Rescue underway for hikers above Vancouver amid 'full winter conditions' on trail

Photos posted by Lions Bay Search and Rescue on the efforts to free two stranded hikers in the mountains near Lions Bay, B.C., north of Metro Vancouver. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Lions Bay Search and Rescue (Mandatory Credit)

Two hikers have been forced to spend a night in the wild and remain in the mountains north of Metro Vancouver with rescuers, after weather hampered operations to save them.

Lions Bay Search and Rescue says the two young men were trying to complete the Howe Sound Crest Trail between Metro Vancouver’s Cypress Mountain and the area near Porteau Cove Provincial Park — some 28 kilometres to the north — in a single day on Wednesday.

Rescuers say the pair got stranded in “full winter conditions” on the trail, which reaches an elevation of more than 5,000 feet.

Lions Bay Search and Rescue says helicopters could not access the site due to very low cloud, although rescuers on foot were eventually able to reach the hikers “through technical mountain terrain” and move them to a “safe zone.”

Rescuers said late Wednesday that the pair were still hours away from Lions Bay, about 30 kilometres north of Vancouver, as the rescue operation persisted through the night.

The emergency rescue service is reminding hikers to be properly prepared if they venture onto the alpine trail, since there are still “metres of snow” on the route.

“Anyone entering this terrain should be equipped and experienced for winter travel, including carrying proper hiking boots, crampons, and ice axes,” Lions Bay Search and Rescue says in a Facebook post. “Conditions on the Howe Sound Crest Trail remain hazardous and are not suitable for unprepared travel.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2026.