Course - Diez Vista - 27km

 

Fast
Time

 Be prepared for up to 5 hours of running without access to water

km

08:30

Reference Point - Buntzen Lake Beach – Start / Finish. Go to the farthest parking lot and park as close as you can to the beach.  There's lots of free parking and washrooms are on the beach. Run distances measured from the parking lot.

 

09:00

Start. Beach (north) end of parking lot.

0.0

 

1. Buntzen Lake Trail (#4) - East Side. This section takes you around the east side of Buntzen Lake and finishes at a suspension bridge.

-Head towards the far east washrooms. Behind them there is a small wooden bridge. Cross and turn left, and stay left. There will be an access to the dog park around there. You are now on the east side of Buntzen Lake.
 
  - Run north on the Buntzen Lake Trail (rolling terrain) keeping the lake on your left until you pop up onto a gravel road. Stay left along the fence, and over the small incline in the road. There will be a another trail that drops down on your left after the fence. Don't follow the gravel road down.  
  -At the bottom you'll see a water outlet (often raging). Trail heads west. You'll come out to the North Beach. Continue west. You will find the suspension just before another access to the road. It's hiding behind a signboard. Cross. -You are now on the west side of Buntzen Lake.  
 

2. Lakeview Trail (#4) - West Side . This section takes you back to the start along the west side of Buntzen Lake, but on a slightly higher trail.

 
 

- Very shortly (heading southwest now), you will reach a fork in the trail. Stay right/straight and up for a few minutes. Next intersection go left (straight is Old Buntzen Lake Trail). There is a weathered 4x4 nailed to a tree engraved with "Lakeview Trail". Go up! There are a few good climbs, and it goes up and down alot. At one point it parallels the Buntzen Lake trail and you'll beable to see it on your left, but then you climb back up again! A nice viewpoint at the powerlines.

 
  - The trail will end with a gravel road, called Pumphouse Rd. Continue south (straight) along this road until you see the "floating bridge" on your left hand side. TURN RIGHT UP DIEZ VISTA TRAIL.  

 

3. Diez Vista Trail (#6). This section takes you straight up and down the famous Diez Vista (10 views in Spanish) Trail and finishes at the north end of Buntzen Lake.

 

 

- Go right and uphill on the Diez Vista Trail. After about 2K, you will come to intersection with Horseshoe Trail.  Continue straight.

 

 

- At the 3-way "saddle" to Sasamat Lake (which is left), go straight and under power lines

 

- after about 1K, you will reach a junction.  Go left.  (Right will take you to same place, but steeper climb)

 

 

- at junction near top, go right towards Punta del Este.  Stop at Punta Aprecio and check out view of Sasamat Lake and SFU.

 

 

- in about 250M, you will come to Punta del Este (550m).  If the clouds allow, look down on Buntzen Lake South Beach where you started.

 

 

- stay right and uphill.  Pass Cima Amanecer (570m).  There is a bit of up and down in this section. Vista #1 looks out over Deep Cove.

 

 

- Vista #2 is in about 500m.  #3 looks out over Second Narrows bridge.  Other vistas follow (#4 is of Mt Seymour, #6 is of a remote cabin on Indian Arm.)

 

 

- you will eventually begin a steep downhill section, followed by about 100m of flat with a "T" intersection.  Go left.

 

- you will intersect a dirt road. Go right, and follow the road under the power lines

 

- turn right onto the Old Buntzen Lake trail at the clearing.  Stay straight at any intersections until you get down to the lake again. You have been here before! Go Right.

 

4. Buntzen Lake Trail (#4) - West Side . This section takes you back to the start along the west side of Buntzen Lake.

 

 

- The trail will end with a gravel road, called Pumphouse Rd. Continue south (right) along this road, past the "floating bridge" again on your left hand side. Do not cross yet again! Continue to the end of the gravel road where it almost meets the main road to Buntzen Lake. There's a paved pathway on the left before the yellow gate. Take that, which shortly crosses the entrance roadway to the trail on the other side. You are now on the Academy Trail.

 

5. Academy Trail (#9)  Parallells the roadway into the park. Shortly after crossing the road, you'll cross another backroad. Continue straight, and it heads uphill slightly. Don't deviate from the trail (ie. there's a sharp right up to Eagle Ridge-no!), and you'll head down again. Pass by the Equestrian parking lot (not through). You'll reach a fork. Take the left over the wooden bridge.

 

  - Continue on this trail until it hits a gravel road. This is part of the Powerhouse road. Go right. At a right-turn bend in the road, stay straight down a rocky trail. Come out from behind the washrooms and you're done!!