I wrote about Mount Seymour's First Peak aka Pump Peak back in my third week of writing these hiking posts; however, that one was during the winter and the trail was considered safe only up to the first peak. There are actually three peaks at Mount Seymour, but the trail to the second and third peaks are usually not safe for winter travel. So, we decided to revisit the mountain in October 2020, this time with the whole family; and also this time, visiting all three peaks by hiking the full Mount Seymour Trail. The trail is a challenging out and back route that is 8.2km long with about 560m elevation gain. There are certain steep sections, also places with a lot of exposure and require careful traversal.

It was very foggy on the day we went and we were concerned that we will not be able to see any views when we get to the viewpoints. But we drove all this way already, so we decided to go ahead despite the fog, in hopes that they will clear later in the day when we do get to the viewpoints.

Thick fog at the parking lot.

We followed the trail and everything was straight forward, until we reached a point where we saw people standing and waiting at the trail. As we got closer, we realized that a large black bear was very close to the trail and it seem to be finding and eating berries. As it was autumn, there was increased bear activities in the mountains as they scavenge to fill up their bellies for winter hibernation. Everyone on the trail on both sides of the bear stood still at a distance and waited for the bear the leave. The bear remained at its spot for a good 5 minutes before slowly heading off further away from the trail, making it safe for everyone to pass again.

The black bear that we saw.

With the bear out of the way, we continued our hike on trail, passing some steep sections and eventually got on a forked trail to reach the first peak. When we reached the first peak, the sun was high and had burned away part of the fog. We were able to see some views up to a certain distance, but a lot of the view was still blocked by fog and clouds.

Going up a steep section.

View from first peak, we saw these two people chilling.

View from first peak.

We descended the first peak, got back onto the main trail, and continued to the second peak. The trail was clear and easy to navigate, but was steep at certain sections. When we reached the second peak, the fog had returned and we were unable to see anything far in the distance.

Fog came back when we reached the second peak.

We did not linger at the second peak and pushed straight for the third peak, as there was no view to admire. The trail between the second peak and the third peak was supposed to be the most challenging part of the hike according to sources online. Indeed, sources online did not lie and there were multiple steep sections and sections with a lot of exposure. We took our time and went ahead carefully, eventually reaching a section where we had to scramble up a rocky slope. After the short scramble, we finally reached the third peak. There were still a lot of clouds and fog blocking the view below, but we were high enough to be above the clouds. We were able to see a few peaks poking above the clouds, making it a serene scene.

Carefully crossing an exposed section.

Scrambling up to the top at third peak.

View at third peak. Above the clouds with the view blocked by clouds.

I was trying to point out to my kids the mountain peak barely visible behind the clouds.

Check out my previous adventures.