From a height of 1501m, Crown Mountain offers one of the most spectacular views of any North Shore summit. Nestled behind Grouse Mountain in the Lynn Headwaters Regional Park, it is not an easy hike, but is well worth the effort. With a stunning view of Vancouver as you look down over the peaks of Goat and Grouse mountains to the south, and with a cascade of mountains to the north, east and west, it’s a view that’s hard to beat. Best of all, there are 3 starting points to choose from, to make an already challenging hike even more strenuous if you wish.

Your first choice is starting from the base of Grouse mountain and coming up the Grouse Grind. Your second choice is taking the SkyRide up and starting from the Grouse chalet. Your third choice is starting from the Lynn Headwaters Regional Park entrance, and making the 20km trek through Hanes Valley, ascending Crown mountain, then heading back down the the Grouse chalet. (You can view a map here to get a sense of your options).

I’ll describe the hike as you start from the top of the Grouse Grind:

Starting from the Grouse chalet follow the paved path to the grizzly bear enclosure, towards the base of Grouse mountain proper (under the Peak chairlift). There is a dirt path the cuts up east to the peak of Grouse, and a path heading to the left. Head left and follow the relatively flat trail and shortly you will reach the trailhead, with hiker check-in station. Sign in, and follow the signs up into the woods. Shortly, you’ll come to a zip-line tower, and see some signs pointing you in the direction of Goat and Crown mountains. As you near the junction for the two hikes, you’ll get a few glimpses of the challenge that awaits, the summit of Crown with ‘the Camel’ beside it (look closely, it really is a camel ):

After maybe 30 – 45 minutes from the start of your hike you should be at the junction. Most people will follow the path to Goat mountain/ Goat Ridge, but take the trail to the west of Goat that cuts down beside it. Here is the first challenging section of the trail, a nice decline of about 300m into Crown Pass, with slippery rock but chains to assist you:

After carefully treading down this section, you may want to break for a quick drink/ rest before you make your 421m ascent to the peak of Crown.  (Keep this in mind as the total elevation gain of the hike is only 375m, but you just lost about 300m on the descent) The next hour or so is a steady uphill battle, with a bit of light scrambling. Soon you’ll be rewarded with a nice view into Hanes Valley:

Pushing on a bit more, you’ll get  a spectacular view of downtown Vancouver, and much of the Fraser Valley for that matter. All that remains is the final push to the summit. The peak itself is very narrow so take caution while you enjoy the scenery. On a clear (and hopefully not too hazy) day, a wonderful 360 degree panorama of ocean, city and mountain range makes this one of the best views on the North Shore. In the distance below you will be able to see your starting point, the Grouse chalet (in the left of the photo you can see the buildings on Grouse):

Photo by Jonathan Wong

From this hike it is also possible to access Dam mountain, Goat mountain, Little Goat mountain and Norvan Falls, among other things. Make sure you bring lots of water on this hike as there is only 1 tiny stream near the summit of Crown, and depending on the time of year may be non-existent if all the snow has already melted.

Hike Specs (from the top of the Grouse Grind):

• Rating: Moderate – Difficult
• Elevation Gain: 375m
• Distance: ~10km return
• Time Needed: 5 – 6 hours
• Season: June to September

Hike Specs (including Grouse Grind up, but SkyRide down from Chalet):

• Rating: Difficult
• Elevation Gain: ~1230m
• Distance: ~12km
• Time Needed: 6 – 8 hours
• Season: June to September

Hike Specs (from Lynn Headwaters Regional Park, exiting at Grouse SkyRide):

• Rating: Very Difficult
• Elevation Gain: ~1300m
• Distance: ~20km route
• Time Needed: 10+ hours
• Season: July to September

Tags: Crown Mountain,Grouse Mountain,Hanes Valley,Lynn Headwaters Regional Park
Categories: Hiking Trails
5 Comments »