Howe Sound Crest Trail

Howe Sound Crest Trail
Camping on Unnecessary Mountain
Length	32.8 km (20.4 mi)
Location	North Shore Mountains, British Columbia, Canada
Trailheads	Cypress Creek Lodge (south) Sea to Sky Highway at Porteau Road (north)
Use	Hiking, backpacking, and scrambling
Highest point	1,592 m (5,223 ft), South slope of Brunswick Mountain
Lowest point	94 m (308 ft), Porteau Road trailhead near Porteau Cove
Difficulty	Strenuous
Months	July - October
Sights	Coast Mountains Howe Sound Greater Vancouver
Hazards	Avalanche Bears Cornices Dehydration Falling (accident) Hypothermia Forest fires Landslides Severe weather

Howe Sound Crest Trail
Legend
distance (km) [1] Sea to Sky Highway 33 Porteau Road Kallahne Creek Trail Deeks Bluff Traill Phi Alpha Falls Windsor Trail (to Mt. Windsor & Deeks Peak) 26 Deeks Lake Hannover Lake Brunswick Lake 23 Brunswick Lake Emergency Shelter Hat Mountain Trail Hat Pass Brunswick Mountain Trail (access to Lions Bay) 19 Magnesia Meadows Emergency Shelter Mt. Harvey Trail (access to Lions Bay) Harvey Pass David Peak (1,480m) 15 James Peak (1,466m) The Lions col (Thomas Peak, 1,540m) 12.5 West Lion route Lions Binkert Trail (access to Lions Bay) 10 Unnecessary Mtn Trail (access to Lions Bay) Unnecessary Mountain (1,548m) 6 St. Marks Summit (1,371m) 2 Bowen Lookout Trail Sunset Trail to Sunset Beach 0 Cypress Creek Lodge Cypress Bowl Road

The Howe Sound Crest Trail (often abbreviated as HSCT) is a rugged 32.8-kilometre (20.4 mi)^[1] wilderness hiking trail located near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The trail is located mostly within Cypress Provincial Park and is typically traveled as a single or multi-day hike from south to north, or as a means to access peaks along the route such as Mount Brunswick. It gets its name because it follows the crests of the North Shore Mountains that rise above the Howe Sound, the deep saltwater glacial fjord which parallels the trail to the west. It can be accessed in the south from Cypress Mountain Ski Area and in the north from the Sea to Sky Highway at Porteau Road, or via many intersecting trails that start at Lions Bay.

The trail is maintained by local outdoor groups like the BCMC in partnership with BC Parks.^[2]

Despite its short distance, numerous search and rescue calls occur on this trail and its adjacent peaks each year. There are scrambling sections with serious exposure risk, and injuries and deaths are not uncommon.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} It is typically traveled between July and October due to high avalanche danger and elevated risk during winter conditions, which persist well into the spring.