Comments

Hollis from Vancouver writes:

This is a great little hike on my Seymour, with a stunning Lake at the end of it. It only takes about a half hour & def isn't the easiest route so if you're not into an adventurous challenge, go elsewhere. With that being said I've managed to do it in flip flops so it really isn't all that bad. Also don't go before July as it will likely still be quite snowy. I just finished my 3rd trek up there (mid July) & it was perfect. Yes there are a lot of bugs as others have complained about, but it's nature so....
The water salamanders are def a thing, they are so cute they look like axolotls. Please be cautious of them if going in the water. It's a beautiful spot, be respectful of nature & enjoy!

Posted: July 11, 2023 03:55:58 PM PST

Brandon Baillie from Vancouver writes:

Trail still closed. Doesn't give a reason why. This should be updated on AllTrails.

Posted: June 20, 2023 10:15:18 AM PST

Lakota Brown-Turcotte from Burnaby writes:

I feel like I got impregnated by bugs.

Posted: July 10, 2022 05:24:30 PM PST

Julie from Montreal writes:

Beautiful hike!
My 17 year old daughter, my dog and I all enjoyed it.
B U T : This does NOT qualify as an easy hike. This is moderate/intermediate at the very least. Lots of climbing, many steps higher than 24 inches, LOTS of obstacles..... One cannot do this hike without looking at the ground all the time. Steep incline, but only for 1.5 km.
The water was cool and delicious.

Posted: August 2, 2021 07:31:58 PM PST

Avidlakelover from Vancouver writes:

I really wanted to like it but...First off, What with all the bugs? LIKE COME ON. I got attacked by so many bugs I had to leave. Second, the water is disgusting and there are these weird lizard things that don't move when you get close to them so you might step on them, Lastly, everyone saying it's a family-friendly hike is wrong. I passed multiple families on the way up and all their children were grumpy and some were crying. I suggest going to a different lake.

Posted: July 16, 2020 03:50:58 PM PST

Kirsty from Vancouver writes:

This is an extraordinarily beautiful spot, with a caveat. Hike up is steep-ish but short. People who say this hike is easy are theoretically correct, but there are many slippery roots and loose rocks and piles of mud that make it less so. Beautiful city vistas open up about halfway up. (Dog mountain is much easier..)

But in July the flies are ridiculous, like swarms of them-in your eyes, ears- up your nose- gak. Expect clouds of them to swarm your mucous membranes as you enjoy the surroundings, I had to mummify myself in a t-shirt, they even flew up the sleeves of my hoodie. Forget having a snack as they also seem to hurl themselves down your throat. A guy we met who hikes there with his dogs said: "Oh yeah, I always eat at least 20 by the time I get to the top.. " (Another reviewer said the flies recede in August or Sept. Probably good advice..)

The lake itself is a sublime- but please don't swim- someone has knocked down the sign but this lake is home to a protected underwater salamander- swimming is prohibited! Look down the sides of the rocky 'island' in the middle- you will see them on the sides of the rock under the water., otherwordly with their external gills. They are really incredible and I have seen them no where else.

Posted: July 4, 2020 11:35:25 PM PST

Kevin Gault from Vancouver writes:

Hiked on Jun 29 2020. Still a bunch of snow on the top half of the hike. Lake was 1/3 covered in ice still which was a surprise... Jumped in twice! LOTS OF BUGS!!! Bring bug spray!!

Posted: July 1, 2020 09:34:02 AM PST

Kevin Gault from Vancouver writes:

Hiked on Jun 29 2020. Still a bunch of snow on the top half of the hike. Lake was 1/3 covered in ice still which was a surprise... Jumped in twice! LOTS OF BUGS!!! Bring bug spray!!

Posted: June 30, 2020 08:57:42 AM PST

Peter from Burnaby writes:

June 21, 2020: Lake is mostly frozen over with snow on top of the ice. Trail is covered with snow for at least half of the hike from the parking lot to the lake, making it more difficult than normal. The lake probably won't be ready for swimming until the middle of July at the earliest.

