Hiking Mount Bishop in North Vancouver
Contents
Mount Bishop Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 9Km
Elevation Gain: 1,265m
Highest Elevation: 1,509m
Average Gradient: 28.11%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 7 – 8 Hours
– Moderate: 6 – 7 Hours
– Fast: 5 – 6 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Summer
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Lots of forest scrambling up ropes and roots, but not exposed.
Mount Bishop Trail
Note: The below coordinates lead to the parking lot, you will need to follow the cycling directions under “Route Information” to reach the trailhead itself
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°21’00.6″N 123°00’51.9″W
Mount Bishop Overview
Mount Bishop is an infrequently hiked summit located in the northern fringes of Mount Seymour Provincial Park in the North Shore mountains. At 1,509m elevation it is the highest mountain in the park, higher than Mount Seymour itself. The reason Mount Bishop is so infrequently hiked is primarily because accessing it requires a lot more effort than the other peaks within the park.
To access Mount Bishop hikers have two options:
- Cycling along the Seymour Valley Trailway for around 13km (each way) to the trailhead. This is the common route and the route described here.
- Hiking from the trailhead at the end of Mount Seymour Road before following the Mount Elsay trail, then the Vicar Ridge trail, before summiting. This route would be very long and would require an overnight for most parties.
Thankfully the Seymour Valley Trailway is a pleasant, simple bike ride that shouldn’t take most parties more than an hour or so each way to cycle. Once reaching the trailhead hikers will have to stash their bikes in the forest before commencing the hike.
The hike itself is extremely steep and very rugged, with numerous roped sections and endless forest scrambling up roots and rocks. It’s so rugged it’s hard to call it a hike in sections, resembling more of an obstacle course. Patience and a sense of adventure is a must for this hike as progress will be slower than you might expect. Once hikers reach Vicar Lake the trail eases off to more of a typical, steep hike through PNW forest before ascending boulders to the summit.
Due to the very steep and technical terrain Mount Bishop is best hiked in the summer once the snowline is at least above Vicar Lake (1,000m). This will typically be June to November.
While dogs can technically complete this hike, getting them to the trailhead will prove challenging given you will be cycling there, and even then most dogs will struggle severely on the roped sections, some of which aren’t too far off being vertical. I would probably leave the dog at home for this one.
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Is Mount Bishop worthwhile?
Mount Bishop is nowhere near as popular as any of Mount Seymour’s peaks, or even Mount Elsay, simply because access is a lot more challenging. That being said, given it is the highest mountain in the park there’s good reason to put in the effort to get there. While there is a one hour bike ride each way to reach the trailhead, it’s a pleasant, simple ride that most parties will enjoy. If you just consider this ride a part of your commute it’s really no different to driving to somewhere like Garibaldi for a hike.
The views from Mount Bishop are typical of the North Shore mountains and similar to those of Mount Seymour, only much deeper into the park. If you prefer a quiet trail this will also meet those needs and then some as you won’t see many people on Mount Bishop, that’s for certain. That being said the hike to Mount Bishop is much steeper and much harder than Mount Seymour, with plenty of hands on sections through rugged forest terrain.
How difficult is the hike to Mount Bishop?
At just 9km and a 28% average gradient, Mount Bishop is a straight up slog with little respite other than a short section by Vicar Lake, where most people will want a break. Physically speaking this is the epitome of short and steep. It doesn’t take that long, but it’s challenging the entire time, especially for the first couple of kilometers.
Technically Mount Bishop comes with some challenges. The first 2km climbs over 750m to Vicar Lake, much of which is climbing up ropes, roots and rocks and hardly resembles a hike at times. You will constantly be using your hands on the climb, with a new challenge after almost every twist in the trail. Once you reach Vicar Lake the remainder of the hike is much simpler, mostly a forest grind before a simple climb up to the summit via boulders.
