Trip 005 - August 18, 2009 (Tuesday)

Norvan Falls Hike

Lynn Headwaters Regional Park, North Vancouver

Page 2 of 2

Distance from Vancouver: 20-25 minutes. Located in North Vancouver at the end of Lynn Valley Road.

Liked: Fairly easy hike to Norvan Falls, the view of Norvan Falls, almost no flies, free parking, Varley Trail connecting the main parking lot with overflow parking lots, excellent information stands, optional hiker registration forms.

Of note: Lynn Headwaters is a very popular park, and quite a few people were hiking, jogging, walking their dogs, chilling in the creek and having a picnic even on a weekday. The place is bound to be packed on a weekend, and parking is fairly limited. Lynn Valley viewpoint offers such a distant (and hazy during our trip) view, that this spur is hardly worth the hike. The cell phone reception in the park is very limited.

Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Backroad Mapbook (2010 edition) Trailhead Coordinates: Page 11 (North Vancouver) E7.

Related Trip: 199 - Coliseum Mountain Trail Hike.

>>> British Columbia Waterfalls Visits.

Follow @ihikebc

15. Now we have reached a junction where hikers have three options: 1) turn around and go back to the parking lot via Headwaters Trail; 2) turn left and go back to the parking lot via the Cedars Mill and Lynn Loop Trails for a loop trip; or 3) continue on Headwaters Trail to Norvan Falls, which we did.

Lynn Headwaters Park photo

16. Headwaters Trail towards Norvan Falls looks about the same as before the junction.

BC Hiking - Headwaters Trail picture

17. After hiking for an hour or so, you reach another junction, and Norvan Falls spur is easy to miss. But if you turn to the right just before the bridge, you would reach Norvan Falls in five minutes. But we did not know that, so...

Bridge across Norvan Creek Lynn Headwaters Regional Park North Vancouver British Columbia Canada

18. ...we crossed this suspension bridge and kept going.

Norvan Creek bridge - BC Hiking

19. It is a good thing they put such a sturdy bridge here - look at what it crosses.

Hiking in BC - Norvan Creek BC Canada

20. We kept hiking for about 20 minutes, and some distant roar made us believe Norvan Falls was getting closer, but then a sign with a map showed us we were actually going away from the Falls, and have reached Hanes Valley junction, where one should choose whether to proceed to Lynn Lake or Grouse Mountain via Hanes Valley, both very long and challenging hikes. We have turned around and went back, finally reaching Norvan Falls.

Norvan Falls - Hiking in BC

21. It is quite easy to descend right into Norvan Creek, sit on a big stone, and have a snack while looking at Norvan Falls. Probably not a good idea during the spring runoff or after heavy rains, but this Summer evening the waterfall was subdued. You can see on the rock face how much bigger the water flow can get.

Norvan Falls photo Lynn Headwaters Regional Park

Here is our video of Norvan Falls in 2009:

And here is our video of Norvan Falls 11 years later, on August 31, 2020.

More ihikebc videos are on our YouTube Channel.

22. After enjoying Norvan Falls, we went back and reached the loop junction shortly. The haze was mostly gone and the view of the mountains was substantially better.