There are plenty of moderately challenging Vancouver hiking trails to choose from. These are five trails that stand out from the rest. Not too difficult, yet all have sensational views. Hollyburn, Dog Mountain and Mt Seymour are at the end of beautiful drives to reach the trailheads.
Coliseum Mountain is one of several beautiful hikes in the Lynn Valley's beautiful Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. It's not terribly difficult, but it is very long. 12 kilometres from the trailhead to the summit. More than half of that, 7 kilometres is along the very easy Headwaters Trail. The final 5 kilometres is at times challenging, but manageable by most.
The route is well marked along the way with flagging tape, so the main safety concern is the distance of the trail. 24k roundtrip will take most hikers 8+ hours, so be prepared with lots of food and start early. At a decent hiking pace you should reach the summit in 4.5 hours and take 3.5 hours back to the trailhead. But of course that doesn't include marvelling at the views from the top or the various stops along the way. If you are an avid trail runner, you will love the Coliseum Mountain trail. Few people, tremendous views and a challenging distance. Give yourself 2 hours up and 1.5 hours down if you keep a good pace. There are plenty of water sources to fill up on water along the route as well as an inviting, very small lake near the summit to jump into.There are a few amazing stops on the way to the summit of Coliseum Mountain. The first big one is Norvan Falls, 7k from the trailhead at Lynn Headwaters Park. This beautiful falls is the sole destination for many people to this park, and when you see it you will know why. A beautiful falls at the end of a beautiful trail along Lynn Creek. The next amazing sight along the trail, further up towards Coliseum Mountain is within the mighty old growth forest the trail ascends into. Once you hit the old growth, and you will know when you have, keep your eyes out for trail markings to your right at Norvan Pools. This will lead you to Norvan's Castle, one of the world's largest Hemlock trees.
At the summit of Coliseum Mountain you have tremendous views all around. Vancouver, the nearby Crown Mountain, Goat Mountain, Mount Fromme, Lynn Peak and Cathedral Mountain. As well as the more distant Lions at a much less recognizable angle. The imposing mountain, just north of Coliseum is Mount Burwell, less than an hours hike away and yet another beautiful peak in the amazing Lynn Valley.
Directions to Coliseum Mountain
Lynn Headwaters Regional Park is located in North Vancouver, about 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver. Take Highway #1 from downtown Vancouver and then the Exit #19 Lynn Valley Road. Follow Lynn Valley Rd for 3.5k to Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. Park at this trailhead or one of the overflow parking lots. Follow the popular route to Norvan Falls by the Headwaters Trail. At Norvan Falls you will be taking a right, ascending quickly to Coliseum Mountain another 5k away. Remember that the gates to the parking lot close after dusk and if your car is there when they close them, you may be assumed to be lost or injured. There is a hiker registry at the trailhead which records who, what, when and where you are hiking in the park. This a necessary precaution to take for such an enormous park with lots of potential dangers to face.
Coliseum Mountain is one of several beautiful hikes in the Lynn Valley's beautiful Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. It's not terribly difficult, but it is very long. 12 kilometres from the trailhead to the ...
Black Mountain can be reached from two different trailheads. The trailhead from Cypress Resort and the original trail off Marine Drive halfway between Horseshoe Bay and Lighthouse Park. The trailhead south ...
Mystery Lake is an easy, well marked trail that leads to a cute mountain lake that is perfect for relaxing, swimming or having a picnic. It is just 1.5k to the lake and like the rest of Seymour Park, dogs are ...
Dog Mountain is a beautiful, short and fun hike (or snowshoe trek) close to Vancouver and starting from the parking lot of Mount Seymour Resort. Just 2.2 kilometres gets you from your car to breathtaking views of ...
Logger’s Lake is an amazing little lake hidden up in the deep forest above the more well known Cheakamus River. The lake, almost unbelievably exists in a long extinct volcano. However, as soon as you see the ...
Sloquet Hot Springs is a wonderfully wild set of shallow, man-made pools fed by a small, all natural, and very hot, waterfall. The pools stretch from the waterfall to the large and crashing Sloquet River. ...
The three Joffre Lakes are some of the most stunning lakes you are likely to ever see. Each lake gets progressively more beautiful and impossibly turquoise from one to the next. By the third lake the intense ...
Brandywine Falls is one of the must see sights on the way to or from Whistler. The falls drop from a 70 metre(230 feet), unnaturally abrupt looking cliff to the valley below. Brandywine Falls Provincial Park is ...