Access: From downtown Vancouver load bike and body onto the #210 Upper Lynn Valley bus at Dunsmuir Street [Bay 2] next to Burrard SkyTrain station. Stay on the bus until the end of the line at the corner of Evelyn & Underwood Streets. The bus trip should take around 45 minutes. Take the short-cut east past two tennis courts and continue half a block to the corner of Dempsey and Lynn Valley Roads.

From here, the quickest route follows Rice Lake Road which drops steeply to a footbridge across Lynn Creek. Cross the bridge and climb back out of the canyon, following the broad gravel path for 500 metres or so to the parking lot at the end of Lillooet Road. Here you’ll find washrooms, drinking water, information displays with hand out maps and, of course, the start of the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve Road. Also known as the Seymour Valley Trailway, the paved forest road extends to within 2 Km of the salmon hatchery.

For a slightly more circuitous route with rougher roads to ride, look for the Lynn Headwaters Regional Park entrance to the north of the corner of Dempsey and Lynn Valley Roads. Follow Intake Road for about a kilometre before reaching the park proper. Continue past the park HQ, crossing the bridge over Lynn Creek. At the information board take the bumpy road to the right, climbing east out of the Lynn drainage and into the Seymour watershed. Ignore side trails to Rice Lake. Just over a kilometre away you’ll reach a rustic educational centre with a couple of picnic tables. The paved Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve Road [Seymour Valley Trailway] doubles back from here in a northerly direction.

Still growing strong: Though logged in the early days of the 20th Century a few ancient giants remain in the Seymour drainage.

Those in North or West Vancouver can take the #228 Lynn Valley bus from Lonsdale Quay to the corner of Dempsey and Lynn Valley Roads, proceeding as above.

Alternatively, take the #210 Upper Lynn Valley bus to Phibbs Exchange and transfer to the #229 West Lynn bus. Get off at Lynn Canyon Park, cross the suspension bridge and follow the river upstream for a short distance until you find a huge wooden staircase.

Climb the stairs and continue uphill for another 20 minutes until you reach the parking lot near Rice Lake where the paved road begins.

If arriving by SeaBus, take the #229 West Lynn bus in reverse from Lonsdale Quay to Lynn Canyon Park and follow the instructions above. Refer to the Baden-Powell Trail East map embedded in this page below.

Hatchery

Originally built in 1977 by the British Columbia Institute of Technology as a teaching facility, the Seymour River Hatchery has since been upgraded and expanded. To date over 5 million salmon fry have been released.

The hatchery, which attracts some 10,000 visitors annually, is uniquely situated at the end of an 11 km stretch of paved road which is closed to vehicle traffic. Consequently, a great way to visit the site is on roller blades if you have them, bike or hike in if you don’t.

Getting there is half the fun: The route to the Seymour River Salmon Hatchery winds through mature second growth and a magnificent patch of old growth at road’s end. The road is 20 km round trip with about 2 km of unpaved trail at either end when arriving via Lynn Headwaters Regional Park.

The Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve (LSCR) road is a challenging balance of up and down though my wife claims, like some sketchy paradox from MC Escher: “it’s uphill all the way, in both directions.” Saddle up and decide for yourself.

Lunkers Lurking: In addition to salmon, gargantuan steelhead, rainbow trout with a yearning for the sea, return to the headwaters of the Seymour River to renew the cycle. Unlike the salmon, however, steelhead are able to return to the sea, repeating the cycle many times over.

The best time of year to view the spectacle of spawning salmon is from September on until first snowfall closes the road. The hatchery is open to the public, conducts hands-on educational programs in conjunction with the federal Department of Fisheries and provides numerous opportunities to volunteer. For more information visit the website of the Seymour Salmonid Society.

Sea to Sky VOICE <<->> The Chief & Squaw

Access: During peak hours Monday through Saturday catch the #246 Lonsdale Quay via Highland bus at any of the stops along West Georgia Street in downtown Vancouver. Stay on the bus until the corner of Capilano Road and Woods Drive in North Vancouver. The driver will usually call out the best place to transfer to the #236 Grouse Mountain bus.

Fishermen tease spawning salmon to snap at a hook in the canyon just below the hatchery

Next, get off at the corner of Capilano Road and Capilano Park Road and walk in to the hatchery. During non-peak hours take the #240 15th Street bus to the corner of Marine Drive and Capilano Road where you can catch the #246 Lonsdale Quay via Highland bus up Capilano Road. Transfer to the #236 as above. For an alternate route take SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver and board the #236 Grouse Mountain bus. No other transfers will be necessary to reach hatchery.

Much closer to home than the Adams River Sockeye run, but also less dramatic, the Capilano River in North Vancouver is home of important coho and chinook salmon runs. The former start heading up the river in July while the latter begin in September. By the middle of November both runs are concluded. Juveniles are released from January to May. Capilano Canyon is particularly gorgeous in autumn with fingers of sunlight poking through the thick forest canopy at a low angle. Well-maintained trails along the river’s edge allow easy access to the salmon’s natural habitat and to “fish ladders” which steer salmon into the Capilano Salmon Hatchery. Glass walls built into ladder of the federal government facility reveal the fascinating underwater world of the Pacific salmon as they queue up for a fate somewhat different from that which nature intended. Rather than dying a noble death after a cosmic struggle these fish receive a bonk on the head and the roe or milt is unceremoniously squeezed from their bellies after which their carcasses are tossed on some dung heap. Isn’t science wonderful?

