Lynn Headwaters Regional Park is a beautiful hiking spot tucked in the heart of Lynn Valley in North Vancouver between Grouse Mountain and Mount Seymour. From easy trails to challenging routes, there’s a hike for everyone in Lynn Headwaters Park.
At the trailhead, you will find the BC Mills House (a time capsule of over 100 years of Lynn Valley history), washrooms, a picnic space and an information board with the all-important hiker registration box. You can also pick up a nice coloured map or simply print out a map online.
Without a specific trail in mind, we decided to drive to Lynn Headwaters and just explore. The access road to the trailhead was temporarily closed due to weather eroding the road, so we parked on the street and took the closest trail which led us down into Lynn Canyon Park where Rey crossed her first suspension bridge. We highly recommend visiting the bridge as it is quite accessible and is free, whereas you’d have to pay a pricey entrance free to visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge down the road.
After we took the Lynn Canyon detour, we trekked back north taking the connector trail towards Lynn Headwaters. Almost immediately, we were greeted with snow on the ground! We chose to take the Cedar Mills Trail that runs alongside Lynn Creek as it is a leash-optional trail and we could let Rey have some freedom.
It wasn’t a very challenging trail with minimum elevation gain, but the icy sections made things a bit more interesting. We were also surprised exactly how much snow was still on the ground as you could see about 3 feet of snow on the bridges.
The day was getting late and the park gates close at sunset so we decided to stop at a clearing where there used to be an old logging chute, named Third Debris Chute. It’s a good rest stop as there are some great views of Goat Ridge and Mount Fromme on a clear day, which we did not have. However, I didn’t complain as the rain made for some really nice photos. There’s something beautiful about a bit of fog creeping through the trees.
This was my first hike in Lynn Headwaters Park. I’ve never made a point of exploring this area because I thought that the minimal elevation gain would attract a lot of tourists. However, once you hike out an hour or so, you will gradually lose the crowds. I definitely want to return and check out Norvan Falls as well as some of the more difficult hikes in the area such as Lynn Peak and Coliseum Mountain.
Hikers: Josie, Nick and Rey
Camera Specs: Canon 70d + Tamron 24-70mm lens
Leave a Reply