Ride Report: Seymour Valley, North Vancouver, BC
John Rinker
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Vancouver briefly, and after seeing the many wonderful photos Jason F. shared with us, I knew I had to bring my Hunq and try to find some of the incredible places he’d shared with us. I reached out to Jason before I left, and, though we were unable to coordinate a ride together, he graciously shared maps and information about his backyard in North Vancouver.
I left the city early enough to beat the commuter traffic across the Iron Works Bridge and found myself at the Rice Lake trailhead in no time at all. The transition from the speedy highways of the Vancouver metro area to the quiet, empty parking lot surrounded by forest and birdsong was remarkable. While I was eager to start the ride, this day was about slowly and mindfully moving through what promised to be a unique and delightful environment, so I carefully unloaded and readied my bike, all the while trying to recognize the many birds celebrating in song.
My ride began with a pedal up the Seymour Valley trail, a paved bike path which immediately offered up a short, tantalizing side track through the lush forest for a taste of what was later to come. Ferns bursting through loamy soil skirted the trees while mosses softened the trailside boulders as the short section of single track wound its way back to pavement. Back on the paved trail, I rode through the mixed forest of hemlock and cedar, filtering the rays of the early morning sun. About 4km in, a single road bike zipped past me and disappeared around the bend, leaving me alone again to enjoy the whisper of a slight breeze through the conifers.
Jason encouraged me to watch for the mid-valley trails, which took me off pavement, down twisty single track,k and around a marshy area along the Seymour River. Here I took my first photo of the day. So enamoured with the crisp beauty of the forest, it hadn’t occurred to me to capture a photo until this tight ribbon of trail and moss-covered trees snapped me out of my reverie. I struggle at times with the idea of interrupting moments on a ride or elsewhere to stop, pull out my camera/phone, and compose a picture. (To flow or not to flow?) At other times, the very act of stopping to do so encourages me to focus on the macro environments through which I move. As I stood in the trail composing a shot, the Seymour River burbled and hummed while the Yellow Warblers and Song Sparrows answered back.
A climb back through the forest put me once again on the Seymour Valley pavement where I shared the path with a few more road bikers, but when I reached Stoney Creek and turned off to the Old Growth Trail, I rode in quiet solitude for most of the ride. Jason mentioned that the Old Growth was the centrepiece of the Seymour Valley ride, and this was no exaggeration. Here I found many of the stunning backdrops Jason has used to showcase his beautiful Bombadil. Massive Sitka Spruce and Western Red Cedar in forests of fern and beds of moss. There were moss-laden Vine Maples whose Spring leaves shaded creeks and ponds. I even spotted a hooded Merganser and its mate quietly paddling about in the Junior Creek wetlands. I was so enthralled with the Spuce Loop, where the biggest trees stood, that I had to see just how slowly I could ride it a second time.
The Old Growth Trail ends at the Seymour Fish Hatchery, where one can enter and take a self-guided tour. The fishery breeds four kinds of salmon- chinook, coho, chum, and pink- and steelhead trout. Each year, they release in the vicinity of three-quarters of a million smolt back into the wild. Would that we one day see the salmon runs as they once were!
A brief pedal from the hatchery to Bear Island and across the Seymour River brought me to Spur 4 trail, and I headed back down the valley. Spur 4 is a rollicking gravel road that shoots one along the east side of the Seymour back towards the mid-valley loops. After a brief jaunt to Lost Lake, I crossed back over the river and ended up on the Fisherman’s Trail. This was the home stretch along the Seymour, a fun, zippy downhill that leads to the Seymour suspension bridge. Here I began to get a sense of just how popular this trail is as I now shared the trail with bikers, hikers, and dogs. A pumpy little climb closed the loop and brought me back to the now-full parking lot. Even mid-week, this beautiful valley draws scads of forest lovers from the Vancouver metroplex. It’s the right reason to cancel a day of what the city demands and escape to what the forest offers.
I am fortunate enough to live in the mountains, far away from anything that smacks of urban, and I’m surrounded by beautiful, interior rainforest. But out here in the interior of BC, we don’t often see trees this size as those featured in the Seymour Valley, or foliage quite a primeval-looking. What a treat it was to ride and be in this ancient and wondrous biome.
Cheers, John
J J
Keith Paugh
On May 16, 2025, at 8:24 PM, J J <junes...@gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks for the write-up, John. Lovely words and images.
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Dan
John Rinker
Thanks, JJ, Keith, and Dan.
