Well I had planned to take the boys to the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve to hike the 12km “Fisherman’s trail”. The Weather Network said that rain was going to be less than 1mm so I figured as long as we dressed right we would be good for the 5 hours we would need.
When we got to the parking lot plans changed. It was pouring. I knew that I could not subject the boys to 5 hours in the pouring rain, so we headed to the trail map and made a few adjustments. My oldest decided that he wanted to go on the suspension bridge. So off we went.
Now this hike is not difficult, except maybe for the tourists who had shown up in sweatshirts, jeans and running shoes – there is something strangely hypnotic about that “Squelch” sound that wet socks make inside running shoes as someone climbs trail stairs in front of you.
Drainage is awesome so it doesn’t get too muddy in the rain; however, there are a lot of stairs and mini-bridges / boardwalks, and when you get to the suspension bridge (even in the rain) it is crowded and it would be impossible to push anything across.
Now, at this point, I do want to say that there is a lot of stuff here that is wheelchair and stroller accessible. The Ecology Centre, the Cafe, a number of trails. Also, the washroom facilities are awesome, so if you are worried about your child having an accident there are plenty of places to easily clean up. Also, this park is very dog friendly. I have posted a map below that gives some guidelines and shows leashed and off leash areas for your pups.
Since my youngest did so well on the last hike we decided to just let him walk until he got tired. I had to shoulder him on the the steep, wet stairs, but I was actually happy to get a leg workout in 😉
The Suspension Bridge / Twin Falls Bridge loop is about 3km. It travels along beside Lynn Creek and you can stop to admire the different pools as you wind your way around. You can also stop at the Ecology Centre which is actually constructed in the shape of a Dogwood! I could tell you about it but they have a website for that…
http://www.lynncanyonecologycentre.ca/
We were having fun so decided to head down the “Baden Powell Trail” down another pool, just about where the trail heads to the left towards “Diamond Trail”
After that little loop we headed back to the parking lot, but we weren’t done yet. My oldest wanted to do Rice Lake Loop again, he saw it on the trail map. (For my description of the Rice Lake Loop you can see my blog post here…
https://thewalkingdad.ca/2017/10/16/rice-lake-loop/
Although, we did not get to do Fisherman’s trail we had an awesome time exploring. There are a lot more places that we want to wonder to so I am sure I will be writing more about this area soon.
Because we were dressed well and layered, after three hours we were all still warm, dry and happy. To finish off the adventure snowman cookies and hot chocolate was enjoyed by the minions… okay… I might have had a cookie too!
Happy Hiking!
The Walking Dad 