I walked along a trail amidst the tall lush conifers with the steady sound of waterfalls echoing all around and the sun peeking through. That was my first hiking experience at Lynn Canyon Park; I have been there twice since.
Lynn Canyon Park is located east of North Vancouver, less than an hour away by transit from downtown Vancouver. It has a suspension bridge, a pipe bridge, Twin Falls and a 30-foot pool. You can hike through the scenic views, click some adventurous pictures, swim to the waterfalls and cliff jump, if you dare.
I first visited the trail on a hot summer day in September 2022 with another adventurous friend. We began the hike at the Lynn Canyon Cafe, going down the steps towards the suspension bridge. Being free of charge, there were quite a lot of people who decided to take on the journey with us. The 50-meter-high suspension bridge swayed with every step, giving us stunning views of raging waterfalls and deep pools of emerald-blue waters below.
After crossing the bridge, we took a right down the Baden Powell Trail to head towards the pool for a swim break. On the way, my forestry friend identified big western hemlocks and red cedars; many species were also tagged with names and QR codes for visitors to learn more.
The sun was hot above our heads when the pool came into view. People were swimming, cliff jumping and hanging out on the rocks in the middle of the stream, and some golden retrievers were shaking water off their fur. It was a perfect day to sunbathe to the sound of waterfalls and the chirping of birds by the cool stream, accompanied by the joyful sounds of the visitors.
I was swimming when I spotted a gushing waterfall feeding the giant pool. I was tempted to take a closer look at it but too intimidated to swim past the cliff jumpers, so I decided against it. However, on my third visit to Lynn Canyon Park, my friends and I swam past the big rocks all the way to the waterfall (and nearly died of hypothermia).
We continued our hike down the Baden Powell Trail and took some dirt roads to be greeted by some breathtaking views and woolly bear caterpillars. Now resorting to Apple Maps to show us the way out, we realized we may have missed the most convenient exit. Some frequent visitors told us to cross Lynn Creek and take the dirt road up the hill. “What’s another dirt road?” we thought and crossed the river carefully trying not to lose a shoe. On the off-trail hike up, we lost our footing a couple of times and pretended to be chased by imaginary bears, eventually getting jump scares from the rare fellow hikers when we finally made it out.
If you only have half a day and want to experience stunning nature for free, I recommend Lynn Canyon Park. Over the past two years, it has become my go-to hiking spot. My next goal is to experience this hike in different seasons and try the trail up to Norvan Falls and Rice Lake, which promises more challenging inclines and varying terrain but an even more picturesque view of Lynn Creek. If you feel adventurous, you can even embark on one of the many off-trail routes and see where they take you.