Last May, I took on a great winter trail option in West Vancouver’s back yard – Cypress Provincial Park. It’s well marked, typically groomed and low traffic. I’ve been meaning to go back!

It’s a trail that gets steeper and steeper as you near the peak, but rewards you with 360 degree views overlooking Vancouver and beyond.

It’s reasonably short at just under 7km in length so can easily be tackled as an after-work pursuit. It also provides particularly beautiful views in the lead up to sunset.

The trail, as the name “Winter Access Trail” suggests, is open throughout the winter months. Micro spikes are a must, if not snowshoes at some points in the season. I’ve previously been when all the trees are neatly covered in a thick blanket of snow, it makes for some magical wintery wonderland-like scenery.

Be warned: If you decide to have a summit snack, you’ll be aggressively “greeted” by pesky Whiskey Jacks! Although I didn’t include any shots of the peak here, you can trust that the gorgeous views of The Two Sisters, Grouse and Howe Sound are all worth the fated attacks.

P.S Unfortunately the images for this post had to get compressed quite a bit – excuse the blurryness!