Comments

J Steig from West Vancouver writes:

It is not really accurate to say that "Mount Strachan is one of three mountains that make up the Cypress Ski Resort area in West Vancouver.". Mt. Strachan is one of three mountains that form Cypress Bowl, park of Cypress Provincial Park. The ski resort leases land from British Columbia, that is from the residents of BC, for its ski operations and operates on Mr. Strachan as well as Black Mountain.

Posted: August 17, 2022 03:31:06 PM PST

Peter from Burnaby writes:

A terrific hike as always. Hiked on Sun., Aug 7. Few bugs on the hike up Christmas Gully, and no bugs at the summit as there was a light breeze. Talked to someone who hiked to St Marks the same day and was told there were bugs all over the place at the "summit" of St Marks. Did up and down via the gully for the first time; the first 15 min. of the downhill was very tough, but after that it was not exceptionally difficult. Would recommend using the rocks for the way up as much as possible, and the dirt trail on the way down as much as possible for best footing.

There were

Posted: August 15, 2022 09:56:23 AM PST

Bel from Richmond writes:

Great hike with incredible views. Was not too buggy and it was a beautiful day for a hike. However, we did the loop in reverse of what is described and I would STRONGLY not recommend doing what we did. Going down, instead of up the Christmas gully, and trying the find the few trail markers made for a very stressful experience. I would say that doing this loop in reverse is definitely considered hard and extremely technical. I can imagine that this loop, done in the proper direction from the Howe Sound Crest Trail to Hollyburn would be a fun and satisfyingly challenging hike, sitting in the moderate difficulty range.

Posted: August 24, 2020 11:31:46 AM PST

Sarah from North vancouver writes:

Views are beautiful but give yourself lots of time to get to the summits. Trail is not well marked and doesn't even show up on any maps or sign posts. I started my hike in the afternoon and wish i did it earlier. I only had time to see the south summit. Also, wear good boots. Running shoes will be no good once you reach the Christmas Gully and all the muddy sections downhill.

Posted: October 2, 2019 06:12:35 PM PST

Peter from Burnaby writes:

No snow on trail but a bit of mud, so good shoes a must. There were at least 300 cars in the lot on Saturday ... and we saw 1 hiker on Christmas Gully and 2 people at top of Strachan. It's a tough climb, but views are terrific at the top. Would recommend going up the Gully and down via ski run or forest trail. Down via Gully would be tricky on tired legs.

Posted: July 21, 2019 07:41:13 AM PST

Dannaya from Coquitlam writes:

Did this June 13. Still quite a bit of snow up near the top. Instead of doing the loop as indicated on this site, we started from the opposite way taking the Baden Powell trail and turning off at Old Strachan trail. This turnoff is not marked and very well hidden. Had to go back and forth a couple times before finding it. After crossing a creek it is just a few metres up to the left. There were a couple of fallen tree trunks blocking the way making it hard to see the trail, but it is there. The trail is completely devoid of any markers for large portions. Once we hit the snow we completely lost the trail at one point, but we were fortunately in sight of the ski run and just hopped over to the run. The run will take you all the way up to the South Summit, but there is a place where the trail connects again further up on the right where you get a little bit of a viewpoint north through the trees, which we chose to take. From here you go through a bit of a meadow area (which was completely snow covered) before heading into the trees again past the plane crash site and then a steep scramble to the south summit. There are great views of Howe Sound and the Lions. From here you can continue to the North summit or head back down. Instead of going back the way we came or continuing the loop we chose to just go straight down the ski run, which is not as picturesque but saves a lot of time and is much simpler to navigate.

Posted: June 19, 2019 12:44:37 PM PST

Marlon from Vancouver writes:

Did the hike yesterday Nov 10th. Beautiful but getting pretty icey.

