Cypress Provincial Park

IUCN Category II - National Park

Cypress Provincial Park in Winter

The Cypress Provincial Park is a 3012 -hectare Provincial Park in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The park consists of two parts, a larger, southern section of the park and the northern, approximately 900 -acre area along the Howe Sound Crest Trail. The park is located about 8 kilometers north of West Vancouver, the Greater Vancouver Regional District. From Vancouver, the park via Highway 1 (Trans - Canada Highway ) is reached.

Plant

The park is located north of West Vancouver in the Western North Shore Mountains. The highest elevations are the 1454 m high Mount Strachan, the 1217 m high Black Mountain and the 1325 m high Hollyburn Mountain. In the southern part of the park are the Blue Gentain Lake, First Lake, Yew Lake and Westlake several mountain lakes. The northern part of the park with the Howe Sound Crest Trail includes a narrow strip along the trail. The Howe Sound Crest Trail is a nearly 30 -kilometer-long hiking trail that leads north from Cypress Bowl on the North Shore Mountains to the Howe Sound. It leads along the Lions Peak, which belong to the most prominent mountains above Vancouver, and along the 1788 m high mountain Brunswick and Deeks Lake and ends near the Porteau Cove Provincial Park. The trail is accessible only in summer from mid-July to mid-October because several sections are to avalanches. The highest point of the trail is the 1542 m high Unnecessary Ridge at the Lions Peak. In the park is a protected area category II (National Park).

History

The area around the Hollyburn Mountain since the beginning of the 20th century already serves as a recreation area. The first ski area was built here in the 1920s. 1926, still exists today Hollyburn Lodge was built. The Cypress Bowl area referred to in 1944 classified as a park reserve. From the early 1960s, the area was further expanded as a recreational area by the provincial government. Unfortunately, in this case the area between the Black and the Strachan Mountain was cleared to make room for the privately operated ski Cypress Mountain, to the creation of the Provincial Parks in 1975 further land clearing were prohibited. 1982, the park was expanded through the northern section of the Howe Sound Crest Trail. The snowboard and freestyle competitions of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games were held in the Cypress Mountain ski area. The Provincial Park has with the Friends of Cypress Provincial Park ( FCPP ) through a registered patrons. The aim of the association is founded in 1990 to protect the natural environment of the park.

Flora and Fauna

In the Coast Mountains, the park is the predominant climate zone of temperate rainforest. Within the ecosystem of British Columbia, the territory of the Park Very wet - Montane Maritime subzone of the Coastal Western Hemlock zone is assigned and the Coastal Douglas - fir zone. These zones are found in the lower elevations of the park. The higher areas, from about 900 m above sea level, the park will be the Moist Maritime Windward assigned to subzone of the Mountain Hemlock zone.

In the lower layers of the park is covered with coastal rain forest of Douglas firs, interspersed at higher altitudes with South American hemlock. These zones were cleared before the establishment of the park in part. From a height of 800 m - 940 m to the highest park in areas about 1300 meters above sea level, the forest turns into a mountain forest with purple -fir, mountain hemlock, and the eponymous for the park Nootka false cypress. Despite the deforestation in the 20th century, some well over 1000 years old trees of this species are in the park area. The lush undergrowth consists of ferns, blueberries and heather.

A variety of large and small mammals and 113 bird species occur in the park. From the access road you can see coyotes, black bears and mule deer often.

Activities

The diversity of the natural environment with its jungle and the various leisure options make Cypress Provincial Park a year-round recreation area. A road leads up to a height of 300 meters in the park. The park offers hiking trails and lookout points that allow for a clear day, spectacular views of Vancouver to Mount Baker and the Georgia Strait. Through the southern section of the park runs a section of the Baden -Powell Trail, an 42 -kilometer trail to the north of Vancouver. In rustic campsites hikers can camp. There is also an accessible since 2005 with lifts Mountain Bike Park. In winter there are many ski and other winter sports opportunities in privately operated ski Cypress Mountain and the southern park area.