Hiking Eagle Bluffs via Black Mountain in Cypress Park
Contents
Eagle Bluffs via Black Mountain Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 8Km
Elevation Gain: 435m
Highest Elevation: 1,217m
Average Gradient: 10.8%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 4 – 5 Hours
– Moderate: 3 – 4 Hours
– Fast: 2 – 3 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Eagle Bluffs via Black Mountain Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°23’43.6″N 123°12’13.2″W
Eagle Bluffs via Black Mountain Overview
Eagle Bluffs, in Cypress Provincial Park, is a viewpoint on the North Shore of Vancouver overlooking the Howe Sound, Bowen Island and the city of Vancouver.
This is a very popular hike and can be completed year round, with many people (myself included) preferring to tackle this hike in the winter when the trail is covered in snow and Cypress Provincial Park becomes a winter wonderland. That being said it’s also a popular summer hike if you are looking for something simple, relatively short and close to the city but also offering a nice viewpoint at the end.
Due to its ease of access, relatively moderate difficulty and panoramic viewpoint, Eagle Bluffs is a very popular trail and usually has a lot of traffic on any sunny day. The trail also passes the picturesque Cabin Lake as well the less interesting Black Mountain, which is higher than Eagle Bluffs but its viewpoint has little prominence, so the views are largely obscured and far less appealing than Eagle Bluffs itself.
There are two routes to Eagle Bluffs, one beginning at the Cypress Bowl, which this article covers, and another ascending via the Baden Powell trail, passing Whyte Lake on the way. This option is significantly harder so the vast majority of people opt to begin and end at Cypress Bowl, though having completed each route if you want a challenge the Baden Powell route is quite the adventure.
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Eagle Bluffs via Black Mountain worthwhile?
Eagle Bluffs is worth it if you are looking for something quick and easy that’s close to the city. I certainly wouldn’t dedicate a blue bird summer day to it as there are far better hikes to be had and this is a hike you can really do in a few hours at any time of year, but it’s definitely a worthy little hike with a nice viewpoint at the end. If you want something simple in the winter, this is a great option.
How difficult is the hike to Eagle Bluffs via Black Mountain?
While the overall stats for this hike are fairly moderate at 8km and 435m of elevation gain, a large amount of that elevation occurs at the very start of the hike, with a 1.5km portion of the hike including almost 300m elevation, or an average gradient of 20%. This portion is pretty tiring, but once you reach the top of Black Mountain the rest of the hike is a pretty mellow stroll.
Technically speaking this hike is straightforward with an easy to follow trail. After you leave Black Mountain the trail becomes less well maintained but it should still be easy to follow. At no point will you be using hands on this trail.
Eagle Bluffs via Black Mountain Route Information
Similar to many hikes in Cypress Provincial Park the trail begins at Cypress Creek Lodge. Walk towards the information sign for the ski runs and go to the left of it, walking towards the Eagle Express ski lift. Just before the lift you will see a small trail to the right which you want to take, before immediately taking the left turn, which should be signposted as the Yew Lake Trail.
After 100m or so on this trail you’ll leave the Yew Lake Trail and take a trail going up Black Mountain. This is where the steep section of the hike begins, albeit moderately at first. As you climb up through the forest the gradient will begin to get steeper and steeper as you walk beside one of the Cypress ski runs. After a few hundred meters you will hit a really steep section of switchbacks with the gradient surpassing 35% at times. Still, while steep it’s straightforward so just plug away.
After around 1.8km you’ll reach a split in the trail, left will go to Eagle Bluffs but skip past Cabin Lake and Black Mountain, while right will go to both. I find it best to hit them up on the outbound part of the hike, making the return slightly easier.
Immediately after turning right you will come to Cabin Lake. This is a beautiful spot in the summer that many people like to swim in. In the winter? Yeah, not so much to see unfortunately as the lake is buried in snow so you may as well move on pretty sharpish. Continuing on the trail, after around 100m more you will reach the summit of Black Mountain. This is the highest point on the hike but certainly not the most interesting, though you will get some partial views. Most don’t stick around here long and just keep going to Eagle Bluffs where the views are considerably better.
Since you’re now at the highest point the rest of the hike to Eagle Bluffs is downhill, though sadly you’ll have to come back uphill on the return leg, which is never fun.
Shortly after leaving Black Mountain you’ll reach another junction where the trail rejoins those who opted not to head towards Cabin Lake / Black Mountain. You’ll go right at this junction and this is where the trail stops being maintained. Not to worry, it’s still easy enough to follow as it’s so popular.
The remaining 2km or so of the outbound hike will take you alongside a few different lakes, namely Owen and Cougar lakes, while crisscrossing a variety of streams. In the summer this is likely easy to navigate but in the winter/spring you might want to be careful with your footing as there’s a possibility of streams running beneath the snow. Once or twice I almost stepped through the snow directly into the stream running below.
Another note if doing this in the winter, especially on a sunny day, prepare for a lot of snow falling from the trees above you. It may as well have been actively snowing when I went, there was so much snowfall from the trees, often large chunks of it, you had to have your wits about you for snow falling on you.
Anyway, the final part of the trail will take you through some dense forest before finally opening up onto the Eagle Bluffs ridge. The view will now be expansive, overlooking Bowen Island, the City of Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and even as far as Mount Baker on a clear day. Thankfully Eagle Bluffs is a fairly large area with plenty of seating options with a nice view, as it can get pretty populated here on a nice day.
There are also a lot of Whisky Jack’s here, and if you stand with your hand out there is every chance one will fly over in search of food. Please do not feed them human food though as this causes all sorts of issues. Unfortunately most people are completely unaware (or don’t care) and feed them all sorts of food just to get a photo of them.
After soaking in the views, having a snack and frolicking with the birds for a while you simply head back the way you came. There is one section where you can opt to take a different route where you will either go left to head back up Black Mountain/Cabin Lake or go right and go back via Sam and Theagill Lake. You may as well go right as you already saw Black Mountain/Cabin Lake and going right reduces the climb marginally.
I ended up getting lost on the way back and following a person’s tracks that went to the top of a ski run. It was no loss though as I had the pleasure of glissading down the ski run on my butt until I rejoined the trail further down. A lot of fun and a quick descent, though I’m sure frowned upon by Cypress Mountain Resort so I don’t advise it!
When should I hike Eagle Bluffs via Black Mountain?
As with Bowen Lookout, Eagle Bluffs is a year round hike. I like going in the winter as it’s a bit of a winter wonderland at the top and I prefer to aim higher in the summer. If you go in the winter it’s unlikely you will need snowshoes, but microspikes are a must and gaiters will likely help.
Top Tip
You can easily combine Eagle Bluffs with Bowen Lookout & Yew Lake if you want a bit of a longer adventure, this is what I did and it made for a decent distance. If you want a much harder route perhaps consider the Baden Powell route up, though I definitely wouldn’t try this in winter as it’s very steep and not at all traveled at that time of year.
