Dog Mountain trail, Vancouver, BC
One of the best hikes in North Vancouver is the Dog Mountain trail in Mount Seymour Provincial Park. This hike offers great ‘bang for your buck’, with amazing views for limited effort.
It’s a great trail for a sunrise or sunset hike near Vancouver and is dog-friendly so your 4-legged best friend can come too! If you want to hike Dog Mountain in Vancouver be sure to check out this hiking guide to make sure you’re fully prepared before you go.
For the 23/24 winter season, you will need a day-use pass to access Mount Seymour and Brockton Point. Passes can be booked from 7 am, two days before your planned visit. Cancelled passes are added back to the list to book so you could book a cancellation. You can only book one AM/PM/All-day pass per day. you do not need a pass if you have a ski ticket for Seymour. Book your pass here.
The Dog Mountain trail is a relatively easy hike near Vancouver that can be hiked all year round. Yes, you can hike Dog Mountain in winter too! While I’ve only ever hiked Dog Mountain in summer, it’s easy enough to hike in the winter too and there is some more information for the Dog Mountain trail in winter below.
Dog Mountain Trail
AllTrails is my go-to hiking app for finding, planning, and navigating while I’m out on the trails. With offline maps on AllTrails+ you can be confident you’re still on the right track, even without mobile signal.
The Dog Mountain hike is an easy hike on Vancouver’s North Shore. It offers great views of the city, Mt Baker and Vancouver Island on a clear day. It’s a short hike with a minimal elevation that’s the perfect option if you’re looking for a family-friendly hike.
Directions to Dog Mountain trailhead
DO NOT RELY ON GOOGLE MAPS FOR DOG MOUNTAIN DIRECTIONS!
Both myself and friends have been caught out by Google Maps when navigating to the trailhead for Dog Mountain. Google Maps will take you to the parking lot for Lynn Headwaters Regional Park and the Rice Lake trail.
It suggests you can drive up to Dog Mountain from there but this is not true! This road is not accessible and instead, you must head to the Mount Seymour Ski Area.
To get to Mount Seymour from downtown Vancouver, cross over Lions Gate Bridge heading north and then take Hwy 1 eastbound onto Mt Seymour Parkway.
Take the exit onto Mountain Highway and follow signs to the Mount Seymour ski area.
Know before you go on the Dog Mountain hiking trail
- Dog Mountain gets super muddy after the snowmelt or a day or rain – be prepared and wear hiking boots/shoes rather than sneakers.
- Always practice leave no trace ethics. Not sure what those are? Get a refresher here.
- Carry bear spray with you on all BC hiking trails. Get more bear safety tips here!
- Wondering what to pack for Vancouver day hikes? Here’s a hiking packing list!
- Refresh your memory about hiking safety with BC Adventure Smart.
- Don’t leave home without your 10 essentials. They could save your life!
- Dogs are allowed on leash
- You can check to see if the Dog Mountain hike is open on the BC Parks website.
Dog Mountain hike guide
The Dog Mountain trail starts from the parking lot at Mount Seymour ski area. Walk to the far end of the parking lot where there’s a big BC Parks sign with a map and some information. Walk along the wide gravel trail with one of the ski slopes in front of you until you spot a small sign towards the left going down into some trees.
Take this left turn as it heads slightly downhill and crosses a small stream. The trail here is well maintained but it soon gets a little harder as you cross over tree roots and through rocky areas. It remains relatively flat with a couple of short inclines here and there.
Be careful not to slip as the tree roots and uneven terrain here can be tricky if you’re not used to this sort of terrain.
At the 1km mark, you’ll come to First Lake. You’ll pass to the left of the lake over a couple of bridges to the far side where another sign points towards Dog Mountain. It’s just over another kilometre from here but it’s a little bit harder than the first half with some more technical terrain to cross.
Towards the end of the trail and the outlook that signals Dog Mountain, you’ll head left and continue along the path coming out to a large rocky area. Walk ahead on the rocks and enjoy the views of North Vancouver, downtown, Stanley Park and more. You can roam around the rocks here to take in different viewpoints or just sit and soak it all in.
Return back the way you came.
Here’s a Dog Mountain trail map
Dog Mountain snowshoe
In the winter you can also snowshoe to Dog Mountain, it’s possibly even more beautiful in the snow! It’s a well-marked trail so it’s hard to get lost and there’s minimal avalanche risk since you’re in the trees.
If you’ve never tried snowshoeing before and want to see what it’s all about, it’s the perfect trail to snowshoe near Vancouver.
The trail is usually pretty busy so you won’t actually need snowshoes unless it’s snowed a lot just before your hike. You’d be better off with Yaktrax, or similar.
Dog Mountain trail statistics
Know the essential hike details for hiking the Dog Mountain trail.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 5km
- Elevation: Minimal
- Dog Mountain hike time: 2 hours
What to pack for hiking Dog Mountain hike Vancouver
What to pack before hiking the Dog Mountain trail depends on what season you’re hiking in.
Check out my day hike packing list here.
If you’re hiking in summer you should pack sunscreen, sunglasses, layers, water and bug spray as well as everything in the 10 essentials for hiking list.
Check out this post on the best leggings for hiking or what to wear hiking in summer for more details and my gear recommendations.
If you’re doing a Dog Mountain snowshoe in winter and there’s a chance it’ll be icy you’ll need microspikes. If there’s just been a load of fresh snow, you’ll want snowshoes.
You should always take plenty of layers including a fleece layer, a puffy insulated jacket and a wind and waterproof outer layer. Hats and gloves are also necessary as well as a good backpack to keep everything in (mine is also my ski touring backpack!). Waterproof trousers are always a good idea for hiking in Scotland!
You should pack water and some snacks too to keep you going as they’re part of the 10 essentials for hiking!
More Vancouver hikes
Last Updated on March 18, 2023 by Hannah
Hannah started That Adventurer after graduating back in 2013 and has documented all of her adventures since then. From backpacking South America to city breaks in Europe, a 3 month road trip across the USA in a self-converted van and 6 years living in Canada, you’ll find posts on all of this.
Hannah specialises in active travel and on That Adventurer you’ll find hiking, walking, biking, skiing and all sorts of active travel guides to allow you to see a destination in an adventurous way.
Now back in Europe, you’ll find new guides as Hannah and her husband spend the next year ‘digital nomading’ from Norway to Portugal, Switzerland to Scotland and places in between.
