Cypress Falls Park - Vancouver Hiking Trails

The beautiful Cypress Falls trail has two nice waterfalls to see as well as an impressive forest of old growth Cedars and Douglas Firs.  From the trailhead to the lower falls is easy to follow.  There are quite a few smaller trails that join the main trail leading to various connecting routes to the main trail.  Always stay on the main trail to avoid getting lost.

When you reach the lower falls the main trail splits in two.  You can either back up and continue again on the main trail heading up the west side of the creek and leading to the upper Cypress Falls.

You can also cross the creek and follow the trail to an amazing, old growth forest.  Continuing through the forest will lead to a gate and fence.  Turn left here and you will connect back on the trail to the upper Cypress Falls.

The roundtrip hike to both the lower and upper falls is about 3k and is very family friendly taking about an hour to complete.  Another beautiful trail close by and also fairly easy and family friendly is the wonderful Lighthouse Park, just a short drive away.

Directions to Cypress Falls Park

Heading west on Highway #1 towards Horseshoe Bay, take exit #4, then turn right onto Woodgreen Drive, then right on Woodgreen Place and look for the sign for Cypress Falls Regional Park.  Parking is free.  49.35261,-123.2411 Cypress Falls Trailhead

More Hikes Near Cypress Falls

Lighthouse Park is an extraordinarily little known piece of paradise, so close to to Vancouver as to see its tall buildings, yet immersed into a dramatically beautiful coastal rainforest.  A wonderful network of hiking trails winds throughout massive Douglas-fir trees and Western Red Cedars as well as golden Arbutus trees stretching toward the ocean.  There are so many great aspects of this hike.  The first is the beautiful drive to get there.  Marine Drive spectacularly hugs the rugged and steep coast of West Vancouver.  This beautiful stretch of road is a great attraction to Lighthouse Park as it takes you along an easily overlooked, yet beautiful area of Vancouver.  Another great attraction to the park is the wonderful variation of trails.  They stretch out in several directions in the thick forest, each leading to breathtaking ocean viewpoints.  Another is the variety of wildlife.  Along with the majestic trees there are the occasional bald eagles, oystercatchers, seagulls, shore crabs, hermit crabs and starfish, among quite a lot else.  Another is the seemingly endless array of picnic tables and even better, rock outcrops at the edge of the Georgia Strait and Pacific Ocean beyond.  Black Mountain can be reached from two different trailheads.  The trailhead from Cypress Resort and the original trail off Marine Drive halfway between Horseshoe Bay and Lighthouse Park.  The trailhead south of Horseshoe Bay is a challenging 19 kilometre roundtrip hike but fantastically scenic.  This route follows the Trans Canada Trail for about 20 minutes before branching off toward, then past Whyte Lake. The Cypress Mountain Resort is the newer, shorter and easier way to access Black Mountain and Eagle Bluffs.  Located just a short and very nice, 30 minute drive from downtown Vancouver, the Black Mountain and Eagle Bluffs trail begins next to the Cypress Mountain Resort chairlifts.  The well marked trail branches away from the chairlift to the left and quickly ascends into the deep and beautiful forest.  Follow the clear signs to Eagle Bluffs.  The route can be done in a circle route, so try to take the other route on the way back for variety.  Stanley Park in downtown Vancouver is a beautiful and astoundingly huge network of hiking/walking/biking trails.  An estimated 8 million hikers, walkers, rollerbladers and cyclists visit the park yearly.  The wonderful spider web of trails throughout the park add up to a staggering 200 kilometres, which explains how the park generally feels serene and relatively quiet most days despite its phenomenal popularity.  Any visit to Vancouver should include a wander around Stanley Park.  Everything about it is beautiful.  The seawall, the huge trees, the ocean views, small beaches, the gardens.  The Vancouver Aquarium is a great sight to see as well as the various landmarks scattered throughout the park.  The pitch and putt golf course, the seaside swimming pool, the Theatre Under the Stars, the Nine O'Clock Gun, Siwash Rock and of course the Hollow Tree.  Finally, seeing the Lions Gate Bridge from below as you pass under via the seawall is quite a sight.  The Kitsilano beaches begin as soon as you cross the Burrard Bridge and enter the residential paradise of Kitsilano.  Though only this first beach is named Kitsilano Beach, you can walk from one beach to the next via some short and scenic residential detours.  So you can connect the beautiful Kitsilano Beach to Jericho Beach, then Locarno Beach then Spanish Bank Beach.  Walking them all will add up to about 8k (one way) of wonderfully varied beaches, parks, marinas, the enormous Kits Pool and endless vantage points to English Bay and Burrard Inlet.  This is not a hiking route but rather a fantastic beach walk anytime of the year.  With the changing weather and seasons change the wonderful feel you get walking around Vancouver.  Pacific Spirit Park surrounds the University of British Columbia on the shores of Georgia Straight.  The park has a beautiful array of trails, 73 kilometres in total, that run along beaches, some old growth forest and even a bog.  The network of trails interconnects so often that you can do small 15 minute sections if that is all you are after.  Pacific Spirit Park is one of Vancouver's most popular parks and located in the wonderful and expensive neighbourhood, Point Grey.  You can wander the park for hours if you want as there are an endless number of trails heading in all directions. The park is open during daylight hours and there are plenty of washrooms and food stands.  Most trails are hard packed gravel and only the occasional elevation change.  More than 50 of the 73 kilometres of trails are designated as multi-use, allowing for biking and horseback riding as well as hiking/walking.  Much of the park is in deep forest, however, stairs lead to various beaches along the ocean.  Steep stairs descend through thick forest to finally open up at these unexpectedly beautiful beaches.  Burnaby Mountain, just 30 minutes east of downtown Vancouver has a nice network of popular trails with fantastic views of Vancouver, Burrard Inlet and beyond.