Dog Mountain hiking trail, The North Shore

The Dog Mountain trail is a short, easy hike from Mount Seymour that offers a spectacular view of Vancouver on a clear day.

From the parking lot, walk towards the BC Parks sign at the northwest corner. Walk north along the wide gravel trail for about 20 meters until you see a small sign and trail that goes into the trees on your left.

Enter and walk down the small hill to the first bridge crossing a small stream. The trail makes its way around tree roots and through rocky areas staying relatively flat with only the occasional small hill. In the wintertime, the trail becomes a nice trail to snowshoe along.

After walking for 1.1km, you arrive at First Lake. Walk across the small bridge and along the lake shore to the sign on the far side pointing the way to Dog Mountain. It’s just over 1km to Dog Mountain from this point, however the next section of the trail has a few more hills then the first. Continue along the trail making your way past the small streams and over cute little wooden bridges.

As you near the peak of Dog Mountain, the trail will veer to the left. Continue along the path and step onto the rocky outcrop as you make your way out of the forest and towards the stunning view of North Vancouver below and Lions Gate Bridge, Stanley Park, and downtown Vancouver off in the distance.

Have lunch and soak in the view before making your way back to the trail, walking back the way you came, eventually returning to the Mount Seymour parking lot.

How to get to Dog Mountain

Estimated Driving Time from Vancouver: 50 minutes

The Dog Mountain trail starts at the top of Mount Seymour in North Vancouver. To reach the parking lot, drive east to the Trans Canada Highway (Highway #1) and enter the highway heading westbound. Continue across the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge (Second Narrows) and take exit #22, Mt. Seymour Parkway shortly after crossing the bridge. At the set of lights, turn right onto Mt. Seymour Parkway and continue along the Parkway for about 4km until you reach the traffic lights and small shopping area at Mt. Seymour Road. Turn left onto Mt. Seymour Road and continue straight as the road begins to climb up Mount Seymour for the next 13km. Once at the parking lot, the trail begins near the furthest northwest corner.

View a map of Driving directions to Dog Mountain.