The Howe Sound crest Trail is located in Cypress Provincial Park, West Vancouver. The trail is approximately  twenty nine kilometers in length and runs from the Cypress Bowl ski area to Porteau Cove. It is recommended that if you are planning to do the whole trail, to do it as a two day over niter.

The trail as far as St Marks Summit has become a very popular day hike and at times can be very busy.

          

           

Due to weather,yearly snow melt and increased user traffic over the years, the trail has become increasingly eroded, causing rain and run off to course directly down the trail expediting the erosion process.

           

Due to erosion, and significantly increased user traffic, B.C. Parks decided to repair and up grade the trail from Yew Lake to the summit of St Marks

            

The Howe Sound Crest Trail has been a B.C. Parks work in progress since 2009, with much support from” The Friends of Cypress”. Rare Earth began working on the project in 2011, commencing operations at Montazambert Creek and progressing to “The Climb” up St Marks.

 

Looking up from the first switch back on St Marks

            

Before                                                                             & After

             

 

Looking up at St Marks first switch back

            

Before                                                                       & After

             

            

 

Looking down from St Marks first switch back

            

Before                                                                      & After

           

 

“The First Pitch”  looking down

           

Before                                                                             & After

“The First Pitch”  looking up

         

Before                                                                            & After

         

         

 

 

Approach to St Marks  looking up

          

Before                                                                           & After

          

         

          

           

              

 

Strachan Meadows looking down to creek

          

 

Strachan Meadows looking up to the bridges

          

 

Approaching the “Big Slide Area”  looking down

            

 

The Big Slide Area

          

Looking down                                                             and looking up

 

 

 

This report only covers the area of the trail upgraded by Rare Earth Recreational Developments. Very rough trail conditions exist beyond the upgraded area of trail.