13.08.2022
The Hanes Valley Trail starts at Lynn Headwaters Regional Park and ends at the top of Grouse Mountain. It is a spectacularly hard hike. I planned our trip to ensure we had a ride waiting at the Grouse Mountain parking lot - I parked my vehicle at Grouse Mountain and had someone else drop us off at Lynn Headwaters. Both parks are accessible by public transit.
The trail starts at Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. Cross the wooden bridge and continue along the wide path that follows Lynn Creek. This is/will be the easiest section of the hike. After passing the 3rd Debris Chute the trail becomes narrower, rockier and more rugged. Continue following the trail which leads you to another junction - Coliseum Mountain. Pass the junction and shortly thereafter you come to another junction - right will take you to Norvan Falls and left takes you to a metal suspension bridge. Take the left to head to Hanes Valley and cross the suspension bridge. A few steps ahead you see directional signage and information on the Hanes Valley Route as well as the Lynn Lake Route. Beyond this signage you are entering challenging terrain and will need to follow the trail markers. The trail is single track and takes you on a gradual uphill climb. When you reach the junction to Hanes Valley and Lynn Lake make sure you veer left. The trail takes you down hill and you eventually arrive at Upper Lynn Creek. There is no bridge to cross the creek but there are rocks and downed trees used to cross the creek. This was a bit sketchy so we had to take care to not lose our footing. We used the fallen tree to cross the creek but it was quite slick. When you make it across the creek, continue to watch for trail markers and follow the trail. Eventually, we crossed another creek but it was dry which made it easy to cross.
We continued making our way along the trail and arrived at a clearing where there is a hili-pad and storage cache. We stopped here for lunch and enjoyed the fantastic view of Hanes Valley. It is here you also get a good look at the boulder field you will need to tackle up ahead. The trail past this section is uphill and ends at the boulders. The boulders are marked by painted orange dots and/or flagging tape and requires you to pay attention. You need to plan your footing over the rocks as you step from one rock to the next. The boulder field changes from boulders to smaller rocks which becomes tricky as the smaller rocks have a tendency to slip. I found this section to be the most challenging. We reached the end of the boulder field and entered the trees but there was no reprieve as the trail was steep and uphill. Eventually it levels out for a short time when you reach the junction with the Crown Mountain trail.
At the Crown Mountain junction, go left. Most of this section will be uphill and after some hiking you arrive at an area that requires you use chains that are bolted into the rocks. This section is steep and the rocks are wet, muddy and slippery but using the chains made it easy to tackle. Just take your time and watch where you step.
Beyond this point you pass junctions to Goat Mountain, Little Goat mountain and Damn Mountain but just follow the trail markings towards the gondola at Grouse Mountain. When you reach the zipline platform, head right, and follow the trail. The trail here is mostly downhill and eventually widens. You arrive at the grizzly bear habitat as you make your way toward the Grouse Mountain chalet and gondola. The cost of the gondola is $20 per person. If you don't want to pay the gondola fare you can hike down the BCMC. We opted for the gondola.
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