Vancouver Hiking

Another good one on the North Shore

Mount Seymour : Distance : 9 Km. Elevation : 1455 M. Elevation Gain : 450 m Time : 5 1/2 hours. Mount Seymour is only 30 min. driving time from downtown Vancouver . This is one of the more popular hikes in town so be prepared for crowds. Your best bet is on a weekday or early morning . Cross the Second Narrows bridge to North Vancouver and turn onto Mount Seymour Parkway. Followthe parkway all the way to the end . Park at the far end ( North )near the chair lift. This will start you at the 1015m. point . From here the trail starts at the left side of the chair lift . The trail starts out as a gravel path . Follow this path as it takes you to a rocky road at the top of a rise .If you are heading for the top be sure to bypass the shorter spur trails to your left and right . There are many shorter trails in the area so you may want to pick up a map at the trail head before you start . Stay on this road and follow it down to a pond , cross a small creek and than rise steeply . Brockton Point is the first lookout you'll reach . From here you can see the waters of Indian Arm & Golden Ears Peak in the distance . If it's a clear day you can see Mount Baker in the distance . After your water break the trail heads down to a little meadow and than back up again . Some 20 minuets past Brockton Point the trail will come to a fork for Elsay Lake , stay left. The trail veers west and then north on it's way to the 2nd. & 3rd. peaks . You may have to do some scrambling across some rocks at time so look for the blazes painted on them . I found it was well marked, but you have tocareful near the 2nd. peak.There may be snow or ice present and there is a steep drop off to watch out for . Go around the summit of the 2nd. peak to the west by going left and slightly down . As you head back into the bush pay attention. If it is early summer be you will enter into a small gully .Part way down you'll get a view of the granite bluffs of the summit ( third pump peak ) of Seymour. The trail is a bit narrow at this point and you have to go over a few roots . Once you are on the other side of the gully , the bluffs are an easy climb to the top .The view is 360 degrees & you will feel like you are on top of the world . Watch out for the gray jays they like to steal food out of your pack if you are not near by ." I can not stress enough that the weather can change very quickly on Seymour ".People have been lost and died on this Mountain .Stay on the marked trails , bring a good supply of water,a warm jacket or sweater,hiking boots,and your common sense . Rating 2 1/2 View 3+

Snowshoeing

Vancouver Hiking