Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve
49°21′ N 123°01′ WNorth Shore Mountain Bike Association (NSMBA)By bus
The Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve suits families and riders on Class 1 e-bikes, with Metro Vancouver's 10 km paved Seymour Valley Trailway and over 55 km of cycling trails in a water-supply forest. The gate sets your day, because every car must be out of the lower gate on Lillooet Road by 5 pm from November to February.
Photo Flickstorage · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Field card · Trail network · No. 002 · checked 16 Oct 2026
In winter, cars must clear the lower gate by 5 pm.
See who looks after which ground
- Metro Vancouver
Manages the whole 5,668-hectare reserve through its Water Services department, first for water supply infrastructure and future drinking water storage and then for recreation.
Is it for you?
The reserve gives families and newer riders a paved 10 km trailway, with gravel and mountain bike trails branching off it.
You’ll love Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve if
- You want a paved ride with kids or on a Class 1 e-bike.
- You'd like gravel loops close to the city.
Think twice if
- You're bringing a dog for the Seymour Valley Trailway, where dogs are barred.
- You plan to stay out after dark in winter, when the gate closes at 5 pm.
Plan how you reach the trailhead
The main lot sits at the north end of Lillooet Road. Every vehicle has to be out through the lower gate at the bottom of Lillooet Road by the posted closing time. The Seymour Mainline between Rice Lake Gate and Stoney Creek is a closed service road where machinery works, and Metro Vancouver keeps the public off it.
Ride and walk the way locals expect
- Yield to every other trail user on a Class 1 e-bike, and keep under 30 km/h.
- Bikes and dogs yield to horses on the reserve's horse trails, and dogs go on leash as horses approach.
- Climbing riders have the right of way on two-way mountain bike trails, as the NSMBA asks.
- Stay on the routes on Metro Vancouver's trail map, and keep off the Seymour Mainline service road.
Ride the trails on Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve
Metro Vancouver's Water Services department runs this 5,668-hectare reserve directly south of the Seymour Reservoir, and water supply comes first here. Recreation shares the land with that job. The reserve counts more than 100 km of trails and over 900,000 visits a year, and Metro Vancouver lists over 55 km of those trails as open to cycling. The NSMBA works on the reserve's trails under a Metro Vancouver work permit.
The Seymour Valley Trailway is the easy way in, with 10 km of smooth pavement up the valley. Harder gravel trails and mountain bike trails branch off it. Only Class 1 pedal-assist e-bikes may ride anywhere in the reserve, and Metro Vancouver asks riders to stay under 30 km/h and yield to everyone else. Horse riders use Bridle Trail, Richard Juryn (West), Twin Bridges, Fisherman's (South) and the Berm Trail, and bikes and dogs give way to them there.
Some ground is off-limits. Dogs, bikes, swimming and boating are all barred at Rice Lake, where a 2 km loop takes wheelchairs. Dogs are also kept off the Seymour Valley Trailway and off Fisherman's Trail north of the Homestead Trail junction. The Seymour Mainline between Rice Lake Gate and Stoney Creek is a working service road, so stay on the routes Metro Vancouver maps.
The reserve opens every day of the year, and winter closing times come as early as 5 pm. TransLink's 255 ends at Capilano University Exchange, and from there it's a ride north up Lillooet Road to the main lot. Dog Mountain belongs to the reserve too, and its trail starts at the top of Mount Seymour Road.
Worth knowing
- Leave before the posted closing time, because Metro Vancouver wants every vehicle out of the lower gate at the bottom of Lillooet Road by then.
- Bring a leash for the high-use areas and for meeting horses, and leave the dog at home if you plan to ride the Seymour Valley Trailway.
- Check Metro Vancouver's park advisories before you go for closures and wildlife notices.
Quick answers about Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve
What time does the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve close?
The Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve opens at 6 am every day. Metro Vancouver closes it at 5 pm from November to February, 7 pm in March and April, 9 pm from June to August and 8 pm in September, and May and October each carry two posted closing times.
Are e-bikes allowed in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve?
Only Class 1 pedal-assist e-bikes. Metro Vancouver bars throttle-driven and motorized vehicles from the trails and asks e-bike riders to stay under 30 km/h and yield to everyone.
Can you bring a dog to the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve?
Yes, under control, and on leash in high-use areas and sensitive ecosystems. Dogs are barred from the Seymour Valley Trailway and the Rice Lake Loop, and from Fisherman's Trail north of the Homestead junction. The reserve allows no commercial dog walking.
How long is the Seymour Valley Trailway?
Metro Vancouver gives the Seymour Valley Trailway 10 km of smooth pavement, and dogs are not allowed on it.
Can you get to Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve by bus?
Yes. The 255 stops at Capilano University Exchange.
Within 15 km
Trail networks nearby
Within 15 km
Bike parks nearby
Within 15 km
Hikes nearby
Within 15 km
Places to eat and drink nearby
In the journal and guides
Read more about Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve
Feature · 8 min read
How does Vancouver's North Shore fit together between the mountains and the inlet?
Every neighbourhood on Vancouver's North Shore sits on the same narrow shelf between Burrard Inlet and the mountains, and the rivers coming down off the slopes divide it into valleys. You cross it along the water and climb it up each valley.
Guide · 8 min read
Where should you start mountain biking on Vancouver's North Shore?
New riders should head for Fisherman's Trail in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve. If you handle blue trails at home, go to Mount Fromme, because the District of North Vancouver grades every named trail there.