Posted: November 11, 2018 11:54:35 AM PST

crossover from Vancouver, BC writes:

Hiked on 2018.10.21. This is a fun technical trail, especially if you enjoy a bit of trail searching. You should have a good sense of direction because the trail markers are very sporadic once you branch off from the Howe Sound Crest Trail. Most of the crowd heads towards St. Marks so you probably won't have other hikers to follow. The view from the North summit is spectacular (better than the South summit IMO). After reaching the T-33 site, we decided to follow the ski route (for skiiers, that's the Collins run) back to the parking lot which probably saved us at least 30-45 mins. Our legs were tired at the end but we thoroughly enjoy this trail. We will do this again next year. :)

Posted: October 22, 2018 10:43:43 AM PST

Anne from Richmond writes:

Did this hike on October 13, 2018 (beautiful,sunny day). Hadn’t done this loop for 8 years. Finding the route up the gully, then to the north and south summits was fine. Coming down on the trail from the south summit can be tricky because of few markers - the trail does stay nearer to the ski run. Once you reach the steep and technical section the trail is obvious until the meadow. Again, kind of tricky - watch that you end up going up and over the rock and eventually head down into the ravine and away from the ski run. As noted in the trail details, the junction is not marked - turn right. We followed the Old Strachan trail to the Baden Powell. It feels long as it hugs the side of Hollyburn before eventually intersecting the Baden Powell. Old Strachan is reasonably marked, however there are currently 8 falls you have to scramble over. Prior to the scrambles, someone had placed a tree branch over the trail and had drawn an arrow to direct you right and down. Maybe the other trail along Cypress Creek has been cleared & marked? Maybe someone could comment on this. Happy hiking!

Posted: October 17, 2018 08:32:11 PM PST

Petr Basel from Vancouver writes:

We have done this hike few days ago, it was great hike, but I would change the difficulty one rating higher than intermediate. We have done panorama ridge yesterday, it it was easier at times than Strachan. We got lost half way up the climb, somebody put orange markers on trees onto the left and we followed it, there was pretty steep rope climb and than trail heading downhill who knows where. Had to turn around and lost probably 1.5 hours. Steep climb at the end in the creek was pretty wet as well. Overall great hike, views must be nice in a nice day.

Posted: September 25, 2018 09:02:23 AM PST

Dan from North Vancouver writes:

One of my favorite hikes! Not too hard, but steep enough in places to be interesting. Great views, especially from the first peek, and tricky enough to keep the crowds at bay.
Make sure you have a physical map or use the app with gps to keep an eye on where you are, as the markings are not always clear. The old, unmarked trail near the end they mention in the description is very clear to follow, but unmarked. It does save heaps of time though.
We did bump into three bears in the berry covered meadows on the downhill from Strachan so be aware and prepared.

Posted: September 6, 2018 08:05:38 AM PST

Ryan from Vancouver writes:

I created an edited printable version of the map above with all the tags visible so you can keep it in your pocket - worked well! Lovely day today; we decided to do St. Mark's Summit, cut back to Mt. Strachan and then up to Hollyburn Peak. Amazing views from all peaks, obviously Strachan was the best! Hollyburn was difficult to access from Strachan but easy enough from the South side. No snow anywhere, just beautiful bluebird skies allowing us to see our next target - The West Lion...

Posted: August 6, 2018 03:48:28 PM PST

Taylor from Maple Ridge writes:

Definitely would not recommend this hike for beginners, extremely complicated trail and ended up getting misplaced multiple times. Must keep a sharp eye out for trail markers and be prepared to scale massive and slippery rocks. Didn’t end up reaching the summit as we felt it was a bit too dangerous for us. Other than that, beautiful wildflowers meadows full of bumble bees and a stunning view of vancouver along the hike.

Posted: July 24, 2018 08:28:46 PM PST

David from Vancouver writes:

Did hike on July 2, 2018 and have done it several times before.
Still significant snow cover on the ground after the two bridge junction, be prepared to hike on snow/ice. Managed to do it in hiking shoes, but spikes would have been helpful in some areas. Be prepared! It's cold at elevation.
See photos: one photo taken on July 2, other in September 2017.

Great hike when the weather is right later in summer, highly recommend next month.

Posted: July 5, 2018 10:08:07 AM PST

Joe from Burnaby writes:

Photos from yesterday's hike.

