Lynn Canyon Park is located in North Vancouver, BC. This park has various trails and bridges that explore Lynn Canyon and the surrounding rainforest offering exciting views of the area. When we arrived at Lynn Canyon Park it was bustling. We were lucky to find a parking spot at the far end of the overflow parking lot. Granted, we were visiting one of the most popular rainforest parks in the Metro Vancouver area, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, during tourist season. I should have expected the crowds but still I was surprised.
We started to explore the park on a less crowded trail: the Centennial Trail. This trail crosses over Twin Falls Bridge and connects to the Baden Powell Trail on the other side. At one point along the Baden Powell Trail we followed another side trail down to Lynn Creek. The edge of the creek was relatively quiet with only several small groups of people meandering about. The first thing my children noticed was a big boulder near the edge of the creek. In no time my son had climbed to the top and was soon followed by my daughter and I. Teddy, my youngest, desperately wanted to join us and two well meaning tourists stepped in to help him along. As the two young ladies passed him up to me they slipped on the rocks and fell into the frigid stream, cameras and all! It was shocking! Thankfully no one was hurt, but I cannot say the same for their cameras.
After recovering from the excitement we hiked up along the boardwalk to the 30 Foot Pool, a pool of deep green water. It was very busy at the pool. Too busy for us to appreciate. We watched some cliff divers, a thrilling activity that is discouraged for safety reasons, and then made our way back to the crowded suspension bridge. We spent a little over two hours exploring Lynn Canyon Park. The towering rainforest, deep canyon, rushing green waters and beautiful boardwalks make this park truly enjoyable to visit, even with the crowds. I imagine, however, that this park is even more magical without them.