One of my favorite hikes in the Vancouver area is the St. Mark’s Summit. The hike is part of the longer Howe Sound Crest Trail which I heard is fantastic, but I haven’t completed this myself. The hike up to St Mark’s is fairly easy to to do during the summer, but also doable during the spring / fall with the proper equipment. Snowshoes is definitely recommended during the spring since snow is abundant on the trail. Gaiters also help to keep the snow out of the boots. My friend Aleksey and I did this hike in the spring with snowshoes. We started the hike from the Cypress Mountain parking lot and proceeded towards St. Marks. Care should be taken while going up the switchbacks as it is a bit narrow with snow. However, the views at the top of the Howe Sound area is spectacular. The blue waters below with the Tantalus Range in the distance, this is the perfect place to stop and have a picnic lunch. St. Mark’s Summit is a great little getaway from the city.