Adventure & Outdoors
Swim an Alpine Lake at Mystery Lake
You haul up 150 metres on Mount Seymour, the lake gives you rock islands to swim to. Fair deal.
Mount Seymour Provincial Park, top of Mount Seymour Road
More infoAdventure & Outdoors
You haul up 150 metres on Mount Seymour, the lake gives you rock islands to swim to. Fair deal.
Mount Seymour Provincial Park, top of Mount Seymour Road
More infoMystery Lake promises a Netflix thriller and delivers something better: a clear, cold alpine lake on Mount Seymour you can actually swim in. It is only 2.3 km return, but 150 m of gain over roots and loose rock makes sure you earn the plunge. Best part? Little rock islands sit mid-lake, close enough to swim out and sun yourselves on like contented otters.
Drive to the very top of Mount Seymour Road and park in the main Mount Seymour lot (P1); the Mystery Lake trail leaves from the northeast corner of the lot, well-signed. It's a short but rooty, rocky climb, about 2.3 km return with ~150 m of gain, so wear real shoes even though it's quick. Don't miss swimming out to the rock islands in the middle of the lake, the water's clear and cold and the flat rocks make a perfect picnic-and-dry-off spot. Shorter-route option: even just reaching the first lake viewpoint a few minutes before the shore gives you the postcard, so this is hard to shorten and easy to love. Bring swimsuits and a towel May through October. Good news for 2026: no day pass is needed in summer and parking is free, first-come, first-served, but the lot fills on hot weekends, so go early.
Been here? Share a useful detail from your visit, or ask what you want to know before going. Reader experiences are self-reported.
