Description
Golden Ears has two distinctive summits which from certain angles do loosely resemble ears. The mountain was originally known by the natives as the 'Golden Eyrie', the place where the golden eagles nested. Its northern ear can be acended via the golden ears trail. The southern ear is climbed much less frequently but can be reached relatively easily on the same day.
The Golden Ears are located in Golden Ear provincial park (located 40km east of Vancouver), one of the largest provincial parks in the province (62500 ha) and it is conjoined with Garibaldi provincial park to the north. The park is located 6km north of the town of Maple Ridge, a suburb of Vancouver.
The north Ear is one of the most frequently climbed peaks in the greater Vancouver area. It presents quite a challenge to hikers and climbers alike, and is a very popular destination spring, summer and fall.
The easiest route is a hike up with some class III section's and with the ever present snow and the steepness of the route it is much more than your average walk up. This peak is for more experienced back country hikers and climbers. It is far more remote than any of the other frequently climbed peaks in the greater Vancouver area and because of this should be taken seriously.
The trail is a 25km roundtrip hike that pretty much demands that the party stay the night or get an early start and prepare to get back late. The total elevation gain is 1500 meters, just under 5000 feet so it is no Sunday afternoon picnic destination.
The park is a beautiful place, the trail meanders along beautiful Golden Creek until you reach the point where you start across the alder flats and up towards panorama ridge. A great location for anyone who wants to really get a taste of what the North Shore mountains have to offer and wants to get away from it all in the back country without driving for hours.
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