Black Mountain and Bowen Lookout
49°24′ N 123°13′ WATES Simple terrain1,217 mSeasonal
Black Mountain and Bowen Lookout in West Vancouver's Cypress Provincial Park suit a first snowshoe or ski tour on Vancouver's North Shore, because Avalanche Canada rates both marked BC Parks trails simple, and the price of entry is a free tag and a walk through a busy ski area on the backcountry access corridor.
Road closure
Cypress Bowl Road shuts to cyclists while crews repave it
Crews started repaving 12 km of Cypress Bowl Road on 13 July 2026, from the District of West Vancouver works yard at the bottom up to Cypress Mountain Resort, and BC Parks bars cyclists from the road until they finish. Cars still get through to Cypress Park and the ski area. Expect delays and single-lane alternating traffic on gravel. Some roadside lots and turnoffs are hard to get into while the crews work there. BC Parks still listed the closure on 16 October 2026 and expects the paving to be done by the end of October.
Checked 2026-10-17 · bcparks.ca
Photo keepitsurreal · Flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Field card · Backcountry zone · No. 001 · checked 16 Oct 2026
Carpool on winter weekends, when the lots fill fast.
Road closure
Cypress Bowl Road shuts to cyclists while crews repave it
Crews started repaving 12 km of Cypress Bowl Road on 13 July 2026, from the District of West Vancouver works yard at the bottom up to Cypress Mountain Resort, and BC Parks bars cyclists from the road until they finish. Cars still get through to Cypress Park and the ski area. Expect delays and single-lane alternating traffic on gravel. Some roadside lots and turnoffs are hard to get into while the crews work there. BC Parks still listed the closure on 16 October 2026 and expects the paving to be done by the end of October.
Checked 2026-10-17 · bcparks.ca
Read the terrain
Both BC Parks trails reach the backcountry by the access corridor through the Cypress alpine ski area, which green circular signs mark, and red poles take over on the trails beyond it. The Black Mountain trail climbs to the plateau and wanders between small subalpine lakes and over the south summit. The Bowen Lookout trail runs past Yew Lake and along Pumphouse Road before a short climb to the lookout. Avalanche Canada's Trip Planner maps the Black Mountain winter trail, its ski-area access and the Bowen Lookout trail as simple terrain.
Gate rules
- BC Parks sends everyone heading for Black Mountain or Bowen Lookout through the backcountry access corridor from 1 November to 31 May. Follow the green circular signs through the ski area.
- Pick up a free backcountry access tag in the Brown Bag Room of Black Mountain Lodge before you set off. BC Parks' winter map also marks a backcountry self-registration area at the lodge.
- Cypress Mountain's uphill policy bans uphill skiing and snowshoeing inside the alpine ski area boundary during daily operations, so climb on the corridor alone.
- BC Parks tows vehicles left overnight anywhere except Lot 3B and warns that a car left in the wrong lot can start a search.
Watch for these hazards
- BC Parks says all three marked winter trails in Cypress Provincial Park travel through avalanche terrain, and a simple rating on Avalanche Canada's map still means some exposure.
- BC Parks strongly discourages winter travel to Eagle Bluffs and along the Howe Sound Crest Trail past Bowen Lookout. Its winter map warns that trails out there are unmarked in winter and that rescue services are hard to reach and put rescuers at extreme risk.
- Cypress Mountain warns that grooming and avalanche control work on the ski area overnight and early in the morning creates hazards before the lifts open.
- When mist or fog closes in and you lose your bearings, BC Parks tells you to stay where you are until it clears or someone finds you.
- BC Parks lists black bears and coyotes among the park's animals and says cougars are seen now and then. Feeding dangerous wildlife such as bears is an offence under British Columbia's Wildlife Act.
Pick a route that suits the day
Black Mountain Plateau trail
Simple terrain
From the corridor the red-poled trail climbs steep switchbacks to the plateau, then loops past Cabin Lake and other small lakes and over Black Mountain's south summit. Avalanche Canada's Trip Planner maps the winter line as simple terrain.
Bowen Lookout trail
150 m ascent · Simple terrain
The trail runs mostly flat past Yew Lake and along Pumphouse Road, then gains about 150 m before dipping slightly to the lookout. BC Parks strongly discourages any winter travel along the Howe Sound Crest Trail beyond it.
