them are for mountain bikes, so be ready to step out of the way when people cycle past. We followed the TNT, and then Magic Kingdom trails. Then turned off onto an old logging road that is lined with planks of wood.
Leave no trace
There are quite a few bits of historical rubbish in this area left by loggers. We saw a few kettles, cups, buckets, pans, lids and bits of rusted machinery. Please leave everything as you find it, but don’t add any rubbish!
Crossing Boulder Creek
There are a couple of creek crossings on this route. We visited in the springtime so the creeks were pretty high, but not *too* bad. We crossed at an elevation of about 630m (if you’re looking for a good spot.) If you have poles, use them to help you keep your balance.
My top tip for trails that require creek crossings is getting some waterproof socks. It is sooo nice to keep your shoes on, but your feet dry! We bought some last summer, and they have been great for snowshoeing too (when your feet always get cold/wet.)
Rugged trail
This is not a maintained trail, and it is easy to lose the trail in some places, especially the second half. I’ve seen lots of trail reports where hikers got lost. Watch out for orange flagging tape and keep your eye on your phone’s gps if you are unsure.
Devil’s Pimple?
I should probably mention that this doesn’t feel like a normal peak! You actually lose elevation along the route, so you finish at a lower point that you started! Having said that, the train undulates and does have some steep moments, especially near the “top”.
Whiskey Cache?
If you’re lucky, you might find a whiskey cache at Devil’s Peak (we actually found two bottles of whiskey there.) This is located at the cairn, rather than at the lower viewpoint. We spent longer down at the viewpoint/bluffs.
Marc was a bit hot, so relaxed in the shade while I climbed around the bluffs to see the best views. For such a pimple-like peak there are some fabulous views around Vancouver.
Heading Back
We retraced our steps through the beautiful forest and really enjoyed the entire walk. There is something so invigorating about exploring the temperate rainforests around Vancouver. It still blows my mind that these trails are so close to the city, but feel so wild.
Devil’s Peak is not one of the famous hikes in Vancouver’s North Shore Mountains, but it IS a fun trail with a lovely viewpoint. It’s pretty quiet – we only met one other group of hikers, despite the beautiful weather. Do you like the look of this, or do you prefer more obvious, maintained trails?
42 thoughts on “Devil’s Peak – Peak Bagging”
I always love a good hike. Such a fun location with things to see all along the way. I need to plan for more hikes!
Thanks Jolayne! I hope you can get out hiking near home 🙂
Devil’s Peak looks amazing! I’m not a big hike lover, but views like that usually make it worth it. Will save this one 🙂 And thank you for all the tips that you share about hiking, very useful. Especially for a beginner like me!
Thanks Lasma! The fab thing about this area is there are great hikes for all skill levels… so if you fancy an easier (still gorgeous) adventure, you can try something like Dog Mountain. 🙂
What a beautiful hike! I love intermediate hikes, so this one sounds perfect for me. I’ve never heard of “peak bagging” before, so that was really interesting to learn about. You always have the best hiking recommendations! 🙂
Oooh yay, you will love it then Brittany! I hadn’t heard of Peak Bagging either until I moved here. It is such a fun (and energetic) community that love the local mountains!!
Well I learned two new things reading this – peak bagging, and a need to bring a shot glass, LOL! But I love the beautiful scenery, and it’s a great idea to join a FB group to encourage you along the way.
Lol yes! Hiking with a shot glass is the best way 😉
Devil’s Peak is indeed beautiful throughout the duration of the hike…beautiful photos! And love the idea of peak bagging – such a fun and rewarding challenge!
It is a really fun way to get more people out and about and exploring off the most famous/obvious trails!
This looks like a lovely hike, although I’m not sure how I’d feel about that creek crossing! I didn’t know that there was such a thing as waterproof socks. I’m going to have to look into that as it seems like something I should get.
