After last year's warm winter, ski season is back in full effect at Mount Seymour in North Vancouver. The hike to Mystery Lake lies within the ski area boundary, so this little adventure will have to wait until the snow melts enough to silence the chairlifts.
This past fall, I did an easygoing loop taking in Mystery Lake, Mystery Peak, and Dinkey Peak in Mount Seymour Provincial Park, which lies in Coast Salish territory. Snow had just fallen on the North Shore mountains, and the chilly air reminded us that the season of toques, gloves, and warm layers is here.
From the main parking lot at the top of Mount Seymour Road, we followed the Mystery Lake Trail under the Mystery Peak Express chairlift. We reached pretty Mystery Lake after covering a mere 1.5 kilometres, so we continued up the trail to the base of the Brockton Chair and ascended a ski run to nearby Mystery Peak (elevation: 1,230 metres).
Mystery Lake. Photo: Stephen Hui.
Since it was cloudy, there wasn't much in the way of views awaiting us at the upper terminal of the Mystery Peak Express. Descending to the trailhead via the Manning ski run and Mount Seymour trail, we opted for a scenic detour to the aptly named Dinkey Peak (1,117 metres).
Suicide Bluffs from Mystery Peak. Photo: Stephen Hui.
Hiking up to Mystery Peak took one hour and involved an elevation gain of 210 metres. The 4.5-kilometre round trip lasted 2.5 hours.