Moun Bishop Route Information
The trailhead for Mount Bishop is on the side of Spur 4 in the Seymour River Valley. You’ll want to park your vehicle at Rice Lake parking (see coordinates – note there are gate hours for parking in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve). The easiest way to reach the trailhead is by cycling to the very end of the paved Seymour Valley Trailway, which will then connect to the Seymour Mainline (another paved road). Turning left on Seymour Mainline you’ll follow the road (since only service vehicles can use this it’ll almost certainly be void of traffic) to the Seymour Fish Hatchery, on the right. The paved road will now give way to gravel. Just before you reach the hatchery you’ll notice a trail heading left over a couple of bridges over Bear Island. On the other side of the bridges the trail now becomes typical rocky forest and climbs a little, so you may have to get off and push your bike a couple of hundred meters. You’ll soon hit Spur 4, where you’ll want to turn right and cycle downhill to the trailhead, which will be on the left after a couple of hundred meters. It’s very easy to miss this trailhead so keep an eye on your map. Upon finding the trailhead, stash your bikes in the forest and begin the hike.
The beginning of the trail will be a typical, steep, rugged PNW forest trail, but in no time you will reach the first of many, many obstacles. Over the next several hundred vertical meters you will clamber up, over, around and beside a plethora of roped sections and other obstacles, whether bluffs, roots, deadfall or branches. You will constantly be required to use your hands to ascend some sort of very steep terrain, with every twist and turn in the trail presenting another obstacle you have to figure out. The route is very obvious and, while very steep, you are never really exposed to any significant fall, with any particularly steep sections assisted by ropes and roots for solid holds throughout the entire climb.
Once you reach ~700m elevation the forest scrambling eases off into more of a steep forest hike once more, with little use of hands required. The next 300m of climbing to Vicar Lake will seem a breeze compared to what you just did, but by most hiking standards the trail will still be steep and challenging.
At around 1,000m elevation you’ll break out of the forest and hit a series of small lakes. The trail here can get muddy, particularly in the early summer with snow melt around. Shortly ahead you will reach the northern tip of the much larger Vicar Lake, which is also where you will get your first glimpse of Mount Bishop looming behind. Most people will stop at the lake for a quick rest, and in the late summer this will be the only place to refill water (you will want to filter it).
The trail to Mount Bishop re-enters the forest and continues around the northeast of the lake, offering little views of the lake itself. While steep, the trail is now much simpler than before with no technical sections. As you climb higher the forest will gradually give way to meadows and you’ll start to get some nice views looking west towards Coliseum Mountain, Mount Burwell, Crown Mountain and Seymour Lake down below.
About 100m below the summit the meadows will give way entirely to rock. Any semblance of trail will also cease to exist at this point, so a map will be handy, though realistically there are a number of ways to summit Mount Bishop. There will likely be cairns and flagging dotted around, and if you have a map you can just follow that, but either way you can really pick your own route to the summit with plenty of options. There shouldn’t really be much hands-on terrain, though you certainly could find it if you intended to.
Soon enough you’ll reach the summit of Mount Bishop, with 360 degree views in every direction. To the immediate north will be Deacon and Presbyter Peak, with Mount Garibaldi, Mamquam Mountain and Sky Pilot visible on a clear day. To the east will be the Indian Arm and innumerable summits beyond, with Mount Robie Reid and Judge Howay visible. South will be looking into Mount Seymour Provincial Park towards Mount Elsay, Clegg Peak, Mount Seymour and more, and to the west you’ll see Crown Mountain, Coliseum Mountain, Mount Burwell and Cathedral Mountain.
After soaking in the summit views you simply return to the trailhead the same way. Getting back to Vicar Lake will be simple enough, and descending the obstacle course of ropes and roots will be significantly easier (and a lot more fun) than ascending them. The ride out of the Seymour Valley to the parking lot is a fun one.
When should I hike Mount Bishop?
The safest time to visit will typically be July to October, but realistically June and early November may also work depending on the weather that year. June may have snow at higher elevations, in which case microspikes would certainly be needed. I would try this hike when the snowline is below Vicar Lake, nor would I try it on a rainy day.
Top Tip
You’ll want to start this hike early given the parking lot has gate hours and you don’t want to end up trapped behind a gate. The times noted above do not include the bike ride, which could be 2 hours in total at least.
Bring a sense of adventure and patience, the start of this hike can be frustrating for parties that want to go as fast as possible as it’s so steep and technical it slows you down considerably.
Due to a lack of human traffic it’s not uncommon to see bears higher up on this hike, particularly around Vicar Lake or higher. Make sure to be prepared for any encounters.
Water sources are scarce in late summer, with Vicar Lake being the only option and likely requiring to be filtered. Bring at least 3L of water if you don’t want to refill.
