Is it raining today in Vancouver? Do you want to get outside and walk anyway? Well, the Three Chop trail below Mount Seymour is a great option for a soggy hike. The trail is in the trees for most of the way, and Vancouver’s rainforests are best seen glistening in the rain. Get ready for gushing streams, mushrooms and moss-covered trees along this short, sweet trail.

This loop is made up of three main trails; Old Buck Trail, Three Chop Trail and the Baden Powell Trail. It’s likely you’ll see happy, wet dogs along the way, but it’s not very busy.

Three Chop Trail map

This is the map of the trail we meant to do. We couldn’t find parking at the Baden Powell Trail, so we just parked at the mushroom parking lot (further up Mount Seymour.) My recording is here.

Three Chop Trail Loop – the basics

Distance: 6 km (the route we did was 10km)
Cumulative Elevation gain: 390m (I recorded 510m)
Highest Point: 1591m,
Time: 2 hours (We recorded about 2hrs 20 moving time, but we hiked in for an extra 3km.)
What to bring: The 10 Essentials
Facilities: Parking and loos at either trailhead.
Dogs: Great for dogs, but you should keep them on a lead
How hard is it? Easy. This is a good short, dog walking route. Just be ready for a rooty trail in some sections.
Extra notes: This is a great option for rainy days.

Three Chop Trail – Getting started

If you arrive early (or get lucky) you can park on the Baden Powell trail, right by Mount Seymour road. If not, keep driving up to the mushroom parking lot and hike to the start on the Old Buck Access trail.

Old Buck Trail

The Old Buck trail part of this walk is a steady uphill. The path is in good condition, but I wasn’t! Marc took the photo below while I was hanging down to catch my breath. Covid-19 messed with my lungs, so although I consider this walk easy – I didn’t actually find it easy. Just in case you think that because we hike a lot, we are super fit. We’re always working on it!

Three Chop trail – Mushrooms

One of the best things about the rainforests along these trails is that they are amazing for finding mushrooms, especially in autumn. We once did a mushroom foraging tour in Lynn Valley so we always love looking out for fabulous fungi. If you do the loop clockwise, the three chop trail is almost all downhill. It’s much easier to look for mushrooms hiking downhill as you’re often looking at the ground anyway!

Baden Powell Trail

The third part of the loop is the Baden Powell trail. It’s a little wider and just lovely. Again, it there is a gradual slope uphill, but it seemed easier as the path is so good.

You need to be careful when you cross the Mount Seymour road (as cars and bikes really zoom down that hill!) But other than that, you can forget the outside world and allow yourself to be swallowed by the forest.

Fair weather hikers?

We did this after a few weeks of drought and fires and smoke here in British Columbia, so it was sooo lovely to get outside and enjoy the rain. But the forests near Vancouver are lovely in all types of weather. I am a huge fan in the spring when the sun shines through the new growth; Summer for berries and the sweet smell of pine oil; Autumn (and well anytime really) for the mist or rain and winter for the ice-covered wonderland.

Other fun trails for rainy days:

• Waterfall trails are often great in the rain. On Vancouver’s North shore, we love Kennedy Falls, or Norvan Falls for longer walks or Cypress Falls for a mini adventure.
• Lynn Valley – the Sea to Sky trail, Lynn Canyon (for the waterfalls) or Lynn Loop
• Lower Mount Fromme or the Baden Powell trail from Grouse to Lynn Canyon
• Capilano Suspension Bridge and the Capilano River are lovely in the rain too.

I love easy, rainy day hikes like this through the forest. They might not be as exciting as hiking to viewpoints in the sunshine, but my heart is filled with joy by getting outside! What do you think? Do you fancy exploring Vancouver’s rainforests when they are dripping wet?