Hiking Mount Strachan in Cypress Provincial Park
Contents
Mount Strachan Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 8.60Km
Elevation Gain: 590m
Highest Elevation: 1,459m
Average Gradient: 13.72%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 4.5 – 6 Hours
– Moderate: 3.5 – 4.5 Hours
– Fast: 2.5 – 3.5 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~Mid-June – October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None, though the hike up Christmas Gully is very steep
Mount Strachan Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°23’43.6″N 123°12’12.4″W
Mount Strachan Overview
Mount Strachan is one of the many North Shore summits in Cypress Provincial Park. Of all the peaks in the park, Mount Strachan tends to see some of the least traffic. Compared to St. Marks Summit, Hollyburn Peak, Eagle Bluffs and even Bowen Lookout, Mount Strachan doesn’t get a whole lot of attention, despite the fact it is higher than all of them at 1,459m.
There are in fact two summits to Mount Strachan, with a couple of different routes to reach them. One route follows the Howe Sound Crest Trail before detouring up the very steep Christmas Gully, with the other route a more direct route following the Collins ski run. Each of these are covered in this looped hike to Mount Strachan, which also passes through a military plane crash debris field.
Mount Strachan tends to be hiked more frequently in the summer, especially via the looped route here, since it covers significant avalanche terrain and follows an active ski run in winter. There is also a winter route which avoids the Christmas Gully and the ski run, which can be found here. In the spring, once the Cypress Ski Resort is closed for the season, it’s possible to hike up the unused ski runs to the summit, which makes for the fastest and most direct route of all.
The views from the summit of Mount Strachan are 360 degrees. To the north you will see the Lions & Unnecessary Mountain, to the east lies Crown Mountain, Grouse Mountain Cathedral Mountain (and more), to the south is the southern summit of Mount Strachan and Vancouver, and to the west is the Howe Sound, Black Mountain and Bowen Island.
Mount Strachan is also a relatively popular overnight camping destination given its close proximity to the city and relative ease of access.
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Is Mount Strachan worthwhile?
Hikes on Cypress/Seymour/Grouse are rarely in the 4* – 5* range mostly because the summits are fairly low and therefore the views subdued. While Mount Strachan is arguably more appealing than other North Shore summits, it’s still a fairly low elevation peak and for that reason it’s still a 3* hike.
That being said, for a hike this close to Vancouver and for such a short distance and relatively low elevation gain, you see some really nice views in a short period of time. Christmas Gully in itself is a unique adventure, as is the T-33 plane crash site. Overall Mount Strachan is probably one of the better peaks in Cypress Provincial Park.
How difficult is the hike to Mount Strachan?
At almost 14% average gradient Mount Strachan is a steep hike overall. 560m elevation is quite a bit to climb over just 8.6km so you will certainly be challenged at times on this adventure. Overall though, due to the shortness of this hike I’d say it’s a moderate difficulty. AllTrails has this ranked as difficult, which I find a bit over the top. The only truly difficult part of this hike is the ascent up Christmas Gully, which is very steep admittedly.
Technically speaking this route up to Mount Strachan is a little bit more technical than the out and back route you can also do. I do not suggest the looped route that this page covers during the winter as the ascent up Christmas Gully is incredibly steep and would not only be extremely difficult in snow/ice, it would also be a significant avalanche risk.
While Christmas Gully is unsafe in the winter, in the summer it’s a lot of fun and offers a really nice view of the city. You also get some nice flora and fauna in this gully due to the stream running down it. Other than Christmas Gully this route is mostly straightforward but I do suggest taking an offline map as finding the way back down via the ski runs can be a little confusing, and the plane crash site is easy to miss too!
Mount Strachan Route Information
Like most hikes in Cypress Provincial Park, the hike to Mount Strachan begins at Cypress Creek Lodge. At the north of the lodge you will find an information board. Turn right from this board then take a left on the first trail, the Yew Lake Trail. You’ll immediately come to a junction where you want to keep right and go onto the Howe Sound Crest Trail, following this for a couple of hundred meters before reaching another junction where you keep right again. Honestly, bring an offline map, there are so many little trails at Cypress Creek Lodge half the people that try to hike here relying on signage end up getting lost as it’s a maze initially.
