Cypress Provincial Park, West Vancouver

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Cypress Mountain is a popular skiing (Nordic and alpine), snowboarding, snowshoeing and tobogganing hill high above West Vancouver.

Cypress Provincial Park in scenic West Vancouver is the largest park in the municipality with over 3,000 hectares of land protected within its boundaries. The park offers year round activities such as skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, hiking and biking and has some of the most breathtaking panoramic views in the region.

Cypress Provincial Park encompasses one of three publicly accessible mountains in the Vancouver area. The furthest west of the three, it offers sweeping views of the city of Vancouver and beyond. On days and nights with good visibility it is feasible to see Washington State. Depending on where you are on the mountains you can either see to the north or the south, a view unique to Cypress.

Cypress was named for the bowl that is formed between the two mountains leading to its misleading name; the two actual peaks that comprise of the park are Black Mountain and Mt. Strachan.

Cypress Provincial Park has much to offer all year round. Two mountains with both Nordic and Alpine skiing, snowshoeing and a tobogganing hill make Cypress an attractive destination. The snow can be on the ground from as early as October to as late as June. It is this anomaly that popularizes Vancouver, with its mild temperate climate in the valley and the snow covered peaks in the summer.

The winter months are the most popular as skiing is offered from morning until evening as night skiing is available. With a range of runs for all ability levels and a well outfitted rental shop (which include ski suit rentals for visiting tourists), an updated chalet completed in late 2008, and an amazing view, day or night, of the city and the surrounding wilderness it is not surprising the crowds that travel up the mountain to ski on these hills. Be forewarned, if you are not taking the bus that transports people up to the top in the ski season, it can be very hazardous to drive up the steep roadway without proper snow tires or chains during snowy weather.

The drive up is remarkable at two points, a picnic area mid-mountain that is accessible only in the summer months, and the lookout not much further which offers an amazing view of the Greater Vancouver region.

The summer months, although brief, see Cypress Provincial Park descended upon by many hikers, families and sightseers using only a small portion of its 3,000 hectare sprawl. Several paths weave throughout the lower region and many hikers ascend the ski runs which are clear of trees to admire the views. However, there is snow at the top of Black Mountain and Mt. Strachan which only melts in the hottest months of the year which makes the peaks of Cypress difficult to navigate.

Adventures in any season and almost all weather, Cypress Provincial Park is a popular destination and will be even more popularized as the freestyle skiing and snowboarding venue in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.