Coliseum Mountain

Route Description for Coliseum Mountain

Start the Coliseum Mountain hike from the Lynn Headwaters trailhead, the walk up Coliseum Mountain will have you following the same route that takes you to Norvan Falls.

Go over the bridge at Lynn Creek and fill out a form at the hiker registration station Head left (upstream), for about 6.8 km following alongside the peaceful Lynn Creek on the well-maintained Cedars Mill and Headwaters Trails, continuing straight for about 4.0 km.

Once you reach the Third Debris Chute find a wide open area easily recognized by the green search and rescue cache, and open views of Mount Fromme and Goat Ridge to the west. Head north, jumping and hopping over a few creek crosses until you reach the Coliseum Mountain junction.

At the Coliseum Mountain junction, take a right and prepare for a challenge ahead. Here, the trail becomes steep and arduous until you reach the sub-alpine.

Follow the square, yellow markers and you’ll notice the trail angles upwards almost immediately. The path is clear, but a few sections are tricky to keep track of your trail. Within an hour you’ll go over a few creek bed crossings.

Once you reach the 8.0 km marking, you’ll have to walk over a small creek bed, so you can hike down to Norvan Creek on your left. This is the perfect opportunity for a refreshing dip in the riverbed or a spot to refill your water bottle.

Hike into Norvan Meadows, where the trail turns flat through an avalanche debris field, and is a nice break from climbing.

At 9.5 km you will cross over another creek and the trail will become steep again. At this point in the hike, the trail is marked with orange flags. Continue until you reach Norvan Pass. It will take about 3 – 4 hours to reach this point.

The trail forks here, with the trail going right a quick detour for a nice view of the Seymour Watershed. Instead, continue going ahead along back from the main trail north. There are some short, narrow ascents/ scrambling sections that will require your hands to climb up.

As you continue your climb towards Coliseum Mountain, you will get sections of views of Crown Mountain to the West, and Mount Seymour to the east.

Within an hour of Norvan Pass, you should be in the alpine of Coliseum Mountain. From this point, the trail can be hard to follow as you reach the peak, but if you follow the orange tape and cairns, you should be good.

Keep hiking until you finally reach the top to enjoy the unbelievable view, with Mount Burwell, Cathedral Mountain and the mountains of Garibaldi Provincial Park off in the distance to the north. West, you’ll have a great view of Grouse Mountain, Goat Mountain, Crown Mountain, and Vancouver Island To the east, you’ll see Mount Seymour, Mount Bishop, and if you turn south, you’ll see the Lower Mainland.

To return, retrace your steps.

Insider Hints for Coliseum Mountain

• Some of the Coliseum Mountain hike can be muddy, so gaiters may be a good idea.
• From the peak of Coliseum Mountain, it is possible to carry on to the summit of Mount Burwell, but this will take another 2 hours total.