Lynn Headwaters Regional Park

Lynn Headwaters entrance from Lynn Valley Road

Lynn Headwaters Regional Park

Lynn Headwaters Regional Park (in Lynn Canyon Park) is an area of North Vancouver British Columbia, and is the largest of twenty-two regional parks in Metro Vancouver . At 617 Acres ,the park boasts a variety of trails for hikers, including easy, intermediate, and challenging. The trails are colour-coded and range from 3.0 kilometers to 21.4 kilometres.

Lynn Headwaters is also home to the BC Mills House, which is a small house-like structure near the entrance of the park, by the parking lot. The house introduces topics on history and natural history like the animals that inhabit the forest to mines and logging camps in the park's past.

Signs guide hikers to be cautionary on certain trails

The park is covered in dense temperate rainforest that houses a beautiful array of organisms . Like the neighbouring Lynn Canyon Park, Lynn Headwaters is a second growth forest. Cedar stumps also litter the park hinting at old logging practices.

No Bikes Allowed on the Trail

Ecology

Lynn Headwaters is situated in Lynn Valley Park on the North Shore of Vancouver. Lynn Headwaters sits on one side, closer to Mt. Fromme and on the other side, Mt. Seymour. The temperate rainforest that is present has moderate temperatures, plenty rainfall and a mild climate that is suitable for growth of large coniferous trees. On average per year, the park receives around 200cm of rain, which contributes to the forest's cool and moist quality. The most common coniferous flora in the forests are western red cedar, western hemlock, douglas fir and sitka and spruce. Red alder, black cottonwood, vine maple and broadleaf maple are the deciduous that also inhabit the forest. Additionally, ground hugging flora are also present and can include some mosses and ferns, salmonberry, Oregon grape and salad.

Lynn Headwaters is also the habitat to a diverse fauna. Some mammals include, squirrels, raccoons, mice and deer. Amphibians and insects include the Salamander, Mayfly, Caddisfly and Stonefly. Also some birds that are present are red breasted sap suckers, winter wrens, owls, crows, chickadees and northern flickers .

History

The original woody vegetation inhabiting the Lynn area was immense and very old. It is suggested that parts of these massive trees themselves, lived in different climactic conditions. For instance, the trunk would have lived in different conditions than the crown. In 1863, the first lumber mill begun operation and cleared most of the old growth trees. Remnants of these giants can be found in old, sizeable stumps. After this logging, 5 hectares of cleared land was donated to the District of North Vancouver to hopefully encourage people to purchase Real Estate. The District also contributed 4 acres to supplement the project. In 1991, the District again added 241 hectares of land to the park making it the largest in North Vancouver

Conservation

Lynn Headwaters is just off of the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve area. The Rice Lake trail, which can be accessed from the Lynn Headwaters entrance runs through a part of the conservation reserve. The LSCR is 5668 hectares and contains a diversity of landscapes: forested slopes, river flood plains and alpine meadows. Since 1908, the Seymour river has been used as a water supply. It has also been used by gold miners, hunters, farmers and fishermen. Until 1994 with the ceasing of logging, watershed land has since then been used as a water treatment, storage, and delivery facility. Currently, it is used for educational purposes that emphasize environmentally notable land management practices.

Getting There

By Car

Take BC Highway 1 till the Lynn Valley exit and then follow northbound on Lynn Valley Road. Drive past a Lynn Valley Centre and past a turnoff to Lynn Canyon Park. Continue going straight until you reach the last parking lot.

By Public Transit

Since the bus does not stop nearby the park entrance directly, it is suggested that you plan for extra travel time. Public transit in Vancouver is facilitated by a single company called Translink and provides transit in the lower mainland area of British Columbia.

Access an Expo-Line train from Burnaby, Vancouver, New Westminster or Surrey and take it westbound to Granville Station. From Granville Station,Downtown Vancouver, take the #209 or #210 ‘towards UPPER LYNN VALLEY’ bus located on Granville and West Pender. This requires you to walk downhill from the Granville street main exit until you see a Pharmasave. The buses run from Mon-Sun from 7:30am-12:30am every 30 minutes. Board the bus. The ride takes approximately one hour and thirty minutes. Get off where McNair Dr. intersects Ramsay Dr. Continue onto Hoskins Rd. Turn left toward Baden-Powell trail (go through, don’t make any turns) and turn left onto Lynn Valley Rd. Follow until Lynn Loop has been reached.

Trails

Lynn Valley Loop Trail

Overview

The Lynn Loop Trail is situated in Lynn Headwaters Park in North Vancouver. It is an estimated 1.5-hour trail, 5.2km This walk guides you through a slight incline alongside the fresh water, mountains and forest of North Vancouver. There is an information board describing trail conditions and accompanied by a map of the trails. Picnic tables are also in close proximity should you feel the need to have a snack before you reach the bridge and begin your trail. As you walk over the bridge and past the rushing water of Lynn Creek with Mount Fromme in the backdrop, to your left there will be wooden fence where the Lynn Loop trail begins. This path parallels the Lynn Creek waters for roughly two kilometers, transitions deeper into the forest where a brief steeper part of the loop trail is met. Continuing the trail, the incline returns to normal and you will have returned to the bridge area.

Lynn Creek

Halfway Mark at Lynn Roundabout

Second Growth Forest

Lynn Peak Trail

Overview

The Lynn Peak Trail is a rigorous hike in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park in North Vancouver. To get to the Lynn Peak Trail, you must first walk along the Lynn Loop Trail until the trails diverge. It is an estimated 2 hour hike to the summit, which is 4 hours round trip.

Rice Lake

Overview

The estimated 1 hour walk around Rice Lake is deemed an easy hike and is available year round.

Safety

The park makes efforts to ensure hikers are well prepared for the trails and signs on site offer information about current weather conditions, trail conditions, and proper gear. As well, there is a hiker registration box that allows visitors to sign in and out. Back country trails are much more rugged and are suggested only for the most experienced and prepared hikers. Certain trails are dog-friendly though biking is not allowed. In the summer months, BC Mills House is available to educate hikers on current weather and trail conditions.

Getting Lost

Vancouver weather can be unpredictable, especially in the fall to winter months. It is advised that you take every precaution to ensure that your leisurely hike remains as so. Hazards of outdoor activities offers a comprehensive list on things such as: general safety measures, dangerous circumstances and specific accidents and illnesses.

See Also

• Metro Vancouver Lynn Headwaters Park Profile
• Lynn Headwaters Regional Park Map and Trail Informaiton
• Lynn Canyon Park Page
• Vancouver Trails (Lynn Loop)
• Vancouver Trails (Lynn Peak)
• Vancouver Trails (Rice Lake)
• Vancouver Trails (Safety)

Lauraje (talk) 22:59, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

Here is the link to my userpage for the draft Lynn Valley Regional Park page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Lauraje/Lynn_Headwaters_Regional_Park

References

Laura! Read below please :).

Laura, as you can see I made a couple of adjustments to our page :P. If possible, could you fill in sections on back country access to the park (Rosie's comment), fix the photo order or maybe find new photos on flora or fauna that can be used by the public, and also provide a map of the park (http://www.metrovancouver.org/about/maps/Maps/LynnHeadmap.pdf) < I don't know where to put it. It might be pertinent to elaborate just a little more on the other trails you have mentioned. Thanks so much!

Nerdreyes (talk) 00:04, 1 April 2014 (UTC)