Just a few minutes downstream from the hatchery a more pleasing sight awaits. From a comfortable perch above the canyon walls you’ll bear witness to competition in its purest form. Massive chinook vie for control of a tiny patch gravel in which to incubate their eggs. The winner, like the loser, will most surely die but, with a little luck, it’s superior genetic material will mature and bolster the overall strength of the species.

While salmon don’t generally eat once they enter the river, you may see anglers in the canyon below teasing the aggressive fish into snapping at an obnoxious lure. While catch and release saps the salmon’s remaining strength, ripping it away from the nest it so steadfastly defends this is but one of the many perils the salmon faces as it attempts to close the circle of life.

Though virtually all of the forest on the North Shore is recovering second growth, check out the 500 year old giant fir that the loggers missed. At 61 metres tall, this is how much of the province once looked. Be sure to take the 20 minute stroll upstream to Cleveland Dam, construction of which necessitated the building of the province’s first fish hatchery.

A network of relatively easy trails makes exploring in the vicinity of the hatchery worthwhile at any time. Following the river downstream you can meet up again with the bus network at Park Royal shopping center. Catch the #250 Vancouver bus or indeed any Vancouver-bound bus back downtown from the south side of Marine Drive.

Bull Kelp <<->> Cattails

Some call it ‘salmon watching’ but watching people watch salmon is more like it. The Adam’s River salmon run peaks every four years attracting a quarter million people who line the banks of the crystal clear stream to witness the return of ten times as many sockeye salmon. An elegy of life played out in miniature, the spectacle of the life cycle closing is often described as an emotional experience by onlookers. Many are moved to tears as they watch natural selection in its most perfect expression.

Against All Odds: Salmon are thought to use the earth’s magnetic field for navigating on the open ocean. Closer to shore pheromones unique to each river are relied upon to hone in on the waterway of their birth. Salmon are reportedly able to detect the scent of their particular river in concentrations as weak as 1 or 2 parts per million.

Upon returning home, a nesting pair typically releases 4000 eggs before dying. Of these 800 will survive to become tiny salmon fry. Predation or mishap in the river means only 200 smolts will ever reach the ocean. Birds of prey, sea mammals or disease take their toll however with just 10 adults setting out to rediscover the river of their birth. Fishermen will snag 8 of those, leaving a single pair to complete the cycle. Such grim calculations leave no margin of error. Unusually virulent disease, over-fishing, the tirades of global warming or stream damage through logging, construction or pollution could easily upset such a delicate balance sending the species into a downward spiral.

Of the 4000 eggs laid by each female only two will survive to finish the return journey four years later to the place of their birth. The others will succumb to natural and human predation, fisheries mismanagement, natural and human-devised ecological disasters and, finally, the rigours of the 490 km journey upstream against the currents of the mighty Fraser and Thompson Rivers. Only the toughest, the canniest survive.

With their reserves of fat entirely depleted, the crimson flesh of the weary sockeye can be seen through their skin. In a final heroic act the sockeye pair off, fashion a nest in the river gravel, spawn then guard their precious legacy, until exhausted, they die, becoming just food for scavenging eagles and crows and bears and other creatures. In peak years 2½ million typically cram the river and spawning channels to overflowing. In off years too however, sockeye, in fewer numbers, return during September and October. The drama is no less inspiring and, since the crush of migrating humans is considerably less, the experience may be all the more satisfying. 2010 was a peak year so, likewise 2014, 2018 and so on every four years should also mark their triumphant return. 2010 saw a record breaking salmon run which the DFO estimated at 3.8 million sockeye returning to the Adams River as part of a overall run of 8.6 million in the entire Fraser River watershed.

Of course the local Chamber of Commerce, always eager to capitalize on a promising event, has mounted the Salute to the Sockeye to coincide with the quadrennial return. Typical events include the Squilax Pow Wow, Square Dance Weekends, Family Theatre, North Shuswap Artisans Craft & Pottery Sales, Snowmobile Poker Run and so on. Hokey yes, but then again, 2½ million spawning salmon is a hard act to follow.

Greyhound will take you as far as Salmon Arm, east of Kamloops, six times daily. A 30 minute limo or taxi ride will be enough to complete the journey to the banks of the Adams River. Book accommodation or camping sites well ahead of time to avoid disappointment. If you plan on tenting out make sure your sleeping bag can cut the season. There is no camping allowed at Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park where this marvel unfolds but Cottonwood Campsite right next door is ideally situated and features log cabins, showers, even laundry in addition to lakeside campsites.

Cottonwood Campsite:

RR#1, S8, C9
Chase , British Columbia
Canada, V0E 1M0

(250) 679-8406

There are 272 campsites available at Shuswap Lake Provincial Park 13 km further along the road.

About the Author: Brian Grover <<->> Bald Eagles