Comments

Annika Vriend from SURREY writes:

This trail is currently closed. Lots of signage about rock fall warnings nearby. The gravel road leading to the trail is blocked by a large fence. Maybe another time!

Posted: March 26, 2021 10:52:58 PM PST

Ruby from Vancouver writes:

Just want to note so that others don’t make the same mistake we did - keep a copy of the directions saved because reception is spotty and signage isn’t great! I suppose the upside is that any of the trails you take uphill will quickly reward you with great views

Posted: October 25, 2020 08:54:07 AM PST

Sarah from Richmond writes:

Absolutely beautiful view! A bit more technical than we were expecting but nothing that can't be done with a bit of caution and care. I noticed another poster recommended dipping in the pools; please, do not do this, at any time of year. The water moves much more quickly than it appears to and the rocks are very smooth and slippery.

Posted: May 11, 2019 11:14:22 PM PST

Dannaya from Coquitlam writes:

Did this hike May 1st. First part of the hike is the Buntzen Lake Trail which is very well-traveled and maintained. Beautiful views of the lake. Once you turn off onto the Halvor Lunden trail you can tell immediately that it is a lot less traveled and rugged. I did it on a Wednesday and I was the only person on the trail. It's a steady, steep climb to the lookout. Close to the top it becomes a bit of a scramble. Be prepared to use your hands to hoist you up in some places. There is one spot with a rope to pull yourself up. On the way down it's best to go backwards and use your hands in those same places.

I would recommend proper hiking boots, even though the Buntzen Lake Trail portion could be done with any old runners. Once you start on the Halvor Lunden portion, the ground is a mix of soft earth and exposed rock which has the potential of being very slippery and muddy. The majority of the trail is also on the edge of a steep ravine, and one misstep you could be careening over the edge.

The trail markers are clearly visible on the way down, but on my way up I found I had to keep looking behind me to make sure I was still on the trail. Overall, a great little hike with a nice view of Buntzen Lake and the beautiful Swan Falls. Where the Halvor Lunden trail connects with the powerhouse road you also get a nice view of Mt. Seymour.

Posted: May 2, 2019 09:29:26 AM PST

Alana from Port Coquitlam writes:

Was up to the falls today. The west side of Buntzen Lake Trail is still slick with packed snow and ice in spots, I was grateful for traction, but there's more and more dirt showing through. Once you get to the turnoff at the service road to start climbing the hill to the falls there's a lot of snow under the powerline, but once you start climbing, the first half is snow free. Put my traction spikes back on for the second half up to the cable, and the snow was fine past that to the falls.

Posted: March 10, 2019 07:10:27 PM PST

Emma from Pitt Meadows writes:

Does anyone know if this trail is open right now? I want to do it either this weekend or next. I know it says year round, but I read on another site that it might be closed?

Posted: December 7, 2018 08:55:20 AM PST

Tracy from Surrey writes:

The first hour is nice, but pretty easy, more like a path than a hike....the last 20 minutes up the actual Swan Lake ascent are really steep, rough and wonderful. The waterfall is truly unique.. Doing this in October, there was a very low flow of water but the rocks were so interesting and you could walk right over the water. The view was KILLER! Loved it.

Posted: October 18, 2018 09:24:25 PM PST

John from Vancouver writes:

Hiked on a sunny Sunday, July 22, 2018. Arrived to be turned back from parking lot because it was full and luckily found a spot at the Anmore City Hall Trailer. Too bad they parking cerw don't have it together, because as I walked through the south beach parking area there were at least 6 empty spots, likely more in the other lots. Hands in pocket hike on east lake trail. Had I known, I would of brought and rode my mountain bike along the access road to the Swan Falls trail head, then hiked from there. Steep and short hike to the falls - 20 minutes one way. Great views. Recommended.

Posted: July 22, 2018 09:15:12 PM PST

Lion Tamer from Vancouver writes:

Not a hike for beginners. Proper footwear a must.

As many have said, the swan falls viewpoint is a combination of an easy, heavily trafficked trail on the east side of the lake combined with a short but steep hike to the viewpoint. On a sunny Saturday (the huge parking lot was about half full and the beaches were packed) there was only 2 others on the viewpoint portion.

But dear lord is the extra bit worth it. Gorgeous views of the lake, and the elevation puts you high enough to get a great view at the 3 peaks of Seymour. The rushing waterfall is an absolute wonder - it's rare for a good trail in the area to put you up right next to the top of a waterfall.

Check it out at least once. And if you're bringing less adventures friends, leave them at the north beach for an hour while you go to the viewpoint.

Posted: June 16, 2018 07:20:56 PM PST

crossover from Vancouver, BC writes:

Hiked on 2018.05.12. This is a nice warmup hike for the season. We started around 9am and reached the North Beach in less than 45 mins. Things started to become more interesting as we started to climb the Halvor Lunden trail. It reminded me a bit of the Tunnel Bluffs trail but on a easier scale. We reached the view point in about 25 mins and took a long break there. Climbing down, actually, was more technically challenging IMO. We decided to cross the suspension bridge upon returning to the North Beach and hiked the west side of the lake, which is slightly more challenging than the east side, and about 2-3 km longer. The overall hike took us 5 hrs (including breaks) to complete.

