This column is dedicated to celebrating outdoor recreation in the Seymour area.
Whether you are an adrenaline junkie or a Sunday afternoon ambler, there’s a slice of nature waiting for you to discover in Deep Cove. Every month we ask an outdoor recreation enthusiast to give us some advice on how to navigate nature in our backyard. For March, we learn about Seymour Mountain hikes from Deep Cove resident Norm Watt.
Mystery Lake
Here is a fairly short (1.2 kilometres), pleasant hike, taking you from the Mount Seymour upper parking lot to lovely Mystery Lake. This hike is dog-friendly and suitable for families with children. It is best done from late spring to early fall, after the snow melts and before the fall rains start, as these trails can be muddy and slippery in places.
Walking north from the parking lot’s BC Parks trailhead kiosk for about 100 metres, you reach a marked junction at the Dog Mountain trailhead. Turn right here to go east from the signpost, passing under the Mystery Peak chairlift. You then follow the winding, somewhat rocky, rooty trail gradually uphill, with the chairlift on your left-hand side. This is an easy-to-follow, well-worn trail with red markers on the trees.
In 15 minutes or so, you reach tiny Nancy Lake on your right. A few minutes later you cross the Unicorn ski run, with its fine views off to the south as it curves down toward the Goldie and Flower lakes area. From here the trail gets a little steeper as you advance upwards toward Mystery Lake. You emerge onto its open, rocky setting about 25 to 30 minutes from the start. There are numerous spots around the lake to sit and eat a lunch, have a quick swim or simply rest for a while.
When you are ready to leave scenic Mystery Lake, simply retrace your steps back to the main Mount Seymour parking lot.
Goldie and Flower Lakes
This rewarding hike features a short (two-kilometre) climb from the Deep Cove Lookout parking lot on Mount Seymour Road up to the Goldie and Flower Lakes area. This hike is dog-friendly, but is not a “walk in the park.” Although just a short trail, it is rough and rugged, with lots of roots and rocks. As with Mystery Lake, this hike is best done in late spring to early fall.
Turn right off Mount Seymour Road at the Deep Cove Lookout parking lot, just past the eight-kilometre signpost. A couple of minutes in from the start you reach a marked junction with the Old Buck Trail. Stay left here, proceeding uphill on the old Perimeter Trail.
About 25 to 35 minutes from the start, the Old Cabin Trail joins in from your left, then you cross a footbridge across Scott-Goldie Creek. About 15 to 20 minutes later, you come to a marked junction for the well-marked loop trails around both Goldie and Flower lakes. To first follow the Goldie Lake Loop, go right here, and right again at the next signpost just ahead. The small lake on your left is not Goldie Lake; you reach it about five minutes later. Follow the trail counter-clockwise around Goldie Lake, about a 925-metre round trip taking 20 to 25 minutes. Goldie is the better of the two lakes for a lunch break, with a nice lakeside rest spot on the north side of the lake.
Next, continue on to the Flower Lake junction. From here you follow the Flower Lake Loop trail counter-clockwise, making the 1.4-kilometre round trip in 25 to 35 minutes. Returning to the Perimeter Trail junction, you now retrace your steps back downhill to the Deep Cove Lookout parking lot.
Norm Watt has lived in North Vancouver for more than 50 years, the last 12 of which have been in the Deep Cove area. His 2014 hiking book is called “Off the Beaten Path: A Hiking Guide to Vancouver’s North Shore.”
If you would like to contribute your outdoor recreation expertise to the Crier, contact [email protected].
