For those times you feel like getting one with nature, I highly suggest hiking in Lions Bay, which is about a 30 minute drive from downtown on the Sea to Sky (between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish).
There are a couple of major trails that start together, then branch off, just above this quiet, artsy little Vancouver village: Mount Harvey and The Lions. There's a very tiny parking lot at the mouth of the trail, so be careful to watch the signs or risk getting towed (it's a long way back to Buster's Towing from there). A safer bet is to nab a spot further away in the neighbourhood.
Oh, and a small disclaimer: these hikes aren't for the faint of heart (the first 45-60 minutes is constant uphill), so make sure to get a couple of Seawall runs or bike sessions in before heading up the mountain.
A bunch of us attempted to hike the Mount Harvey trail on Saturday morning, and were eventually turned back because it seems like no one's hiked the path for awhile and was seriously overgrown -- we all have thorn scratches and mega mosquito bites to prove it.
Therefore, I suggest doing The Lions trail, which has a bunch of fun and photograph-able stuff, like waterfalls, bridges over creeks and wooden ladders with ropes.
A few highlights of the hike worth mentioning:
1. Discovering a wild blueberry bush under a bridge. It's not blackberries -- sorry Jef Choy! -- but they still looked good.
2. This homemade DeLorean in the trail parking lot.
Happy trails, everyone!
