Mount Strachan


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What:  1454m.  A rewarding bag with excellent views.

Where:  Mount Strachan is located on the north-east side of Cypress Provincial Park above West Vancouver, BC.

Difficulty: 2/5  Well-marked trail
Runnability: 4/5 Popular access trails offer many opportunities to open it up
Peak view: 5/5
Panoramic views of surrounding peaks and valleys.  Partial city views
Scenery: 4/5 Mostly second growth forests. Creeks.
Children: 5/5 Child friendly
Dogs: 1/5 On leash.  Check for other potential restrictions in BC Parks.

Route overview:  Mount Strachan can be approached from 3 directions.  All approaches offer a great deal of variety for the novice bagger. Note that the more distant of the 2 peaks is the highest, and therefore the "money" peak!

Trip distance:  From the Cypress parking lot, roughly 3 km. 

Trip time:  From Cypress parking lot, plan for 1 - 3 hours.  This assumes a moderate running pace and some contingency for getting lost.

Safety: 

  • Cellular coverage is inconsistent, but usually available.
  • GPS spotty under tree cover
  • Ski lodge at Cypress.
  • Recommend you bring your Baggers Companion

Name Origin:  Named after Admiral Sir Richard John Strachan of the British Navy who captured 4 French warships in the Battle of Trafalgar.  

Headwaters for:  Some small streams.

Getting there:  Drive to Cypress Provincial Park.  Paid parking at trailhead.

Route Details:  Mount Strachan is in the north-east part of the park not far from the top of the ski lifts.  There are 3 primary routes.

via HCST

  • from ski area parking lot, take Howe Sound Crest Trail (HSCT) to Strachan Meadows.  This stretch of trail has been widened and improved significantly in recent years.  Wide, rolling and great for running
  • exit the woods, cross a small creek and into a meadow.  Go right and steeply uphill on a very narrow trail to the left (north) of the creek
  • scramble the last bit to the notch between the 2 Strachan peaks. 
  • Go left and steeply up to the highest peak
  • either return the same way, or cross to the other peak and descend ski run or continue to Hollyburn Mountain

via ski run

  • not nearly as exciting, but makes for a faster round-trip
  • follow lower ski lift (Strachan Chair), then upper lift (Sky Chair) to the top.  Continue north about 50m to gentle dropoff with flagging to higher peak
  • either return the same way, or drop down the gulley between the 2 peaks for a longer, but more scenic route back to the car.  Alternatively, consider taking the back trail to Hollyburn (see Hollyburn Mountain)

from Hollyburn

  • shortcut from Hollyburn offers some rough trails and an airplane crash memorial.
  • see Hollyburn Mountain route description

Neighboring peaks:

  • Bagger Challenge peaks St. Marks, Black Mountain and Hollyburn Mountain are relatively close.  Several other Howe Sound peaks are baggable within same day by a strong runner

Submitted by:  Ean Jackson and David Crerar

More information: 


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