Posted: August 20, 2017 08:52:33 AM PST

Joe from Burnaby writes:

Did the hike today. No more snow! Yay! It took 1 hour and 17 minutes to reach the summit from the parking lot. The Strachan meadows were overgrown and the trail was almost imperceptible. Thank God I've done the hike before because I relied on memory to find the trail. On the way down there were not enough trail markers and it's easy to get lost if you don't know your way. Having said that, the view is spectacular and worth the lack of trail markers.

Posted: August 19, 2017 07:37:23 PM PST

Peter from Burnaby writes:

No snow on trail as of Aug 11 2017. Hike up valley is difficult but doable (and fun, in a challenging sort of way), and the view from the top of North Peak is well worth the effort. In my opinion, this is the finest view from a North Shore mountain in any hike I've taken (note I haven't done Crown Mt). Howe Sound, Lions, Grouse, downtown, etc. - panoramic 360' views that go for days. Only thing keeping this from being a 5 star hike is the way back down is not as interesting and somewhat tedious. Hiking down the access road is faster, although even more boring.

Posted: August 14, 2017 11:57:34 AM PST

Jan from Vancouver writes:

Did this hike today and there was still a lot of snow in the valley. Super slippery and tending to cave in in spots. Had to scramble along the edge of slippery, craggy rocks and was not able to stay on the trail. Would not recommend it at this time until there is more snow melt. Probably at least a couple more weeks. Have done this hike in the past and love it, though. The views are spectacular!

Posted: July 24, 2017 07:08:02 PM PST

ST from Vancouver writes:

Went up today from HSCT, lots of snow starting from the meadow to the top. Hard to find trail markers sometimes as they're buried in snow. Lots of annoying flies on the way too. View from the top is amazing though. For an easy hike down (or up) you could probably use the service roads for the ski resort

Posted: July 9, 2017 06:19:49 PM PST

Sarah from Delta writes:

Did this hike about a year ago. Only made just over 1/3 of the way up due to the fact that there was too much snow and markers were hard to spot/few and far between. The actual start of the strachan trail (from where it splits off from the howe sound crest trail) required some bush wacking. I would really like to complete this hike, but hopefully it gets marked off better by someone familiar with the terrain.

Posted: May 6, 2017 03:01:27 PM PST

w dick from Vancouver writes:

Excellent hike. I would suggest that it's for a fitter hiker (Intermediate +). Wear good boots or hiking shoes. Runners will get chewed up quick on this trail.

Not well marked coming off the south peak. Keep to the left of the ski run and you will find the trail.

The plane wreckage is quite jarring to actually see. Not a sight one finds on a typical hike.

There was fresh bear scat on the section before the baden-Powell so keep an eye out.

Takes about 3.5 hours if you have a reasonable pace.

Posted: August 15, 2016 10:00:42 PM PST

Travis V from North Vancouver writes:

Did this one on the weekend, it was a pretty neat hike. I was unaware that it would take us to the top of a chairlift, but the view was very nice. If you want to be alone, this is the hike to do... the parking lot at cypress was full and people parked way down the road and we did not see one other person on the trail (after we turned off the howe sound crest trail).

The trail is not very well marked, but by following the directions in this description you will get there! The way down seemed very long, and we did the loop as we wanted to see the plane crash. Once you reach the junction to go towards the Baden Powel trail you will see 2 orange markers on your left (one says to B.P.), and another marker on your right (guessing that is to the old trail?). Going left will take you to the Baden Powell, but it seems to take forever... just keep going and you will make it haha. Some of the trees along this section of the BP trail are said to be possibly over 1000 years old - pretty cool!

Overall a pretty fun hike, but if I was to do it again I would probably not do the whole loop and go down the ski run. However, it is worth walking the whole loop at least once!

Posted: August 1, 2016 02:28:00 PM PST

Kelly from Vancouver writes:

Went up today. the snow is pretty much gone. Some in Christmas gully but it's melted on the side so you can completely avoid walking on it. Beautiful views at the top and while you're hiking up.

Posted: July 18, 2016 12:43:50 AM PST

Kelly from Vancouver writes:

Went up today. the snow is pretty much gone. Some in Christmas gully but it's melted on the side so you can completely avoid walking on it. Beautiful views at the top and while you're hiking up.

