Black Mountain


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What:  1217m.  An easy bag with partial views.

Where:  Black Mountain is located in Cypress Provincial Park on the Baden Powell Trail above West Vancouver, BC.

Difficulty: 1/5  Well-marked trail
Runnability: 4/5 Popular Baden Powell Trail offers many opportunities to open it up
Peak view: 2/5
Partial views of surrounding peaks and islands of Howe Sound
Scenery: 4/5 Mostly second growth forests. Ocean views.  Small lake.
Children: 5/5 Child friendly
Dogs: 1/5 On leash.  Check for other potential restrictions in BC Parks.

Route overview:  Black Mountain is located on the Baden Powell (BP) Trail above Horseshoe Bay in Cypress Provincial Park. 

Trip distance:  From the Cypress parking lot, roughly 3 km. 

Trip time:  From Lions Bay, anticipate 2.5 - 5 hours.  Add an hour or so if you have to park a long way from trailhead in Lions Bay.  From Cypress, plan for 2 - 4 hours.  This assumes a moderate running pace and some contingency for getting lost.

Safety: 

  • Cellular coverage is inconsistent.
  • GPS spotty under tree cover
  • Ski lodge at Cypress.
  • Recommend you bring your Baggers Companion

Name Origin:  Charted in about 1860 by Captain Richards of the Royal Navy, and presumably named by him.  At some time the mountain was ravaged by a forest fire, which left many charred stumps, giving a black appearance which still lasts.

Headwaters for:  Some small streams.

Getting there:  Drive to Cypress Mountain Provincial Park.  Park in paid lot. 

Route Details:  Black is on the west side of the Cypress Bowl ski area on the Baden Powell (BP) Trail. 

  • Take Howe Sound Crest Trail (HCST) past the lodge
  • Baden Powell (BP) trail forks left and uphill.  Wide, dirt and gravel trail parallels ski lifts to the alpine area. 
  • Singletrack on BP trail to the peak.
  • actual peak is a large rock outcropping about 3m to the east of the trail.  

Neighboring peaks:

  • Bagger Challenge peaks St. Marks, Hollyburn and Mount Strachan are relatively close.  Several other Howe Sound peaks are baggable within same day by a strong runner

Submitted by:  Ean Jackson and David Crerar

More information: 


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