A 17-year-old from Ontario is dead after climbing over a fence and falling off the edge of a cliff in a popular park in North Vancouver, B.C.

Dwayne Derban, assistant fire chief with North Vancouver Fire and Rescue, says the boy was in an off-trail area of Lynn Canyon Park when it happened Sunday afternoon.

Derban says there are signs warning people to stay away from dangerous areas, but the boy's friends told firefighters that he had climbed over a fence to get a better look at the river canyon and he "just got too close" to the edge.

Derban says the boy fell onto rocks about 50 metres below the cliff's edge and a first responder with the fire department found he had no pulse.

The teen had been meant to start at the University of British Columbia this fall.

Derban says the area where he fell is "completely safe as long as you stay within the areas that are meant to be walked in," and no one should hop over any fencing.

"People go over and you can see paths on the other side and it looks inviting, like an awesome view, but the dangers that are inherent are just not worth the risk."