Hiking Hanes Valley in North Vancouver
Contents
Hanes Valley Hike Information
Difficulty: Very Difficult
Distance: 16Km
Elevation Gain: 1,210m
Highest Elevation: 1,311m
Average Gradient: 15.13%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 7 – 9 Hours
– Moderate: 6 – 7 Hours
– Fast: 5 – 6 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: No
Season: ~July – October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Very steep boulder climb, no exposure though. One chain section also.
Hanes Valley Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°21’34.3″N 123°01’40.7″W
Hanes Valley Overview
Hanes Valley is a scenic hike located in the backcountry of Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. This is typically a one way hike beginning at Lynn Headwaters and ending at the base of Grouse Mountain. As such you will have some logistics to figure out for how to get to the start and return from the end. It’s possible to take a bus to/from both ends, or you can be dropped off/picked up, or you could leave a car at either end.
Hanes Valley is one of the more frequent rescue destinations for North Shore Rescue. Due to its ease of access, this hike attracts a variety of people, often well equipped and experienced hikers but also, unfortunately, poorly prepared and inexperienced adventurers thinking this is another simple stroll in Lynn Canyon. While the hike starts off easy up to Norvan Falls, once you reach the valley itself it quickly becomes a very challenging affair, with an incredibly steep boulder field to navigate.
While Hanes Valley is a beautiful and worthy hike, it is by no means a simple endeavor. Just because this hike starts and ends in well trafficked, touristy areas, does not mean this hike is like others nearby. This is challenging backcountry hiking in a remote area with no cell reception. The valley itself is a vast, steep, draining boulder field with no shade. Prepare to spend a couple of hours alone on an exhausting and never ending climb up loose boulders with difficult navigation.
For those prepared for the conditions, Hanes Valley is an excellent hike in a remote setting that is remarkably close to the city. The views from the valley are pretty breathtaking of numerous North Shore peaks. It’s also possible to combine Hanes Valley with the nearby Crown Mountain, which would be a very challenging but rewarding day.
As Hanes Valley is in Lynn Headwaters backcountry, it is closed for much of the year when snow makes this terrain dangerous. It typically opens once the snow has melted and it’s deemed safe, usually in July and closing again once the snow returns, likely late October/November.
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Is Hanes Valley worthwhile?
Hanes Valley is unique in that it is incredibly close to the city yet you are in total wilderness and completely off the grid for a large portion of the hike. Due to the difficulty of the hike it is not that well trafficked and you will largely be alone after passing beyond Norvan Falls. The views from Hanes Valley are incredible but they also come at the most difficult and exhausting part of the hike, so whether you actually enjoy them is another thing. If you don’t want to drive far but want a seriously off the beaten path adventure, Hanes Valley is the hike for you.
How difficult is the Hanes Valley hike?
The average gradient of this hike does not tell the whole story. While the average gradient of the hike is still challenging, nearly all of the climb is actually in a very short stretch of the hike, up a steep and loose boulder field in Hanes Valley. In the space of around 3.5km you ascend about 800m, making this stretch of the hike almost as steep as the Grouse Grind but on far more challenging terrain. Many people have gotten injured on this boulder field as the boulders are loose and can give way without warning.
Obviously the hike has technical challenges and you will be using your hands for the entire boulder field. You will need to be comfortable climbing on large boulders in order to ascend the valley itself. Once out of the valley Crown Pass is no walk in the park either, requiring you to climb up chains on slippery rocks.
Hanes Valley Route Information
Technically speaking you can feasibly start this hike at either Lynn Headwaters or the top of the Grouse Mountain gondola. Pretty much everybody starts in Lynn Headwaters though, so that’s where we will begin.
From the parking lot you will walk past the caretakers office and bathrooms before crossing a bridge over Lynn Creek. Turning left at the junction and following the Lower Lynn Loop trail, you’ll be wandering in the forest next to Lynn Creek for several kilometers with minimal elevation gain. I generally try to go fast here as it’s really just a long walk in the forest before the proper hike begins.
After a few kilometers you will come to a junction where you can either go right up the Headwaters Trail or keep left and follow the Cedar Mill Trail. The Cedar Mill Trail is the easier route and also passes an historic logging mill site that might be of interest. After a couple more kilometers on this largely flat trail you’ll come to a debris chute which you’ll have to go up before turning left to join the Headwaters Trail.
The trail now increases in elevation marginally and also becomes a bit more rugged, climbing into the forest and crossing several streams. Still, it’s very mellow and you can keep a fast pace if so inclined.
