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, which is just as spectacular as the Capilano Suspension bridge and it's free! 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.