St. Marks Summit, Cypress – Vancouver, BC

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Anne-Marie

11km, 4h30
Elevation gain: 460m
Distance from Vancouver: 45min

This is a very nice hike starting from Cypress Mountain main parking lot. Once you walk past the main building, head towards the Lions Express lift. The trailhead starts on the left side. We followed the Howe Sound Crest West trail and walked up the gravel road that goes in switch backs at the beginning. After a few minutes of uphill, the trail gets narrower and turns into a forest trail.

We hiked on a cloudy Sunday and the trail was quite busy. It’s a good workout, close from the city, with great views (when the clouds move away… which we were not quite lucky enough).

Once you reach the summit (indicated by the pole!) you can keep walking a bit further and head to your left towards the rocky area for better views (do not go back down on the trail, it will keep going and lead you to Unnecessary Mountain).

I have heard there are a few camping spots up there to place your tent, but it tends to get quite crowded! View is great though!

Enjoy!