Eventually, after what feels like a lifetime of walking in the forest, you’ll reach a junction where the trail splits. The first split to the right goes up Coliseum Mountain, which is a difficult hike in itself. Just after that split is the trail to Norvan Falls, at which point you will see a bridge over the creek. Norvan Falls is a worthy breakpoint on this hike and only a very slight detour so it’s worth a stop. It’s also a nice hike in itself if you want something flat but long.
After finishing up at Norvan Falls head back to the bridge and cross over it. This is where the traffic on the trail immediately vanishes and you start to get deeper and deeper into the backcountry. The condition of the trail here deteriorates and becomes pretty muddy as well, but it’s still easy enough to navigate.
After around another kilometer on the trail you’ll need to pay attention as the trail splits, but it isn’t obvious. To the right will be a trail ascending up to Lynn Lake, but you actually want to descend towards Lynn Creek as you will be crossing over it once again. Crossing Lynn Creek involves some navigation over a slippery fallen tree but it was pretty straightforward.
After the creek crossing the trail will be much the same as before, a little bit overgrown and muddy, crossing several streams, but easy enough to navigate. After another 2.5km or so you will eventually break out of the forest and be greeted with the rewarding yet daunting part of this hike.
Hanes Valley will be right before your eyes and you will be greeted with a rescue supply cache and helicopter landing site (due to the number of rescues in this area!). The boulder field starts off fairly mellow with somewhat simple navigation and lower gradient. The boulders will be marked with orange paint highlighting the way to go and there should be some orange tape in parts, but it’s pretty sparse as there’s nothing to attach it to. For the most part it should be quite obvious the direction you need to take, keeping to the left of the boulder field and aiming for the saddle between Crown Mountain and Goat Mountain.
After ascending some of the boulder field it will start to get much steeper and the boulders much larger. At points the boulders will be the size of a car and you’ll have to climb up them with your hands. It’s extremely exhausting work that will leave you frustrated thanks to its never-ending nature, even more so if you are doing this on a hot summer day. Make sure to take plenty of water or fill up at one of the streams on the way.
As you work your way up the boulder field, carefully avoiding knocking any of them loose to anybody below you, make sure to look behind you and take breaks to enjoy the views of the valley. The higher you climb the better the valley views get. After what feels like a never ending boulder climb you will eventually find yourself at the Crown Pass junction, where to the right will be the trail up Crown Mountain and to the left the trail up Crown Pass leading towards Grouse Mountain. You’ll be going up Crown Pass, but Crown Mountain is a great addition if you really want a tortuous day.
Crown Pass is unfortunately no walk in the park either, it’s also very steep & requires climbing up chains and slippery, muddy rocks. Still, it’s a welcome respite from the boulders that’s for sure. Once at the top of Crown Pass the ascent on this hike is largely over. The rest of the hike is a walk and a gradual descent towards Grouse Mountain.
There’s a couple of trails towards Grouse you can take but by now you won’t care, so just take the Alpine trail. This will be a little rough and rocky but much easier than what you’ve just tackled so I’m sure it’ll feel like a breeze. After a kilometer you’ll come to a junction in the trail. Take a right, going to the west of Grouse Mountain proper. This trail will lead you to the grizzly bear enclosure at the top of Grouse Mountain. After a few mandatory bear photos, continue into Grouse Mountain Resort. You now have the option of either taking the gondola down (most choose this), or hiking down the BCMC trail.
When should I hike Hanes Valley ?
Hanes Valley is located within Lynn Headwaters Regional Park backcountry, which is closed for a large part of the year due to unsafe conditions (snow). The park opens when conditions have improved, usually mid-summer, and closes near the end of fall, late October typically. Opening information can be found here.
Top Tip
I say this a lot but for this hike it’s especially true. Start very early and take an offline map. I won’t go into a lot of details here but when I first tried Hanes Valley we made a blunder, took a wrong turn and ended up stuck on the boulder field for about 5 hours. We began the hike at 7:30am, failed to finish and had to head back to the car at Lynn Headwaters trailhead, only returning at 7:30pm. Had we begun the hike at midday we likely would have ended up needing SAR or at the very least ending the hike with our headlamps on for a couple of hours.
In terms of the offline map, this is imperative for Hanes Valley. The trail is not obvious to follow and you definitely have no cell service in the valley. You do not want to get lost here, trust me, so make sure you take an offline map and have a backup battery for your device for worst case scenarios.
I’d also advise good sun protection, lotion, hats, long sleeves perhaps. There is no shade anywhere on the boulder and it could take a few hours.