Posted: June 22, 2020 10:22:37 AM PST

Peter from Burnaby writes:

Hiked on July 27. No bugs to speak of, and trail was mostly mud-free, although there are a few mildly boggy sections. 100+ folks at the lake, but still enough room for everyone. Would recommend checking out Mystery Peak as add-on to the hike. Because of the new summer gondola ride, there is now a marked trail at the SW corner of the lake that leads to the peak. Follow pink flags to the top for terrific view. Likewise, if you're taking the gondola up, you can walk down the ski run and follow pink flags to the lake.

Also, there were plenty of young kids (including mine) that made it to the lake. Kids with a decent amount of hiking experience will be able to do this hike easily. Goes for adults, too.

Posted: July 29, 2019 10:00:33 AM PST

Abdu from Vancouver writes:

The hike can't be categorized as easy by any means and not for young kids under 6 years old ! It also can't be completed by 1.25 hour with steep and rough path. Information provided in this website must be more descriptive, clear and not misleading otherwise families will have negative impression about hiking in general !

Posted: July 1, 2019 05:07:04 AM PST

Louis from Vancouver writes:

Date: Aug. 6th, 2018.
Start: 8 am

So I read that a couple of people had trouble finding the trail. I could see why some confusion could arise, however, the trail does literally start just to the right of the wide gravel path, and behind the chairlift.

The hike is nice and easy, yes there are roots, loose rocks, and a 150m elevation gain, but we probably passed 10 kids under the age of 5 as we were hiking back, that were having a blast.
The path leading through the forest is nice and easy, good fun for a short hike like this.

We arrived at the lake around 8:45 and only 3 other people were at the lake. We hiked around the lake to find a quiet place for ourselves among the many great exposed rocks leading down to the water. Even as the hours went by and the lake got busier, there are so many different spots around the lake, that there was plenty of space.

Also, really chill birds.

Really enjoyable and short hike! For privacy during busy weekends, definitely get there early.

Posted: August 6, 2018 04:08:57 PM PST

Lee Norland from Vancouver writes:

Note!! this is not an "easy" hike. Noticed people dealing with twisted ankles and children with scrapes and bruises on this somewhat steep incline. I would rate this as " Moderately difficult".

Lee

Posted: July 30, 2018 02:04:26 PM PST

Robert from Vancouver writes:

My group must have gone at the wrong time of the year. June 24, 2018.

This was the worst hiking experience I've had. Even with strong bug repellent, flies kept hitting my face at a rate of 1 fly per 2 seconds. It was extremely distracting. They get into your eyes, nose, ears and mouth.

It was also slippery as a lot of the inclines had snow. My foot fell through the snow and into a 5" deep stream of water underneath. It felt quite dangerous. All group members had wet feet.

The scenery was also a disappointment.

Posted: June 24, 2018 07:13:01 PM PST

Yoshii from Richmond writes:

Sept 24 2017

Easy walk/hike started just before 9am.
The beginning can be a bit tricky due to loose rocks, roots and some steep. Used my hands twice.

No bugs at the lake. But after the lake, going up Mystery Peak, yes a few bugs.

Gray Jay landed on my empty hand. Seems like they aren't afraid of humans.

Can you tell me if the picture belongs to a bear track? Or a long nailed dog?
Just before 10am, I saw a black bear behind the Brockton electric substation from about 50 yards away, before going up to Mystery Peak. But then about 10 minutes later I think I heard a bear spray going off. I stopped to hear, but didn't hear any voices or anything. Maybe I was nervous.

Posted: September 24, 2017 05:26:59 PM PST

Melissa from Vancouver writes:

We took 3 kids aged 4 & 6 and thoroughly enjoyed the rocky walk. The trail was busy as was the lake on arrival but perfect for this time of year. A good walk for kids that are accustomed to hiking trails.

Posted: August 27, 2017 05:07:27 PM PST

Joseph from Vancouver writes:

Just hiked this with my 4 kids (ages 3,5,6 and 8). The 3 year old needed to ride on my shoulders for about half the ride up, but went down the whole way on foot. Excellent hike (definitely not flat, but enjoyable). Bring swimsuits!

Note: trailhead starts at the far end of the parking lot - Wal down the path towards the chairlift and look for the wooden post with trail info.

