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Mount Seymour Provincial Park is the biggest (8668 acres) of the North Vancouver parks, the most easterly and the one that comes closest to the flavour of high-mountain scenery. It's 16km north of Vancouver and named after the short-serving BC provincial governor, Frederick Seymour (1864-69). For information , call 924-2200 or ask at the city infocentre for the blue BC Parks pamphlet on the park. To get there by bus , take the #239 from Lonsdale Quay to Phibbs Exchange and then the #215 to the Mount Seymour Parkway (1hr) - from there you'll have to walk or cycle up the thirteen-kilometre road to the heart of the park. The road climbs to over 1000m and ends at a car park where boards spell out clearly the trails and mountaineering options available. Views are superb on good days, particularly from the popular Vancouver Lookout on the parkway approach road, where a map identifies the city landmarks below. There's also a cafe, toilets and a small infocentre (summer only). In winter this is the most popular family and learners' ski area near Vancouver (call 986-2261 for information). Four major trails here are manageable in a day, but be aware that conditions can change rapidly and snow lingers as late as June. The easiest hikes go out to Goldie Lake, a half-hour stroll, and to Dog Mountain, an hour from the parking area (one-way), with great views of the city below. Still better views, requiring more effort, can be had on the trails to First and Second Pump. The wildest and most demanding hike bypasses Mount Seymour's summit and runs by way of an intermittently marked trail to the forest- and mountain-circled Elsay Lake. Adjacent to the park to the northwest is the Seymour Demonstration Forest (tel 987-1273), a 14,000-acre area of mostly temperate rainforest, nestled in the lower part of a glacier-carved valley. It's situated at the northern end of Lillooet Road and, if going by public transport, you need to take the #229 Lynn Valley bus to Dempsey Road and Lynn Valley Road. From here it's a ten-minute walk over Lynn Creek via the bridge on Rice Lake Road. You're far better off, however, coming up here on a bike, for the 40km of trails in the area offer some of the best mountain biking close to downtown. Forestry education is the area's chief concern, as the area's name suggests, and you can follow various sixty- and ninety-minute marked hiking trails that will top up your general knowledge about local trees, soils, fish and wildlife.
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