August 02, 2011 | Tips from Us >
North Vancouver, Hiking
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Ah, long weekends: that precious commodity that we BC'ers get to enjoy just 10 times a year. The BC Day long weekend is one of the best in Vancouver, as the weather usually cooperates. And this year was no exception. With the sun out and not a cloud in the sky, we decided we had to get out and celebrate BC Day the proper way - in the great outdoors. And so, with our sneakers on and water bottles full, we headed over the bridge for a hike in
North Vancouver.
Situated at the base of the North shore mountains, North Van really is the urban adventurer's paradise - snowboarding all winter, and hiking and mountain biking galore in the sunny summer months. And best of all, it's less than half an hour from the downtown core.
Our BC Day route started at the Pipeline Bridge (accessible from Riverside Drive). We jumped onto the Baden Powell trail, with the plan to head towards Lynn Canyon Park and the suspension bridge, up to Rice Lake, and back down the Twin Bridges trail.
After a difficult (but gorgeous) climb up on the Baden Powell trail, we crossed Lilloet Road and headed down the side of Lynn Canyon. The trail is quite steep in parts here, so tread carefully! At the bottom of the canyon, there are neat wooden walkways to keep your feet high and dry from the marshy ground. At this point, it's hard to believe you're only 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver - moss-covered trees tower around you, and it's wonderfully quiet, save for the sound of birds and running water. Although this was the toughest part of our hike, it was my favourite (and the least crowded). If you're up for a bit of a challenge, I'd highly recommend it.
After we crossed the canyon (on a bridge over deep, rushing glacier water that was an amazing green colour), we climbed back up the other side of the canyon. At this point, the Baden Powell trail meets up with Lynn Canyon Park and the suspension bridge. Being a holiday Monday, it was
very busy. But we got to enjoy some fresh blackberries from a farmer's booth in the parking lot, so it was worth it :)
After we made our way across the suspension bridge (still gives me butterflies), we climbed up a bit further to the Rice Lake loop. We didn't walk around the lake (just took a peek), but there is a nice easy trail around that takes under an hour.
At this point we got onto the Twin Bridges trail, which runs alongside the Seymour River. The gentle downward slope of this section was a nice break after the steep ups-and-downs of the Baden Powell trail earlier. We finally made our way back to the Pipeline Bridge entrance in just over 3 hours.
The great thing about the North Shore trails is that the trails are all inter-connected, and there are lots of points of access (many with parking), so you can adjust the length and difficulty of your route easily. For example, to cut about an hour and the heavy climbing off of the route we did, skip the Baden Powell section and park at Lynn Canyon Park. Here, cross the suspension bridge and walk up and around Rice Lake. Or, for a nice easy walk in the woods, you could park in the lot at the top of Lilloet Road and just do the loop around Rice Lake. Lots of options!
Happy hiking!
May 15, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
North Vancouver, Hiking
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On Thursday, May 13, 2010, myself (60 years old), my daughter( 22 years old ) and a friend (24 yrs), hiked from Lynn Canyon to Deep Cove. The estimated time for the hike was 5 hours but we wanted to do it in 3 1/2. No Problem! It was 22 degrees celsius, no rain, a perfect day for a hike. We started at 8:40 a.m.
The first part of the hike was up, very steep in some places and less steep in others. The scenery is BC at its best, sun filtering down thru the fir trees. The trail is excellently maintained, bridges over the many creeks, well marked except near the end (the last 1.6 km.) We missed the trail at the Indian Arm Lookout and went down a long way and had to hike back up so the hike ended up taking us 4 hours, plus the friend had a breathing problem and we had to go slow. Could easily do it in 3 hours next time. Today is Saturday and going up and down stairs has been difficult to say the least but I went for a bike ride today and I'll be out running tomorrow.
BC has got to be the most beautiful place in the world to hike, so accessible, so close to home and yet far away.
October 02, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
North Vancouver, Hiking
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My vision of a casual trek in the woods seemed further and further away as I slogged behind my hiking buddies. The speed demon of the two (increasingly distant) figures up the steep slope had been enjoying a period of unemployment. Turns out that not working, while bad for the wallet, is great for developing thighs of steel on weekday hikes.
In between heaving for air and dodging rocks dislodged from the boys above, I took a second to look behind me and had one of those “I can’t believe I’m in BC” moments. I felt like I’d wandered into a Lord of the Rings flick, complete with misty clouds, thick conifers, freshly sprouting spring grasses, and jutting boulders.
