This is an ideal, easy hike for a day when you didn't roll out of bed until
noon, especially in fall and winter when daylight is limited. And it's great for snow shoeing, too. On a clear day, the rocky summit provides nice mountain views of Lynn Peak and Coliseum Mountain, and the outlines of Crown Mt. can be seen in the distance. To the south-west, there's Vancouver, with Stanley Park, the Lions Gate Bridge and Point Grey.
Remains of an old cabin can be found at the south end of the bluff. At the north-west end from the Mt. Seymour parking lot, there's a BC Parks sign with map and trail information. Go north for about 25 metres, and then take your left into the forest, following the sign for the trail to "First Lake" and "Dog Mountain". The trail is a mix of rocks, roots and needles.
After about 20 minutes, you'll reach First Lake. After re-entering the woods, you'll pass through an area of small ponds, and another 25 minutes or so takes you to the rocky bluff of Dog Mountain. To do a loop on your way back, retrace your steps until you reach First Lake, and then take the "First Lake Trail". Passing by "Dinky Peak" (elevation is 1117m) gives you another nice view before the parking lot.
There is GPS data attached to this trail (see "download GPS"), which if loaded into your GPS can help you find route points.
Directions:
Take the Upper Levels Highway (Hwy #1), exit Mt. Seymour, and swing right onto Mt. Seymour Parkway. At Mt. Seymour road, take the left and go up to the very top.
ByPosted By: Rambo
- Sat Nov 14 18:00:03 EST 2009
Not Rated
UpsideEasy and accessible. It's perfect for families or newcomers to snowshoeing.
DownsideThe Norh-West trails are free as they are BC Park trails (First lake loop, Dog Mountain trail and Mount Seymour Peak) so if you have your own snowshoe, it's a free trip. But if you rent snowshoes on top of the mountain, at the resort, they charge you 30$ for the rental + the daily pass for their own snowshoe trails located at the bottom of the resort.
CommentIt's a nice place to start if you're not into hard stuff. Or this is nice if you want to make it as a warm up for the rest of Seymour later the same day.
ByPosted By: wilma68
- Mon Sep 29 13:05:17 EDT 2008
UpsideA great hike for my 5 year old daughter and me (7 months pregnant). Nice short hike and great views on top.
DownsideThe trail gets too busy since it is a short easy hike.
ByPosted By: JOSHEBURNE
- Mon Sep 29 12:49:57 EDT 2008
UpsideSHORT HIKE, GREAT LOOKOUT POINT
DownsideLOT'S OF ROOTS
CommentNICE HIKE WHEN YOUR HUNG OVER !
ByPosted By: MSR
- Wed Jan 23 21:38:45 EST 2008
UpsideAccessible, close to the city. Short enough to say you 'did something' with your day. 2 hrs to the top, less down. GREAT view at the top if it's clear. Also the entire trail is in the trees (until summit) so the wind won't affect you much.
DownsideOn the weekend its a nutshow, parking is horrible. Waited 30 minutes at the BOTTOM of the road just to get up. Single tight packed trail at times, gets busy and hard to get by. More dogs on this trail than in any kennel I'm sure.
CommentGo early, or go weekdays. Also don't try to eat or have a snack at or near the top, the random unleashed dogs will be all over you.
ByPosted By: trailrunner
- Thu Sep 13 00:58:19 EDT 2007
UpsideGood short hike for a quick sprint. Decent trails. You can keep runnig to the very top rock at the peak.
DownsideWatch for hitting your head onto wires supporting some kind of water pipe that traverses the trail few times. There are quite a few branch out trails and confusing.
CommentStarting from Grouse gondola peak station, I intended to do Dam mtn then Goat mtn. After the wide gravel road for several hundred meters, there are some interesting root hopping needed but still wide decent trail continues. After 10mins or so you will see a clearly marked & professionally painted Dog mtn turn off sign in yellow on green. From there trail still stays relatively decent most of the time. It's just there are quite a few of them branching out and you need to stop and think which one to take sometimes. Top is much closer than I thought. I did walk for couple of times for several seconds as I was thinking there was much more to go. But it is so short, if you don't run the whole, it won't consist a proper work out. Suddenly it opens up and you see a big grey-whitish rock and you climb up to the peak. Neat view, some great mtn are hidden by somewhat stunted Mountain Hemlock, but makes a good resting point. My cell phone died but it should have been around 15mins from the Gondola to the top.
After this I tried to get to goat mtn but twisted angle in the flat smooth area on the Goat ridge after the climb (lesson; don't be speeding up & off-guard while looking around the view without checking the footing just because you are in flat area) and limped back to the Grouse top chalet.
ByPosted By: trailrunner
- Sun Sep 02 01:12:46 EDT 2007
UpsideGorgeous view at the end. Variation of small climb and ponds. Wide trail.
DownsideSeveral confusing branch off trails without signs.
CommentLots of roots. Nice up and down. Somewhat muddy. Pleasant smell of old growth forest. If you are running consider 25-40min return.
ByPosted By: Adam+Laura
- Thu Jan 04 14:28:15 EST 2007
UpsideGreat for beginners. Lots of fun and safe. We made a snowdog at the top it was a blast.
DownsideNot much, some of the bridges were thin looking.
CommentI would like to find more trails like this one.
ByPosted By: ChrisO
- Wed Nov 22 15:58:47 EST 2006
Not Rated
CommentThis area makes for a great after work night snow shoe, especially if someone else has marked the way by breaking trail. It is still easy to lose your way in the dark if there are no tracks, so take a map and compass, or better still, download the GPS file.
ByPosted By: mountseymour
- Wed Mar 15 19:27:27 EST 2006
UpsideThe trail is well marked from the parking lot to first lake and there are great views of vancouver and the seymour river valley below you. First lake is also a great place for a lunch break
DownsideThere is not much vertical with the exeption of the upper first lake trail. First lake isint really a "Lake" its more like a pond and its not even deep enough for a swim in the summer. The area near the top of Dog mountain can be very confusing (People accidently take the Suicide bluffs trail instead of the Dog mtn trail and get lost)
CommentOverall its a pretty good day hike but I wouldint recommend it after a few rainy days because the trail beyond First Lake can be very muddy in some places.
ByPosted By: jt99
- Mon Jan 23 14:57:09 EST 2006
UpsideAs mentioned, easy, safe and accessible.
DownsideNone really. A couple of tough spots to cross but a nervous snowshoer can overcome them with one jump or a helping hand.
CommentWe were there Jan 22 and there was lots of snow. Trail was in good shape.
ByPosted By: mutt
- Tue Jan 04 15:07:42 EST 2005
Upsidegreat for a trip with baby or kids. We took our 4 month old and it was enjoyable for all.
Commentbarley enough snow as of Dec 31st for snowshoes
ByPosted By: seawallrunner
- Sun Feb 29 23:07:42 EST 2004
Not Rated
Upsidelovely hike for a lazy day. superb snowshoeing after a big snowfall, great for beginners
Downsidenot much elevation change, may not be enough of a challenge for intermediate snowshoers
Commentthe picture above is NOT Dog mountain, rather it's of a little knoll where the NSR cabin is located (near First Lake). Dog Mountain is about 20 minutes further
ByPosted By: marcham
- Mon Jan 26 01:15:45 EST 2004
UpsideEasy, safe and accessible. Great for newcomers to snowshoeing. Many oppurtunities for bushwacking back to the mountain or parking lot.
DownsideIf it hasn't snowed in a few days don't bother with the snowshoes, the snow is often very well packed.
Posted By: shazian
Posted By: Rambo
Posted By: wilma68
Posted By: ChrisO
