The Best Hikes In Vancouver When Taylor Swift Is Here
1, 2, 3… Let’s Go Hiking!
Okay Swifties, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for: Taylor Swift is coming to Vancouver.
It’s time to summon all your folklore fairy forest prowess and immerse yourself in the most enchanted landscapes by heading into the woods. Whether you survived the Ticketmaster Great War or need to escape the crowds and soak in some positive nature vibes because you (sigh) didn’t get a ticket, there’s no better place than out in the freshly snow covered mountains. We’ve compiled a list of wintery wonderland hikes to combine with your Taylor Swift concert in Vancouver next weekend. It’s been a long time coming but finally Canada is getting our turn, it’s our Era!
So summon a hiking buddy/fellow Swiftie, gear up with snowshoes, crampons or winter hiking boots, grab your scarf from your sister’s house and make the friendship bracelets, because ’tis the damn season.
… Are you ready for it?
Grouse Mountain Light Walk
North Vancouver
A dazzling draw for Swifties of all ages, the Grouse Mountain Light Walk elicits scenes from Taylor’s Evermore era, an album associated with winter sentiments and forested landscapes. Much like how the Evermore setlist kicks off with a mesmerizing performance complete with glowing orbs floating atop the stage, the Grouse Mountain Light Walk will leave you wonderstruck with the lights and all you’ll want to do is stay.
Distance: 1.5 km
Time: 30 – 45 minutes
Elevation gain: 20 m
Eras soundtrack for this hike: Evermore
Lindeman Lake
Chilliwack Provincial Park
If you’re craving to be taken to the lakes where all the poets went to die… okay thankfully no poets died here that we know of, but you will still get all the mystical Folklore fairy forest vibes in stunning Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park. Located about a 1.5-hour drive from Vancouver (read: more time to blast Taylor Swift on your drive), the alpine lake is stunning both in summer with its glacier-fed turquoise hues and in winter with a sheen of ice frozen on top. Take your hiking buddy’s hand and dive headfirst, fearless into this iconic BC adventure. (But don’t actually dip into the lake—no hypothermia on this trip, friends!)
Distance: 3.4 km
Time: 2 hours
Elevation gain: 218 m
Eras soundtrack for this hike: Folklore
Dog Mountain
Mount Seymour, North Vancouver
Obviously Taylor Swift will be the most beautiful thing you’ll see all week (/month/year), but the vistas from Dog Mountain will be a close runner-up—you’ll be taken by the view like you were in Paris. You’re likely to pass multiple dogs on the trail and witness snow softly falling on evergreen branches. You will definitely feel like more of a sexy baby than a monster on a hill as you take in the expansive views of the surrounding mountains, Burrard Inlet and the twinkling city skyline in the distance.
Distance: 5.6 km
Time: 1-3 hours
Elevation Gain: 165 m
Eras soundtrack for this hike: Midnights
Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
If you’re in Vancouver for the Eras concert but are drawing a blank space where you’ll get your nature fix, look no farther than the magical holiday display of Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. With stunning light displays, festival forested boardwalks and glittering Christmas joy to get you in the spirit, this enchanted winter wonderland allows you to explore as far as you wish. If you feel a bit wobbly and fearful of heights while crossing the 70-metre-high bridge, take a deep breath, keep walking and shake it off.
Distance: 1+ km
Time: 1 hour
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Eras soundtrack for this hike: 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
Yew Lake Loop
Cypress Provincial Park, West Vancouver
A trip to the snowy paradise of Cypress Mountain is the best way to complete your forest fairy transformation. Rally your lover or friend and make an adventure out of it by stopping at the viewpoint and walking along the trestle bridge illuminated with twinkling lights on the drive up the switchbacks to the ski resort. Along your hike, you can have a wintery picnic with hot chocolate and marshmallows at one of the picnic benches overlooking the frozen lake. This is an easy, relaxing loop trail suitable for all ages; you’re sure to have a marvellous time.
Distance: 2.3 km loop
Time: 30-50 minutes
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Eras soundtrack for this hike: Lover
Swifties, you are now on your way to experiencing the perfect night, happy, free, confused and lonely in the best way, supplemented by some nature therapy to elevate your experience. With these wilderness walks and the ultimate Eras soundtrack, you will have the time of your life.
