Seymour River - Lower run

Contributed by Claudia Schwab
What It's Like
Easy boulder gardens and gravel bars. Many boulder gardens, gravel bed, low volume; can be a challenge for beginners.
Class
II (III- at high levels)
Scouting / Portaging
Read and run...
Time
1 hour
When to Go
Spring run-off and rain
Gauge
0.904m↓ (Mar 29 03:00)
Description may be outdated.

Gauge: 'Rock' gauge upstream of Mt Seymour Parkway bridge. Medium: 3 – 5. High: 6-8. More recent info from a VWC member (thanks!): Online flows of 15 to 45 cms roughly correlate to 2.5 to 5 on the rock. The online gauge tends to read low in the winter.

Scenery: Nice run past backyards of a residential area. Can be quite busy.

Length of Run: 3.5 km.

Special Considerations: Watch for wood. Some rebar on river right between Mt. Seymour Parkway and Dollarton Highway bridges. Access and parking at the put-in have been problematic – see directions. 

Directions: A possible put-in is at a set of stairs down to the river south of property 2301 Riverside Drive in North Vancouver. During the summer months this access point is blocked by a locked gate and parking is restricted to residents. There is a second, lower put-in at Swinburn Avenue. To reach the take-out drive south on Riverside Dr across Mt Seymour Parkway. Turn right on Dollarton Hwy and left again at Riverside Drive West. Immediately after railroad tracks turn right and follow a road to the water.

Description: This run is great for beginners at low and medium water levels, with lots of boulders to practice your eddy turns and ferries. The boulder gardens turn into hole gardens at higher levels. When the river is high (>6 on the gauge) and the tide is low (<3m) an almost river-wide breaking wave forms below Dollarton Highway Bridge at an underwater pipeline. Good (but sometimes shallow) play is to be had.