Cypress Falls and Whyte Lake: hidden gems in West Vancouver

Easter weekend forecast: rain. Lots of rain. That kept me out of the mountains for the weekend BUT it allowed me to do this super fun day hike. AND the sun came out for a bit which was a pleasant surprise!

Summary:

Length: 11km

Elevation gain: 340m

Time: 3 hours moving time

Cypress Falls parking lot is only a 30 minute drive from Vancouver, and we arrived around 2pm. Shortly after, we made it to Lower Cypress Falls, which was good, and then Upper Cypress Falls, which was even cooler! The water rate was high and I could feel the mist of the waterfall from the viewing ledge. It was powerful, loud, and refreshing. 

After that, we continued on a gravel road for around 1 kilometre before connecting to a smaller dirt road. This eventually led to a regular trail, which was beautiful. There were boardwalks, bridges, big trees, and mossy creeks. We stopped for a snack on a bench about 1.5km from the lake. 

At the lake, there is a large dock with a bench (unfortunately, I don’t have any photos, but you’ll just have to picture it in your head). The sun was out, and it was warm, so I lay down on the dock and floated on the lake for a while. 

Finally, we headed back down the trail the same way we came. I loved the quiet park, the accessibility of the trail, the awesome waterfalls, and the peacefulness of the lake. I’d definitely recommend this hike to anyone in Vancouver!