Mount Seymour Webcam – Check the Snow on Mystery Peak

The Mount Seymour Webcam is mounted on the unload station of the Mystery Peak Express chairlift, at the top of the Mt Seymour ski area in North Vancouver, British Columbia. It looks across the open crest of Mystery Peak: a gravel track curving away past a small log cabin and a canvas yurt on a raised wooden platform, a run-sign board, and a rocky granite knob rising above the firs on the left. Beyond the nearest trees, forested ridges and a line of distant mountains fill the horizon on clear days. A second tab carries the ski area’s Stoke-O-Meter, a graduated snow stake. When cloud sits on the peak, the main picture turns a flat grey and only the closest trees and buildings show through.

About Mount Seymour and Mystery Peak

Mount Seymour rises to 1,449 meters (4,754 feet) inside Mount Seymour Provincial Park, which was established in 1936. Park and mountain are both named for Frederick Seymour, governor of British Columbia from 1864 to 1869. The summit ridge climbs in steps: Pump Peak first, then Tim Jones Peak, which only received its official name in 2017, and finally the main summit, often called Third Peak. The camera is not up there. It stands on Mystery Peak, about 1,230 meters (4,035 feet) high, and the true summit lies farther north along the ridge, out of shot.

Swedish emigrant Harald Enqvist built a lodge on the mountain in 1938, and his name lives on in the Enquist Lodge and the Enquist Tube Park. The province bought the area in 1949 and privatized it in 1984, and the Wood family has run the ski area ever since. Five lifts serve a vertical drop of 330 meters (1,083 feet) above a base at 935 meters (3,068 feet).

The 35-year-old Mystery Peak double chair came down in April 2012, and a Doppelmayr detachable quad, the Mystery Peak Express, went in over that summer in time for the 2012-13 season. It cut the ride to the top from nearly nine minutes to about four and doubled the lift’s capacity from 700 to 1,400 people an hour. The sign board on the right of the frame shows where skiers head from the unload: a green-circle run called Manning, the blue-square runs Velvet Gully, Elevator Shaft and Back Door, and the way across to the Brockton Chairlift. The current broadcast from this camera has been running since February 2022.

Weather and Climate on Mount Seymour

Modelled 10-year averages for the peak’s elevation put December to February highs just below freezing, around -2 to 0°C (29 to 32°F), with lows of -6 to -8°C (18 to 21°F). November is typically the wettest month, with around 570 mm (22 inches) of precipitation, and because average lows stay below freezing from November to April, a lot of what falls up here lands as snow. Spring arrives slowly: April highs average about 5°C (41°F) and nights still drop below freezing.

Summer is short and mild. July and August highs average 17 to 18°C (63 to 64°F), with lows around 8 to 9°C (46 to 48°F), and these are the driest months, with under 100 mm (4 inches) each. That is when the camera shows bare granite, browned grass and the gravel service track. September averages around 13°C (56°F) by day, October about 7°C (45°F) with nights close to freezing, and October’s precipitation is roughly double September’s.

Things to Do Near Mount Seymour

In winter there is the ski area itself: the Mystery Peak Express, the Brockton Chairlift signposted from its top, the Enquist Tube Park and dedicated snowshoe trails. Beyond the ski area boundary, the Mount Seymour Backcountry Access Trail leads toward the summit, and the easier First Lake Trail takes about an hour and a half on skis or two hours on snowshoes. Overnight parking for backcountry trips is allowed in parking lot P1.

Once the snow melts, the park has 14 hiking trails. The Mystery Lake and Mystery Peak loop is 4.8 km (3 miles) with 255 meters (837 feet) of climbing and takes two to three hours at a moderate pace. It tops out on Mystery Peak beside this camera, where the best views look toward Vancouver and Pump Peak stands to the northwest, and De Pencier Bluffs makes a good extension. Other trails in the park include Dog Mountain, Goldie Lake, Flower Lake, Dinky Peak, Elsay Lake and the Baden-Powell Trail. The park’s Deep Cove lookout faces the Fraser Valley and Mount Baker.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Two more North Shore ski mountains and a North Vancouver waterfront have cameras of their own.

• Cypress Mountain Webcam
• Grouse Mountain Webcam
• Deep Cove Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Mount Seymour located?

Mount Seymour is in Mount Seymour Provincial Park in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The park is reached by Mount Seymour Road, just north of Mount Seymour Parkway, and BC Parks puts it about 15 km (9 miles) from downtown Vancouver.

What can you see on the Mount Seymour Webcam?

The main camera looks across the crest of Mystery Peak from the top of the Mystery Peak Express, with a log cabin, a yurt, a run-sign board, a rocky granite knob on the left and distant mountains on the horizon. The Snow Stake tab shows the ski area’s Stoke-O-Meter, with a cut-out Sasquatch silhouette beside it.

Is there snow on Mount Seymour today?

Check the Snow Stake tab first. The Stoke-O-Meter is a graduated stake standing on a flat board, and fresh snow builds up against its scale, so a new fall is easy to read off. The Mystery Peak view then tells you whether the top of the ski area is white or still bare gravel and grass.

Can you see Vancouver from the Mount Seymour Webcam?

No. The camera looks across the top of the ski area toward trees and mountain ridges, and the city, Burrard Inlet and the sea are all out of shot. Hikers on Mystery Peak do get views toward Vancouver.

What is the weather like on Mount Seymour?

Cold and snowy in winter, mild in summer, and wet from autumn to spring. Winter highs sit around -2 to 0°C (29 to 32°F) at the peak, and July and August highs reach 17 to 18°C (63 to 64°F). November is usually the wettest month and July the driest.

Does the Mount Seymour cam work at night?

The stream keeps running, but the summit is barely lit after dark, so the Mystery Peak picture goes almost black overnight. Daylight frames return on the same stream each morning, with no need to reload the page.

Can you hike to the summit of Mount Seymour?

Yes. The route climbs the ridge over Pump Peak and Tim Jones Peak to the 1,449 meter (4,754 foot) main summit. In winter BC Parks rates the Backcountry Access Trail a 7 km (4.3 mile) return trip, moderate to difficult, taking about three hours on skis or four on snowshoes.

Source: Mt Seymour