Posted: May 18, 2018 02:10:02 PM PST

Jamie from Surrey writes:

A note to anyone doing this hike: PLEASE wear proper footwear. I did this hike last year with a friend, and upon reaching the top, I took 2 steps out on to the rock, and had my feet slip out from underneath me. The rock was very slippery due to mist from the waterfall and a bit of rain from earlier that morning. I slid down the rock face and had no control of the direction I was going. Luckily, I hit the big rock that prevented me from going over the edge.
My friend had to use a knife to cut the rope near the top of trail, and used that to pull me back up.
I was wearing what I thought were good hiking shoes, but apparently Under Armour hiking shoes are garbage.
Anyways, please be very careful when you do this hike. You may not be as lucky as I was. As an earlier comment says "it's a slippery Rock to 100% no return."

Posted: May 5, 2018 09:24:01 AM PST

Mary from Vancouver writes:

Just finished this trail.

Do note that the path, the bunzten lake trail is open. You do not need to walk the hydro road for the first section, but can if you so choose.

Super lovely hike! I was a bit nervous about bears and being a solo hiker but I didn't see any droppings and it's a pretty quick hike up the look out.

Posted: August 4, 2017 01:08:18 PM PST

Eric from Richmond writes:

Amazing but this really is two different hikes.
To begin, you need to hike the east side Buntzen Lake trail. This is the literal definition of a walk in the park. It would be perfect for someone who has never hiked or is not in good physical shape. Having said that, it is still enjoyable because you have nice views of the lake all along the trail.
After the Buntzen trail, you need to walk the Hydro road for a bit until you reach the Halvor Lunden trail. This is the opposite extreme as it is straight up. Think Grouse Grind without good markers, no heavy traffic and no trail safety maintenance. Much shorter though if you only go to the Swan Falls viewpoint. And this viewpoint is incredible. On the return trip, I recommend that you hike the west side Buntzen Lake trail. This side is a bit more challenging and you will go around the whole lake while crossing a suspension bridge that swings quite a bit and a floating bridge. Enjoy!

Posted: July 24, 2017 10:13:28 PM PST

Chris from Surrey writes:

We did this hike on May 2nd. The beginning part of the trail that goes around the lake was still closed so we walked along the service road to the North Beach. Conditions were good - it wasn't too wet, muddy or slippery. All up it was a great trail - the only improvement I could suggest would be to the trail markers. There are a couple of forks in the trail that were not marked well and if you go the wrong way it quickly leads to a dead end. One was right near the beginning that leads to the lower part of the falls, and the other was nearer to the viewpoint and goes up between some rocks and then abruptly stops. The markers on the way back down are much more visible than on the way up. There's no snow now so the only thing you will need to consider is the very slightly muddy and wet sections, but they are minimal. The view and the waterfalls are really nice!

Posted: May 6, 2017 04:35:54 AM PST

Mcmeowington from Surrey writes:

We Hiked March 25 2017. Well. Maintained. The buntzen trail is closed east lake. You need to basically walk the hydro service road for 45 mins before hitting Halvor Lunden trail. Swan falls trail awesome. Quite the incline slippery, but not that muddy or wet easily doable in down pour. First bit is not marked properly but just hike up you'll see markers soon. Rope climb bit is fun, once you hit the top of the rope you can walk to the right beautiful view point (please be safe very slippery rock to 100% no return hahahah) then once done you climb a little further up and it's the proper view point. Hike down was super easy. Overall fun and exhausting. Would be much better If we didn't having to walk in gravel road for 1. 5 hours haha. Will be back for diez vista.

Posted: March 26, 2017 11:52:42 AM PST

Alex from Vancouver writes:

Just a warning to anyone intending to do this hike on a nice day - there is no parking. The parking lot is shared with lake goers and on the day we chose to go (Sunday in July, perfect weather), there were signs turning people away from the lot saying there was no parking available and that the lot was full. Every side street for the next 10 km said no parking or else vehicles would be towed. Not interested in adding an extra 10 k to our hike, we left! What a waste of time! Unbelievable that parking would be what prevented us from what seemed like a beautiful hike!

Posted: July 26, 2016 09:07:27 PM PST

Gloria from Burnaby writes:

Hiked it before, beautiful steep hike. The ropes are a nice addition to it. The falls is beautiful.

Just tried going up today, and half way up it looks like a wind storm might have effected the trail. There was a big tree with a trail marker on it that has fallen down. The trail wasn't visible and possibly hidden underneath all the branches and leaves from what I think might have been a wind storm.

Posted: July 7, 2016 03:34:15 AM PST

Jennifer from Burnaby writes:

Very steep but very interesting trail. The road is almost original, so it is very challenge. The view and waterfall is also beautiful!

Posted: April 22, 2016 12:23:11 AM PST

Patricia from Port Moody writes:

Super steep but nice hike. I biked to the swan falls trail head and saved a lot of time, the actual hike was just 30 min. It was pretty much vertical but since it was so short it wasn't really a problem. The view and the waterfall is great!

Posted: April 19, 2016 10:07:38 PM PST