The Jug Island hike in Belcarra Regional Park is a 5.5 km out and back trail with about 300 m in total elevation gain/drop. The hike takes you to a beautiful beach from where you can see the Jug Island.
In 2019, we had done a family hike to Admiralty Point with Anand-Nisha and their kids – Meira (8) and Sharon (2). They all joined us for the Jug Island hike on January 9.
Parking Woes
When we arrived at the Belcarra Picnic area around 1 pm, it was packed. As we drove all the way to the end of the parking lot, luckily, we found a spot. I had shared the directions from Outdoor Vancouver with Anand, but it didn’t work on his phone for some reason. So he just searched for Jug Island Trailhead and followed directions.
Unfortunately, there are no parking spots at the trailhead. Anand couldn’t turn into the Belcarra Picnic Area parking as the gate (highlighted by the red cross in the left picture above) was closed. He ended up taking a long detour (about 8 km) to just get into the parking that was just behind the gate.
Finally, around 2 pm, we started the hike. Sharon was in a mood to walk, so I stayed back with Anand while Kasturi, Nisha, Kavya and Meira went ahead.
The trail is well maintained, and Sharon did a great job hiking up and getting down the first hill on the route.
By 3 pm, we realized that we won’t make it to the beach and back before dark at our current pace. Anand managed to get Sharon in the baby carrier. She was not happy initially but was okay later.
Soon, there were some steep sections on the trail, and we were glad Sharon was in the baby carrier. In about 10 minutes we were at the Bedwell Bay Viewpoint – probably the highest point on the Jug Island trail.
Jug Island
Just past 3 pm, we arrived at the beach. Nisha was surprised to see us, as she thought we would turn around before the last steep section.
The beach is small, but its a great spot with beautiful views of the Jug Island and the Indian Arm. The kids had fun playing at the beach and collecting bits of seashells.
There were two kayakers at the beach. They would have kayaked for about 10 minutes when one of the kayaks flipped over.
The water must have been freezing, and I wondered how the guy was doing. It took a while for him to be back on the Kayak, but looked like things were under control.
After a 20-minute break, we were back on the trail. Sharon was in the baby carrier right from the start, and it made for a quick hike back. We were at the parking lot just before 4:30 pm.
Overall, it was a good family hike in decent weather conditions. Some steep sections were slippery after the rain, but it was manageable. In total, it took us about two and half hours to finish the hike. The most challenging part, finding parking at the picnic area on a clear day.
Have you done this hike? Are there any other hikes in Belcarra Regional Park that you enjoy? Let me know in the comments.
Resources:
Trail Guide: Outdoor Vancouver | Vancouver Trails
Belcarra Regional Park: Website | Park Map
Disclosure: I am not affiliated with any of the above individuals or organizations.
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Great to see your hiking activities every week.miss you here in columbus 😀
Hey Amol,
Sorry for the delay in responding to your note. Thank you for reading the posts. I miss our trail runs. Hopefully we can meet again sometime.
Tumba chennagide Raja.
Pictures olledu unto
Thank you!
Nehamipramane chanach
Thank you!