Lynn Canyon Park

After spending two nights in Portland, Oregon, we continued on our Pacific Northwest adventure, making our way north through the state of Washington via Interstate 5. We stopped in Lynwood for fuel and lunch at the best place for both: Costco. After polishing off pizza, churros, and chicken bakes, we got packed back into the minivan. Next stop: the Canadian border.

Unlike our trip to Canada back in 2004 with my parents, this border crossing was pretty easy. This time, we all had our passports, and after answering a few questions posed by the Canadian border protection agent and having our passports scanned, we were waved through. Perhaps the hardest part of the interaction was an internal debate I had as to whether to tell him the truth about why we were making such a short visit to British Columbia after such a long drive. I went with honesty: Sami wanted to purchase a Canada sweatshirt in Canada- and thus I earned a chuckle from the otherwise stern French-Canadian officer.

With such limited time in the Vancouver area (we were staying the night in Burnaby near Simon Fraser University), we were pressed to find an activity that would be close, fun, and active, but not too overwhelming for tired travelers. Michael was able to find the perfect activity: a hike to the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. It sounded perfect, and the weather, while warm, was not as hot and humid as it had been in Portland.

After a quick change out of our traveling clothes, we stopped at a Burnaby Starbucks for some refreshment. The iced drinks hit just right after being on the road for so long, and would power us up for our hike. We drove onto Lynn Valley, a lovely valley situated between Mount Fromme and Mount Seymour in the district of North Vancouver, and to Lynn Canyon Park. The highlight of the 617-acre park is the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. The bridge spans Lynn Creek from 50 meters (164 feet) above the canyon floor. It is a short hike to the bridge from the east parking area.

We hiked down about a third of a mile from the parking lot and arrived at the bridge. Though it felt late in the day, the park was quite popular, and there were a number of hikers both on the bridge as well as splashing in the pools below.

The bridge is not the only attraction in Lynn Canyon. We continued our hike down into the canyon, following wooden staircases through evergreen trees that were reminiscent of the Twilight saga. It turned out that we were on a portion of the Baden-Powell Trail. This 48 km trail (27 miles) extends from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Deep Cove in North Vancouver. According to AllTrails, the entirety of the trail itself is considered challenging and is popular among backpackers. We stayed on the easier portions of the Lynn Canyon Loop via the Baden-Powell Trail. This trail is considered moderate, likely due to the stairs and some rockier portions of trail.

The hike was very pleasant as the sun was lower in the sky and temperatures were rather comfortable. The water looked very cool, and there were beautiful, bright blue hydrangeas growing in the forest, something I had not seen outside of cultivated gardens.

The hike was truly lovely, and as we headed back to the car, the lampposts among the forest green reminded us of the Chronicles of Narnia. Of course, we had to stop and take photos as we trekked back along the loop and back to the parking lot.

A visit to Lynn Canyon was the perfect laid-back activity for our day in the Vancouver area. We ended the evening with a dinner at McDonalds, as we considered the kids’ goal to eat at McD’s in every country we visit. They enjoyed their classic favorites, but seemed to especially liked the poutine fries- a special Canadian treat after a fun family hike in an adventure meant to be shared.

For more information and to plan your visit, check out:
Lynn Canyon Park
All Trails