British Columbia trails · Howe Sound Crest Trail

Howe Sound Crest Trail

A 13.2-mile out-and-back in British Columbia, with 3,713 ft of climbing. Reaches Unnecessary Mountain and other lake/summit/viewpoint/waterfall destinations. Managed by Recreation Sites & Trails BC.

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Length

13.2 mi

Elevation gain

3,713 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

60%

Steepest mile

+1,363 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

9.4 mi

Shape

out-and-back

Managed by

Recreation Sites & Trails BC

Elevation profile

The climbing leans toward the first third: 51% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 4.4. It gives back about 6,721 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

NRCAN MRDEM ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Unnecessary Mountain (summit)
St. Marks Summit (summit)
Phi Alpha Falls (waterfall)
The Lions (summit)
Brunswick Mountain (summit)
Mount Harvey (summit)
Deeks Lakes (lake)
Deeks Lake (lake)
Trailblazer Lookout (viewpoint)

Heads up

Terrain graded T3 (SAC scale) — exposed or hands-on hiking reported on part of this route.

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:00 a.m., the sun rises at 7:32 a.m. and sets at 6:24 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:56 p.m. (PDT) — 10 h 52 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 26.3-mile round trip works out to roughly 13 h 28 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.

Loop options

Deeks Creek Trail + Deeks Bluff Trail + Howe Sound Crest Trail — 5.1 mi loop, 847 ft gain
Mount Harvey + Howe Sound Crest Trail + Lions-Magnesia Creek — 10.4 mi loop, 5,697 ft gain