Posted: August 7, 2017 03:08:02 PM PST

Sunny from Vancouver writes:

The trail is definitley for more experienced hikers... also as these phtotos seem to adjust that the lake is swimmable in the summer months, do not be mistaken the lake is half frozen so don't try and bring any pool floats like I mistakenly did.

Posted: July 18, 2017 09:12:47 AM PST

KC from Vancouver writes:

This is a great little hike, and really only took us about 40 minutes to get up to the lake.
But - beware that as of today (July 9, 2017) the lake is completely iced over still. So no swimming for us!
Also, the bugs are really bad right now. Really bad. Picture bad, and then multiply it by 10. You can even see them swarming me in the photo.
August might be a great time to go..

Posted: July 9, 2017 03:39:49 PM PST

Jeffrey Epstein from North Vancouver writes:

Good level hike to do with young kids but REALLY BUGGY! Haven't seen black flies this bad since I moved from back East. Don't bother going for a few more weeks. Much of the trail is still covered in snow too.

Posted: July 8, 2017 01:46:50 PM PST

Ray from North Van writes:

I love Seymour Mountain.
Unfortunately, I can't find this trail for two time. Might try next time. :)

Posted: June 25, 2017 08:03:29 AM PST

Robby-D from Vancouver writes:

The weather's been warm so decided to tackle this in mid-November. No snow but the trail was quite wet, as it seems to double as a stream bed. This hike is not an "easy" one but rather "moderate" - it's short, yes, and only 150m elev gain but it comes quickly and is fairly technical. It could be done in runners, but much more comfortable and stable in hikers. Probably 45 minutes up and 35 minutes back, at a moderately quick pace.

For the proper trail, it's important to note that right away you should pass underneath the Mystery Chair right above the tiny lake at the bottom of the lift. Easy to miss the trailhead.

Nice little trail, pretty little lake, great for when you don't have enough daylight or time to work with.

Posted: November 14, 2016 06:56:47 PM PST

Abtin from NORTH VANCOUVER writes:

The trail is more difficult to categorize it as "easy"....very beatiful trail and beautiful lake at the end but challenging to kids....I would categorize it "intermediat" in compate to other Easy trails in this website.

Posted: August 21, 2016 03:01:56 PM PST

Myra from Langley writes:

One of my most favorite hike simply because it falls under my "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow" category. A hidden gem...it's name best describes itself. And surprisingly an easy hike. I love love love this place!

Posted: June 25, 2016 01:57:34 PM PST

CL from Burnaby writes:

"Hiked" up here on Sunday June 5th. I wouldn't really call it a hike, depending on which trail you take there. We were lost right from the get-go as there was fencing left over from the Spartan race directing us in a different direction. I think we ended up taking the correct Mystery Lake trail, but only after we doubled back. This trail is steep and we were out of breath quite quickly (moderately fit young individuals) but we reached the lake within 20 minutes. Bring bug repellant -this portion of the trail is INFESTED with flies and mosquitoes! On the way down, we just walked straight down the rocky path, keeping Mystery Chairlift directly above us at all times. This path was MUCH easier (just be focused and aware of the loose rocks) and had zero bugs/mosquitoes. I would highly recommend following the chairlift path up and down next time!

Once we got to the lake, it was gorgeous. Only 2 other groups were there at 9:30am, and we stayed until 2pm. During these hours, there were at most 10 people at any given time. Other than one really loud group that brought inflatable boats and thought everything was hilarious, everyone else was respectful and quiet. This lake is very echo-y so even a normal conversation can be heard from the opposite side of the lake -no joke! There are salamanders that live in this lake. I tried catching one to no avail.

The water on this day was ice cold as there were still many banks covered in snow dripping into the lake. However, I was still able to go in for a couple dips. This is a well kept secret that I hope to enjoy in the coming months.

Posted: June 14, 2016 06:46:48 PM PST

STR from Vancouver writes:

Great walks and well marked trails. Go early on nice days - it gets busy quickly.

Be sure to take bug spray/repellant - there are tons of flies and mosquitos.

Posted: May 18, 2015 06:58:56 PM PST