They are soooo useful! The ones we bought were from sealskinz https://www.sealskinz.ca/collections/socks They are wool next to your skin (so don’t get stinky) and they keep your feet dry.
Now we’ve found them, I prefer fast-drying hiking shoes and waterproof socks (as hiking boots never keep remain waterproof for long!)
I’d love to hike here. You captured beautiful photos of the forest. Honestly, what’s not to love about a little friendly competition? That sounds fun. Great experience!
Thanks Lenore! The baggers group is more friendly and encouraging than competitive, but you’re right, the forest is sooo lovely!
Welp, I just told my husband there is a hike in Vancouver where he can find whiskey, and hes ready to hop in the car and head north lol. I had never heard of peak bagging, so thanks for sharing!
Lol I totally got my husband up one of the harder peaks with that promise 😉
So many useful tips in this post (and across your whole blog). I love all of the detail you include – it’s encouraging me to get out there and get started with hiking – after all those views are so amazing!
Thanks Coralie! There are so many easy hikes to get started – I hope you can get outside this summer to enjoy it!
This location looks amazing, what a great hike it must have been! Thank you so much for writing this super helpful blog post! 🤩
😀 I am so glad you liked it!
I love hiking but this the first time I’ve ever heard of peak bagging!!! So interesting and how fun to find hidden stashes of whiskey… I love the look of the terrain, looks like an adventure 🙂 such a pity you found litter behind, good remainder that we should leave no trace. Would love to hike this one day!
Yeah it’s so strange once the litter become historical! It’s all been left by loggers for a long time!
Any new litter, I pick up and pack out…it’s just for leave no trace, we’re meant to leave those historical camps the way we find them.
I would love to hike this trail so much! It looks so fun and absolutely beautiful! The massive tall trees are stunning. Thank you for this great guide
Thanks for the lovely comment Kaitlyn!
Looks like an interesting hike and the view is amazing 🙂 Definitely will want to try this in the future!!
Next time I’m in Vancouver I’m going to ask my brother to take me here. I’ve already done the Grouse Grind. The views from this trail!
Oooh if you come in summer, you may also want to try the main peak on Mount Seymour. If it’s your first time on the Fannin Range, that is a great one to try!
What a stunning place to explore! We don’t have anything this beautiful in Kansas. I also have never heard of peak bagging so I learned something today. Oh and the whisky stashes are something new to me as well! I’m not very good at inclines so Devi’s Pimple would be more my style.
I’ve never heard of peak bagging before, but I love the concept! Can I ask how well the waterproof socks worked for you? How much water can get into your shoe before they feel damp as well? Thanks!
They are amazing! Your shoe can be completely soaked through, but your feet stay dry in the socks!
This looks like an awesome hiking trail. I love the scenery (and the fireball is always a plus). Thanks so much for sharing this. I didn’t know there was such nice hiking in Vancouver. Saving it for later.
Lol the fireball was such a strong cinnamon flavour! Marc said it was normal to have it as a shot when he was a student… but I had never tried it before this hike!
You always have the best hikes on your website. I look forward to reading about new hikes you recommend.
Awww thanks Michelle!
Devil’s Peak looks like a beautiful place, thanks for sharing! We love hiking and this location just looks incredible.
Thanks guys!
I love the term peak bagging, it’s similar to munro bagging in Scotland, same for the whiskey cache! It looks like a beautiful hike, and that there are different options to take too.
Yes! It is just like munro bagging! Have you ever tried that? I have a friend who did a bunch of them last summer.
It was today that I learned what Peak Bagging is. And I had thought myself a hiker lolll
I think it’s normal not to know about peak bagging, unless you live in an area where people do it!
I was really confused by the term when I first heard about it (even though I used to try to “bag” all the peaks where we lived in Ireland.)
This looks like a healthy hike. Good advice for watching the weather and season to make the streams passable.
Lol yeah, we did it at a bad time when the snow above was melting! It would be much easier in summer!