Hiking Mount Burwell
Length: 30 km
Elevation Gain: 1,500 m
Difficulty Level: Strenuous
Mount Burwell is one of the classic hikes in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park, a long and demanding outing that rewards you with true alpine scenery and sweeping views. The trail begins at the Lynn Headwaters parking lot, where you follow the wide forest path along Lynn Creek. The first few kilometers are gentle, winding through cool old-growth forest, past Cedar Mills and on toward the Norvan Falls junction at the 7 km mark. Here you turn right to follow the Coliseum Trail, or continue straight a short distance if you want to detour to Norvan Falls.
From the junction, the trail steepens as you follow the Coliseum Mountain route, climbing steadily on rougher terrain. Roots and rocks keep your eyes on the ground, while the sound of rushing creeks punctuates the stillness of the forest. The elevation gain becomes more relentless as you approach the alpine, and soon the trail breaks into more open country, where meadows and rocky ridges replace the dense tree cover. The rest of this trail has everything, mud, tree roots, creeks, downed trees, boulder fields, scrambling.
Eventually, you emerge onto the shoulder of Coliseum Mountain, an expansive, open summit of granite slabs and alpine heather. The climb here is steady and exposed, and as you ascend, views begin to spill out in every direction—back toward Vancouver and Burrard Inlet, across to Crown Mountain’s sheer face, and up to the jagged Lions to the west. Reaching Coliseum feels like arriving at a natural high point of the day, and for many hikers it is; the wide rocky plateau makes for an ideal lunch stop or even a turnaround point. But standing on its crest, you realize it’s not the final goal. Beyond Coliseum, the true mass of Mount Burwell rises higher still, beckoning you onward.
Coliseum is a perfect place to pause and rest—you’ve earned it. On a hot day, you can even cool off in the small alpine tarn tucked just below the summit, a refreshing stop before the push to Burwell.
The traverse from Coliseum to Burwell is one of the most memorable parts of the hike. The crowds thin as you leave the bustle of Coliseum’s summit behind, and the trail dips into a quiet saddle before climbing again. The terrain grows more rugged, with short scrambles over rock and winding sections through alpine meadows. The sense of remoteness deepens—you’re no longer just overlooking the city, but moving further into the Coast Mountains themselves.
The final approach to Mount Burwell is steeper and rougher, with a few hands-on sections to pull yourself over rock ledges. At the summit, though, the reward is complete: a 360-degree panorama of jagged ridges, endless peaks to the north, and the city and ocean far below to the south. The contrast between urban Vancouver and the raw alpine wilderness is striking, and it’s hard not to linger here, taking in the sense of scale and space. You will see a lot of landmark mountains on Burwell, like Coliseum, Cathedral, Seymour, Brunswick, West Lions, Crown, Table and many more. On a clear day, you can even spot Mount Baker rising on the horizon to the southeast.
At roughly 30 km round trip with over 1,500 meters of elevation gain, the hike to Mount Burwell via Coliseum is demanding, but it offers one of the finest full-day mountain experiences near Vancouver. With the forested approach, the expansive granite of Coliseum, and the final rugged push to Burwell, it feels like several hikes woven into one—each stage building toward the summit and the views that make the effort worthwhile.
Water source is adequate along the trail. Other than a few tarns close to Coliseum, there is a creek at 9 km mark. Bring a filter if you don’t want to carry much water with you. If you start your hike from Lynn Headwaters, be mindful of the gate closing time. On my last hike, it took me about 12 hours car-to-car.