Posted: July 18, 2016 12:43:18 AM PST

Madeleine from Vancouver writes:

Did this hike June 21 2016. Lots of snow. Thank you for very clear directions. Indeed, markers are few !

Posted: June 23, 2016 12:09:43 PM PST

Lawrence from Richmond writes:

At this moment the trail is not ready for summer hiking. Attempted the hike on June 22/2016, first portion through howe sound trail was fine.

Through Strachen meadows there is significant snow cover, and the trail is poorly defined throughout. I abandoned the hike 3/4 of the way up to Mt. Strachen, since it was like climbing uphill on a ski-run and I didn't have any snow shoes.

Look forward to attempting this hike later in the summer....

Posted: June 22, 2016 09:22:27 PM PST

Lisa from Surrey, BC writes:

Has anyone done this hike in the last week or so? Thinking it would be good to do this Sunday June 5/16.
Thanks for any updates :)

Posted: June 3, 2016 03:40:41 PM PST

Peter from Burnaby writes:

If you're exhausted at the top and looking for an easier route down, I would hike down via the ski run (wide gravel road adjacent to the building at the top of the mt.), and re-enter the wooded trail at the plane crash site. Look for the ski lifts overhead on your way down, that's where the trail entrance is. You can follow this lovely trail for quite a ways before you rejoin the gravel road. Should shave 30 min-1hr. off your hike. Hike up once you leave HSCT is difficult - think Grouse Grind sans steps.

Posted: August 8, 2015 06:04:49 PM PST

M from Vancouver writes:

Great hike. The views at the top are amazing. Make sure to do both peaks. I would highly recommend this hike.

Directions are pretty easy and we didn't have any trouble but I would add a couple additional instructions.

1) it felt like the two wooden bridges were longer than a km past the wooden map sign. Don't worry you can't miss them!

On the way down:

2) when you get to the "junction" where the trail goes left up a steep trail to holly burn mountain or right down. Go right. It looks like you are going down a ravine but it is the right path.

2) the short cut trail is very easy and well marked. You have the option to keep following the trail or go right at the Orange marker. The orange marker even has a P. Take that trail. When you get to the bottom of this trail you can take Baden Powell left or Baden Powell right across the creek. Go right across the creek.

We are fairly fit and it took us bang on 4 hours, including breaks at both the peaks. We found it was about 1.5 hours up and 1.5 hours down. Can't really go much faster coming down - too steep!

Posted: July 19, 2015 05:05:31 PM PST

Ryan from Cloverdale writes:

Pretty good hike - although coming down we weren't sure that we were on the right trail, the directions didn't seem great to me.

Did it on May 24th, we didn't have any views since it was so cloudy, but the trail itself is somewhat scenic going up the creek and stuff. There was a little bit of snow up there in spots, but not an issue in terms of climbing.

When it says go down the unmarked trail between the two wooden bridges, it's REALLY unmarked, barely looks like a trail at all.

At the north peak we spent about an hour just playing with and feeding these two little birds - highlight of the trip haha.

The crash site is interesting.

Coming down I thought we were lost, but I think we actually went the right way and the trail description was just confusing me. For example the description said look out for certain large rocks as landmarks and we never knew if we saw them or not, so we didn't know if we're ahead of behind the instructions. Just stuff like that made it a bit confusing, but maybe that was just us.

Posted: June 1, 2015 12:55:02 PM PST

Andy from North Vancouver writes:

Oh, and the gully you climb up, with the stream up to Mt Strachan summit, is an avalanche risk. I noticed evidence of fallen snow (small avalanches) there. It's a terrain trap unfortunately. Definitely something to check is clear of snow before climbing.

Posted: April 19, 2015 10:14:22 AM PST

Andy from North Vancouver writes:

We did this hike yesterday (18th April 2015) and loved it.

I will say that even though this year (2015) there was very little snow, the gully area (after turning right in between the two wooden bridges and then heading up left of the stream) was filled with snow the entire way up to the top. It was really hard hiking up, because every 2nd step meant sinking into the snow. I'd therefore only attempt this part of the hike if there is no snow. It's very tough going otherwise. Also take plenty of sunblock if there is snow. You're exposed in the sun a lot.

