Lynn Headwaters

I have done this hike many times at various times of the year. Due to the types of scenery and variety of foliage, the hike changes throughout the year and provides for new experiences. You will find that during the summer months the first part of the hike is quite busy. If you want to dodge the crowds, stick to the upper route as it is less travelled.

When taking the lower route, the entire route follows the river along the bottom of the mountain. Looking up or down river yields many nice views. There are lots of large rocks on the side of the river should you want to stop and relax for a bit. During the summer months, people sometimes sunbathe on the rocks. The picture to the right shows one of the views upstream.

If you want a little more exercise, you can choose to do the upper route. This route involves a quick climb to the maximum elevation gain of the hike. This hike is well maintained and there are alot of stairs and root stairs for you to use. Once at the top, you make your way through the forest to the viewpoint. It is really breathtaking as you look down at the valley. The trees on the other surrounding mountains make for some beautiful views (see left).

The hike is much like a loop (often called the Lynn Loop). You can choose to take the easier route first and then make your way back on the hard route or vice versa. You will often see people running the loop for exercise. I've tossed that idea around but have opted to stick to using my Nordic Track (shameless plug).

The loop is only the first half of the hike. The second half of the hike consists of a single trail (with minimal elevation gain - maybe 100m) to the Lynn Headwaters waterfall. The waterfall isn't all that big but it is a nice waterfall. You can climb right within view or you can climb down to the river and climb on the rocks (picture to right).

I climbed past the hike to the top of the waterfall. You can get right up to it if you like (picture to the left of my wife and dog below when peering over the falls). Depending on the time of year I would either advise it or not advise it. During late summer there is less water so you can climb on the rocks. Late in the year or in the spring, there is alot of water and it moves fast so I wouldn't recommend it.

If you do make it up there it is a neat view. Part of the trail meets up with the Colliseum Mountain trail. There are some unusual rock carvings in the rocks at the top as well. One of the pictures is a Egyptian drawing (picture to the right).

This hike also has an interesting offshoot - if you want to keep following it you can get to Grouse Mountain. From there you can do the Grouse Grind or an alternate hike to hit the top of the mountain. This would be more like a full day hike though. Other options include making your way to Colliseum Mountain, which I plan to do next year or making your way to Lynn Lake. I was very disappointed with the Lynn Lake trail. It wasn't really worth the effort to reach what should be named Lynn Pond.

Usually I take my time and meander with a small group. When on my own, I can clip along at a better pace. The best time I have made to the falls and back was under 2 hrs. That was basically power walking/hiking mixed with running. If you were to run it, I'm sure the time would even be better. Detailed maps are provided at the start of the trail should you want to explore some of the offbeat trails. There are lots of cool mountains in the area.