Empress Bypass
49°20′ N 122°59′ WMount Seymour
Empress Bypass on the lower slopes of Mount Seymour in North Vancouver is a downhill-only mountain bike trail that BC Parks says was built mainly for adaptive mountain bike riders, so its tread stays wide. The trade-off is the climb, because BC Parks allows no uphill traffic on it and sends riders up Lower Old Buck instead.
BC Parks lists Empress Bypass as a multi-use mountain bike trail in Mount Seymour Provincial Park and asks hikers to use Fern Gully Trail or Old Buck. In its fall 2026 update the North Shore Mountain Bike Association (NSMBA) describes a District of North Vancouver section that includes the final straight. The District's layer runs the trail down to Old Buck just above the Old Buck trailhead. Neither land manager publishes a difficulty grade for it.
The NSMBA ran two sessions on Empress Bypass in fall 2026. On the final straight the crew improved drainage, added a retention board, trimmed a stump and reshaped the tread so it stays over 3 feet wide for adaptive bikes. In the first left-hand corner they rebuilt a leaking berm and regraded the uphill ditch. Rocks that were breaking down the trailbed in the landing zones came out and mineral soil went in. The crew also thickened the pre-corner berm with gravel and dirt and topped it with ferns and moss to hold it.
Worth knowing
- Climb Lower Old Buck from the Old Buck trailhead, as BC Parks asks, and ride Empress Bypass only downhill.
- BC Parks' trail report of 29 September 2026 says bears are feeding actively on Mount Seymour, so carry bear spray and never approach or feed wildlife.
- Leave a trip plan with a friend and carry North Shore Rescue's 10 essentials. If someone gets hurt or lost, call 911 early, because North Shore Rescue charges nothing for a rescue.
Quick answers about Empress Bypass
Can you ride up Empress Bypass?
No. BC Parks allows no uphill traffic on Empress Bypass and asks mountain bikers to climb Lower Old Buck instead.
Is Empress Bypass built for adaptive mountain bikes?
Yes. BC Parks says Empress Bypass was built primarily for adaptive mountain bike riders, and the NSMBA keeps its tread over 3 feet wide for them.
Can you hike Empress Bypass?
BC Parks asks hikers to use Fern Gully Trail or Old Buck in place of Empress Bypass.
How hard is Empress Bypass?
No land manager publishes a rating for Empress Bypass.
Where is Empress Bypass?
Empress Bypass is on Mount Seymour.
Within 3 km
Trails nearby
In the journal and guides