Also the part in between the two wooden bridges doesn't look like a trail at all. In fact we were pushing through trees wondering if we were on the right track at all. Fortunately we had some footsteps to follow. I'd say just stick to the left of the stream, following it up to its source and you'll be ok. It is true that once you come to a part of the stream which isn't ascendable, when you have to turn left away from the stream, there the trail becomes a bit more visible. You will then start to see tags on the trees (very occasionally). Ultimately you are simply heading up the pass in between the two peaks of Strachan.

The left peak at the top is definitely my favourite. - Well worth having lunch up there!

One correction I will say is needed is at the beginning of the trail from the carpark. - Follow the trail markings to Bowen Lookout. These are fairly well marked. Once you've been to the lookout (believe me, you'll know when you've been there!), then proceed to the Howe Sound Crest Trail map board. I just felt the trail is more clearly marked pointing you to the Bowen Lookout.

This is definitely one of my favourite trails ever! - Absolutely beautiful!!- Enjoy!

Posted: April 19, 2015 09:27:52 AM PST

Michael from Mission writes:

One of my favorite local hikes. I just walk up the service road from the Cypress Hill parking lot to the South Peak of Strachan. From there, I will commence to the North Peak and come back the same way. No need to do the loop or use the old Strachan trail, but it is cool seeing the downed plane wreckage via that trail. Be bear aware, as I came across 2 black bears going up the service road earlier this year.

Posted: October 18, 2014 06:29:02 PM PST

Paul from Ladner writes:

Hiked this 2 days ago - fantastic loop route with great views from the peak of Strachan. Make sure you don't miss checking out the north peak before swinging back over the south peak and onto the rest of the loop.
We saw the marking for the shortcut back to the parking lot from the Old Strachan trail but since it wasn't on the map we just continued on. Next time I think I'd take the shortcut - probably would have taken 45 minutes or so off the time.
Recommendation for proper hiking boots is a good idea - just because of constant walking on rock or gnarly roots gets tiring on your feet.

Found ourselves within about 25 feet of a black bear in a berry filled meadow on the way down - he was much more interested in the berries than in us though.

Posted: September 15, 2014 03:09:11 PM PST

Peter Harnetty from Vancouver writes:

The Mount Strachan Trail description is incorrect when it says of the descent beyond the pass between Strachan and Hollyburn: "The trail continues through muddy sections as you cross over more fallen trees and eventually reach a giant tree. There used to be a trail to the right that appears on old maps but it has become overgrown". I hiked this trail as recently as Sept. 7, 2014. This connector trail is well marked and in good shape. About 35 minutes from the Pass, look for 2 orange metal markers, one on a tree on each side of the trail. At this point, there is another orange metal marker on your right, at the start of the connector trail. You are at about 1055m. It takes about 35 minutes to descend to Baden-Powell at the crossing of Cypress Creek. At the end of this trail, just before B-P, there is a large deadfall. Getting over it is no problem. Then 15 minutes to Cypress Bowl Parking. You will save at least half an hour by using the connector.

U.N. Randonneur

Posted: September 12, 2014 02:59:42 PM PST

Marie from Vancouver writes:

This is a great hike with fantastic views. We took 4 and a half hours but took time for lunch at the summit.

The directions and description provided here are excellent.

I would also suggest hiking boots as some of the sections are slippery. The descent took as long as the ascent for us as there are some sections with tricky footing. Be prepared for some scrambling on your way up!

Posted: September 7, 2014 04:52:45 PM PST

Shan from Burnaby writes:

We chose this hike because we like loops and were looking for something in the five hour range. We managed to complete this hike in four hours and, for reference, we did Diez Vistas in four hours also. I definitely recommend proper hiking boots for this one as there are lots of slippery and steep sections scrambling over rocks and fallen trees, and lots of roots to watch out for as well. Trail is quite overgrown in sections, but is fairly easy to follow the whole way.

Posted: August 30, 2014 07:22:22 PM PST