Yes, I have already done Tunnel Bluffs. But a sunny Saturday forecast in Vancouver must be taken advantage of, and Tunnel Bluffs is the perfect spot to set up my camp stove and cook sunrise pancakes.

Summary:

Length: 11.9km

Elevation gain: 623m

Time: 3h moving time

Starting point: Sunset Drive parking lot

Thanks to daylight saving time, the sunrise wasn’t until 7 am. Nevertheless, I was up at 4 am to start the pick-up and drive to the trailhead. We started up the trail in the dark, with headlamps, around 5:30 am. If you’ve done Tunnel Bluffs (or read my other post about it) then you know the drill: constant uphill for the first 2km, then flat walking with 2 creek crossings, and finally a short scramble at the end of 5.5 km. We didn’t need snowshoes or spikes for this trip, but the snow was a bit slushy and slippery.

We made it to the top just in time for sunrise! After taking a few photos, I set up my camp stove and started making pancakes (with chocolate mini eggs!). We enjoyed the view and ate the pancakes as they came off the stove. Somehow, I managed to get maple syrup on my rain pants. It was a quiet morning, and there were only 3 or 4 other people at Tunnel Bluffs with us.

When I was out of pancake batter, we packed up the sticky dishes and started down the trail. I thought I would be tired from waking up early and hiking nearly 12km before 11 am, but I was ready to take on the day! I would highly recommend doing a sunrise hike when the weather forecasts a clear morning (pancakes optional)!