Once you are on the Howe Sound Crest Trail it should be pretty smooth sailing. The gradient starts off gentle. After around 1.5km of this hike you will reach another junction with an information board where going left will take you to Bowen Lookout and carrying on will continue on the Howe Sound Crest Trail. Keep going straight. You’ll soon pass a little lookout point where you can see the Lions off in the distance, before descending along a ridge in the forest, crossing a few streams in the meantime.
It’s all very simple and pleasant with minimal elevation for the first 2.5km of this hike. After following the trail for a little bit further you need to pay attention to your offline map. You’ll come to a bit of an opening where a bridge crosses over a creek. This is the creek that is going down Christmas Gully and you will essentially be climbing it.
Just after the bridge there should be an entrance into the bushes that admittedly is not very obvious. I definitely missed it and had to backtrack to find it, but it’s there. The ground will be very soggy here so I suggest waterproof hiking boots, and there may be a little bit of bushwhacking depending on how trafficked the trail has been.
Either way, the trail is there and just pay attention to your map to make sure you’re heading in the right direction. If you lose the trail, as I did at the beginning, just bushwhack a little until you find it again. Eventually it becomes obvious, it’s just the initial part that is a little confusing.
Once you find the trail in Christmas Gully the climb quickly goes from gentle to steep. You’ll basically be ascending this gully, hugging the line of the stream and generally trying to keep to the left of it. At times you will dip into some trees before coming back out onto the rocky gully ascent. If it’s particularly wet it could be quite muddy and slippery so just be aware.
As you climb higher and higher up this gully the views behind you of the Howe Sound and Bowen Island will open up more and more. The gully itself was incredibly colourful and picturesque when I went in the fall, and personally I found it the highlight of this hike.
As you near the top the gradient will become even steeper and at times you will be using your hands to maintain balance. It’s never exposed and I never felt at risk for a long fall, but it’s definitely very, very steep. Soon you will crest over the top of the gully, remembering to look behind you one more time at the views, having ascended 330m in just 600m distance.
You’re not at the summit just yet, there’s still a little bit more climbing to go. You’ll soon reach a col between the north and south summit of Mount Strachan, we’ll begin on the north summit, so turn left here. After a brief but again steep climb up you will soon be at the top of the north summit. The best views are from this summit so consider this your payoff, the rest of the views are an added bonus.
After resting up head back down to the col between the two summits, now going towards the south summit. The trail here isn’t super obvious as you’re on a rock face, but just keep an eye on your map and go up. This summit is slightly lower than the north summit and the view more obstructed, but you do get a nice view of the north summit itself from the south.
Continuing on the trail, since this is a loop not an out and back, the trail now continues past the south summit. From the south summit there are two trails, one going right down a ski run called T33 and one going to the left through some bushes. You’ll want to go to the left and begin descending into the tree line. This trail is a bit rough and ready and could be slippery and wet, but otherwise it’s straightforward.
Around 500m after descending from the south summit you will reach the T33 crash site, which is impressively intact given it dates back to 1963! There is a plaque there explaining the history of the crash.
After continuing on the trail for another 400m you’ll find yourself on another ski run, Collins. While this isn’t an interesting trail by any means, it’s a lot easier to travel on than the one you just left. Essentially the rest of the hike back to the trailhead follows this ski run all the way back to the parking lot. It’s about 1.5km on a wide open trail with little to see. I did actually see a black bear mooching around here (at a distance), they’re pretty common on Cypress Mountain so keep an eye out.
When should I hike Mount Strachan?
If you’re doing this hike via Christmas Gully I would only go in the summer when there is no snow or ice in the gully. That likely means mid June to late October.
If you want to do Mount Strachan in the winter you will have to do this route which avoids ski hills and Christmas Gully. You can also do this in the summer but it’s not as interesting as the loop.
Top Tip
You definitely want an offline map for this hike, it’s not an easy one to follow and is not marked in any way. Bring appropriate footwear for a very steep and slippery climb as well.
