What’s the perfect Metro Vancouver day trip for
- waterfalls
- a suspension bridge
- a forest boardwalk
- and lots of stairs
Look no further than North Vancouver’s Lynn Canyon. Many locals already know about this free alternative to the Capilano Suspension Bridge.
Located in the District of North Vancouver and nestled behind a neighbourhood of single-family homes is this rugged natural park.
By transit, this is one difficult place to get to. You’ll have to somehow find your way to Phibbs Exchange in North Vancouver to take the #227 bus that takes a 15 minute route up the mountain side to Lynn Canyon.
It is, unfortunately, much easier to access the park by car. If you don’t have a car, I highly recommend you consider a carshare program like Modo or Evo. I’m a member of both. There are taxis and ride shares, but I’m honestly not a fan of either.
You will have to find your way from the parking lot or park entrance to the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre. It’s where everyone will gather as they prepare to cross the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge.
It’s not as high as the more famous Capilano Suspension Bridge, but it is still a good height above the canyon and will give anyone with acrophobia very weak knees.
The really crowded part is the bridge, but once on the other side. There’s a lot more space. You can take trails further up the canyon towards the Pipeline Bridge and loop back down or go down hill toward the Twin Falls and loop back up. You can even jump onto the Baden Powell Trail that runs the entire length of the North Shore from Deep Cove to Horseshoe Bay.
For my family and I today, we would take the shortest possible path headed downhill to the Twin Falls.
After a rainy day, you need to watch your footing. Also check ahead on trail conditions before heading out. Look in the description for sites you can check out before hitting the trails.
Also, always wear good hiking shoes. Simple running shoes just might not be enough and you should always be prepared for the conditions.
I took my five-year old boys out for this hike. They did amazingly well and didn’t complain, but they sure were pooped out afterwards.
Plenty of mossy growth all around and even lichen. The presence of lichen is the sign of clean air and undisturbed nature.
Don’t forget that even nature parks take a lot of time, energy and money to maintain. Your property tax dollars and mine help to support places like Lynn Canyon.
On this beautiful Fall day, the Twin Falls were sparkling in the sunshine peeking through the trees. And just listen to the power of the rushing water.
And the water is so clear on this day. After a heavy rainfal the day before, the Lynn Creek is just a torrent of water.
Then we climbed back up to the parking lot and ecology centre to go.
Lynn Canyon is always a good option for a day in the mountains without going far away. Especially if you have little ones in tow, you can still get out into nature with them. If you haven’t been to Lynn Canyon Park, what are you waiting for? Free is affordable (except for the parking).
That’s it for today. Happy hiking.
metro babel 