See the terrain in 3D
Go with a guide
Drive 14.8 km to the end of Cypress Bowl Road for both trails, and stop first at Black Mountain Lodge. Ask in the Brown Bag Room for the free backcountry access tag, then follow the green circular signs of the corridor through the ski area until the red poles of the BC Parks trails take over. BC Parks runs the corridor from 1 November to 31 May.
Black Mountain is the one with a climb. The trail zigzags up steep switchbacks to the plateau and then wanders past Cabin Lake and other little subalpine lakes and over the south summit. Bowen Lookout is the easier trip, mostly flat past Yew Lake and along Pumphouse Road with about 150 m of climbing at the end. Avalanche Canada's Trip Planner rates both winter lines simple.
Turn around at the lookout in winter. BC Parks strongly discourages going on to Eagle Bluffs or along the Howe Sound Crest Trail, and its winter map warns of unmarked trails and avalanche terrain beyond, where a rescue puts volunteers at extreme risk. Camping is banned on the plateau and at the lookout, and the whole park sits under a permanent campfire ban. Cypress Provincial Park lies in the territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation).
Worth knowing
- Leave a trip plan with someone at home: your route, your group, your start time and your turnaround time, plus when they should call 911. North Shore Rescue points people to the free planner at adventuresmart.ca.
- Pack North Shore Rescue's ten essentials and put a headlamp first. The team says lack of light causes more overdue-hiker callouts than anything else.
- Take an AST 1 before you tour beyond these simple trails. Avalanche Canada sets the course at two days or more and lists licensed providers at avalanche.ca/training/courses.
- Carpool or take the Cypress Coach Lines bus on winter weekends, when BC Parks says parking fills fast.
Quick answers about Black Mountain and Bowen Lookout
Do you need a pass to snowshoe to Black Mountain from Cypress?
Yes. You need a free backcountry access tag from the Brown Bag Room in Black Mountain Lodge, and BC Parks requires it on the Black Mountain and Bowen Lookout trails from 1 November to 31 May.
Can you go past Bowen Lookout on the Howe Sound Crest Trail in winter?
BC Parks strongly discourages it. Its winter map says the trail beyond Bowen Lookout is unmarked in winter and crosses dangerous avalanche terrain, and that rescue out there is slow and puts rescuers at extreme risk.
Where can you park overnight at Cypress Mountain?
Park in Lot 3B. BC Parks allows overnight parking there free of charge and tows vehicles left overnight in any other lot.
Is Black Mountain avalanche terrain?
Yes. BC Parks says each of its three marked Cypress winter trails travels through avalanche terrain. Avalanche Canada's Trip Planner rates the Black Mountain winter trail simple, the lowest of its three classes, so carry a transceiver, probe and shovel and read the forecast.
How long is a tour on Black Mountain and Bowen Lookout?
A typical tour on Black Mountain and Bowen Lookout climbs black Mountain tops out at 1,217 m by BC Parks' figure, and North Shore Rescue puts the Cypress parking lot at about 915 m. BC Parks says most of the Black Mountain climb comes on a series of steep switchbacks below the plateau. The Bowen Lookout trail stays mostly flat and gains about 150 m on its last section.
When can you ski tour Black Mountain and Bowen Lookout?
The touring season on Black Mountain and Bowen Lookout runs bC Parks runs the backcountry access corridor through the ski area from 1 November to 31 May. Avalanche Canada starts its daily forecasts for 2026/27 on 25 November at 4 pm.
Do you need a guide for Black Mountain and Bowen Lookout?
Experienced, equipped groups tour Black Mountain and Bowen Lookout on their own, though a local guide finds better snow.
Where do you check avalanche danger for Black Mountain and Bowen Lookout?
Read the day's bulletin from Avalanche Canada (https://avalanche.ca/map) before every tour on Black Mountain and Bowen Lookout.
How do you get to the Black Mountain and Bowen Lookout trailhead?
The BC Parks kiosk beside Cypress Creek Lodge, Cypress alpine base trailhead is about 35 min by car from Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in winter, 24.4 km on the road.
Within 40 km
Ski resorts nearby
Within 80 km
Backcountry zones nearby
Within 35 km
Places to stay nearby
Within 35 km
