Mount Seymour

Route Description for Mount Seymour

The Mount Seymour hike is an incredibly popular hiking trail (and often crowded), but the well maintained and marked paths make for an easy hike. Just keep eyes peeled for painted orange rocks, tree-markers and signs.

There are three peaks on this hike, the peaks are known as Pump Peak, Tim Jones Peak, and Mount Seymour Peak. Though both Pump Peak and Tim Jones Peak are stunning hikes, it’s the third and final peak, the summit of Mount Seymour that most choose to tackle.

Kick off your hike just north of the Mount Seymour Ski Resort parking lot, near the trail board. To begin, head north up the trail that runs parallel to the Manning ski run. After about 500 m, you’ll notice a split in the road, follow the marking for Dinky Peak Lookout. Continue straight forward for 90 m, until you reach the First Lake Trail junction. Again, keep going straight, following the marked signage.

Follow the bright orange markers for 1.2 km, until you notice a dirt trail, follow it – you are once again on the Manning ski run. Hike uphill briefly, before returning back onto the dirt trail past Sugar Bowl Pond in about 300 m. The road should look like a single-track trail, don’t mistake it for the steep uphill road to the right, which leads to Mystery Peak.

From here, the climb heads uphill and becomes more challenging. For a quick detour option, at the next junction, follow it to the rocky point on your left. This is Brockton Point, and it’s worth the pitstop for the view.

Push forward for 3.0 km until you spot the sign for a turnoff for Elsay Lake and Mount Elsay, which is a much more ambitious undertaking than the trail to Mount Seymour (save those hikes for another day). Instead, take a left and up a steep section, until you reach a crest between Pump Peak and Tim Jones Peak.

Stop here for a rest and a photo op, then head north down the trail towards Tim Jones Peak. Look down to spot the orange paint on the rocks. Prepare for the hardest part of the hike, the ascent up Tim Jones. At the top of the hill, you’ll notice a sign for the detour to the Tim Jones Peak.

Finally, you’ve arrived at the second peak! Breathe in the fresh mountain air and spot Coliseum Mountain, Crown Mountain, Lynn Peak and South Needle off in the distance. From here, you’ll spot your final destination, the third and final peak, Mount Seymour Summit.

Depending on the season, the final ascent to Mount Seymour can be dangerous. If there is snow or ice on the trail during the shoulder season, wait until the summer to tackle the final climb.

If safe to do so, follow the trail as it drops about 100 m in elevation down to a saddle, then turns into an exposed section of rock you will need to scramble up. As you climb up the final ascent towards Mt. Seymour, a nice view of Vancouver opens up behind you.

Celebrate, you’ve made it to the Mount Seymour Summit! Here, you’ll be rewarded with 360-degree views, while you stop and rest on the rounded plateau. To the west, you can see Lynn Ridge, South Needle, Mount Fromme, Crown Mountain, and all the way to Vancouver Island if it’s clear. To the east, you can see as far as Golden Ears. And directly north you can see Mount Elsay and Mount Bishop immediately in front of you.

After you’ve rested enough and taken a mental (or physical) photo, prepare to carefully follow the same route down, keeping eyes peeled for those orange rocks.