Vancouver's North Shore peaks are at the southern end of the great Coast Range, a mountainous ridge composed of granitic and lesser metamorphic rocks that extends 2000 km from Alaska to Vancouver. Granitic rocks are easy to see in cliffs along Highway 1 in West Vancouver, and along the access roads to Cypress Bowl and Mt. Seymour ski areas.

A view of Lynn Canyon and suspension bridge from the boulder bed of Lynn Creek. This canyon has been cut into granitic bedrock by the flow of Lynn Creek.

The Capilano River drains a mountain watershed. Capilano Lake, an important water supply for Vancouver, was formed by the flooding of the upper Capilano valley behind the Cleveland Dam. The dam was constructed at the upstream end of the canyon of the Capilano River. The canyon is cut into granitic rock.

View of Lynn Creek from suspension bridge. Within its canyon, Lynn Creek has carved a series of pools and waterfalls into the granitic bedrock. Erosion occurs primarily during winter floods by the scouring action of tumbling rock debris.

Abundant large boulders in Lynn Creek reflect the power of its raging floods. Finer sand and gravel is swept downstream by floodwaters, leaving behind only the boulders. The abundance of granitic boulders reflects the dominance of granitic bedrock underlying the drainage basin of Lynn Creek.

Granitic rock is composed of an intergrowth of dark (due to high iron and manganese content) and light-coloured minerals giving it a "salt and pepper" texture. Minerals include grey feldspar and quartz and black mica (biotite) and amphibole.