Bowen Lookout - Yew Lake - Black Mountain

Bowen Lookout – Yew Lake – Black Mountain in West Vancouver is a solid Cypress Mountain loop if you want views without a brutal grind. At about 9 km with 524 m of gain, it’s rated moderate and usually takes around three and a half hours, but you get a lot for that effort: two distinct lookouts, multiple lakes, and a mix of family-friendly paths and more rugged sections up high.

The route starts on wide, smooth gravel up to Bowen Lookout, where you get big west-facing views over Bowen Island, Gambier Island, and Howe Sound, plus a good chance of gray jays and chipmunks cruising for snacks. From there, you can loop past the Yew Lake area with its easy interpretive path through old growth forest, then push up toward Black Mountain. The terrain steepens and turns more “real trail” near Cabin Lake and on the North Peak of Black Mountain, with rougher, rooty sections and classic North Shore views toward the Lions and the surrounding range.

Recent hikers note that most of Bowen Lookout – Yew Lake – Black Mountain is on smoother gravel and not deep forest singletrack, so expect less shade and dusty conditions in summer. Fall is usually the sweet spot, with cooler temps and fewer dusty sections, but early and late season can bring deep snow and make the trailhead and route to the North Peak harder to find. The North Peak trail starts right by Cabin Lake and is still open, just rougher and more rugged than the rest, which many people actually call the best part of the loop.