In actuality, though, I was an area called Hanes Valley beyond Grouse Mountain. It’s an interesting, challenging and rewarding hike that takes you from well-travelled trails to complete wilderness in the space of a few hours. The full day hike ends at the peak of Grouse, which means we finished our day in the woods with lumberjacks, poutine and a blissfully effortless tram ride back down to the city.
August 21, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
North Vancouver, Hiking
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We decided to climb Crown Mt. on 18.10.2009 in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. It was beautiful, hot summer day. We took Grouse Grind Trail to get to the ski area of the Grouse Mountain. It was like 1 h 15 min of workout. This trail is quite steep and very very crowded even in the middle of the week. We did not enjoyed it at all. We did this trail during winter time (when it was closed to the public) and that was much more fun and we met only few people that time. Anyway, when we reached the ski area we had to pass the Grouse Mountain Peak from the west site and hit toward Little Goat Mountain. We did not see any trail signs until we passed Grouse Mountain. From this point we easily found direction to Crown Mtn, there was sign on every crossroads. The trail to the Little Goat Mtn was partly steep but nice. We walked in the forest in the shadow. After we reached the top the trail start to go dawn. We were very surprised, because we were almost on the Crown Mtn level. The trail goes down straight to the Crown Pass. It was like 30 min steep way down with chains in few places. So when we finally get to Crown Pass we had to go up to the top of Crown Mtn. The trail was very steep, mostly in the forest, 3-4 grade climbing. We had to use our hands on the rocks for the most of the time. It took us over an hour to get there to the top. We were so tired, could feel our legs and there was no shadow on the top, but the view compensated everything. You can see North Shore Mountains 360 degrees panoramic view (Coliseum Mountain, The Lions, etc.) and Vancouver. The way back took us the almost same time except we took a skyride down from the Grouse Mtn. The whole thing took us 7 hours of workout with small breaks. We really recommend this trail, especially if you like nice, quite, unfrequented places.
Let's go explore! :]
July 27, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
North Vancouver, Hiking
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Recently, I had six guests visiting from the Netherlands,
all of whom are over 60 years in age and have different levels of fitness.
Since the nature, forests, and mountains are my favourite part of living in
Vancouver, I decided to take them to the North Shore for a day to experience
this beauty. I took them to Lynn Canyon Park and we started our walk at the
Suspension Bridge. Not everyone in the group stopped halfway across the suspension
bridge to take in the view of the rushing water below us. One lady who is
afraid of heights rushed across the bridge without stopping, only looking
straight ahead. We started walking along the trails towards the Twin Falls, a
scenic waterfall that is a 15-minute walk down river from the suspension
bridge. There is a maze of hiking trails in the forest and I have experienced
many of them from previous hikes in this area. There is a much longer loop that
takes exactly the trail we were on as well as exploring the Seymour River
canyon. It is called Two Canyon Loop.
For most of my guests, reaching the Twin Falls was enough exercise for the day,
so we started our way up hill back to the suspension bridge. The forest is very
pretty along the trail with giant, mossy Western Cedar and Douglas Fir trees
amongst the old, magnificent stumps. On our way out of the park, we enjoyed a
cup of coffee at the coffee shop and also stopped by the Ecology Centre where
they have different displays about the local forest, wildlife, and environment.
My guests really enjoyed the afternoon they spent exploring the beauty of the
North Shore.
June 18, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
North Vancouver, Hiking
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As a resident of Vancouver British Columbia and an avid hiker, I am always looking for new hiking places to keep myself busy during my spare time. I had heard about
Lynn Canyon Park several times but had never gone there. Last weekend I decided to venture out to the park and see what it had to offer hikers of the lower mainland.
I headed out to catch the cool air as the weather has been exceptionally warm lately. At 9am the park is just gorgeous! I couldn't believe how peaceful the park is! Any local resident in that area is blessed with an amazing backyard. I took a walk over the
suspension bridge which gave me a shiver as I crossed (Small fear of heights). Then I made my way down towards the
"Twin Falls" area. I came to another bridge and rather than crossing I walked further down river which was a lovely flat hiking trail. I kept seeing markers for the
"Baden Powell Trail" so I assumed that it was part of the same trail that crosses the North Shore Highlands. I'll have to check out the rest of it at a later date.
After a half hour or so, I decided to turn back as I had parked at the main entrance. I decided not to take my chances with the
suspension bridge again and walked across the twin falls bridge instead. This followed with a large amount of stairs and a short trail. Before I knew it I was back at the main entrance and stopped at the
Lynn Canyon Cafe before I called it a day. They had great coffee, and some lovely meals to choose from.
I would recommend
Lynn Canyon Park to anyone, local or foreigner. The best part -
It's A Free Attraction!Happy Hiking!