Snowshoeing for Beginners – Bowen Lookout
I have one more easy, fun possible place for snowshoeing for beginners on Vancouver’s North Shore; Try visiting Bowen Lookout in the snow. This is not a long trail; It took us less than 2 hours. But the views down to Howe Sound are beautiful, especially if you visit to watch the sunset. If you want to give snowshoeing a try, this is a great trail to get you started. It never gets very steep and it goes through simple terrain (so it’s not too dangerous in terms of possible avalanches.)Ā We did this winter hike on my birthday after snowshoeing up Black Mountain. It’s very easy to combine the two walks.
If you fancy a snowshoe trail that is a bit more of a challenge, have a look at my post about snowshoeing on Vancouver’s local mountains for some alternative adventures.
Bowen Lookout Snowshoeing Map
Bowen Lookout Snowshoeing ā the basics
Distance: 4.3Ā kmĀ
Elevation gain: 150 m
Highest Point: 1040m
Time: 1.5-2Ā hours
What to bring:
The 10 Essentials
Facilities:
There is a loo, cafe, restaurant and a shop at Cypress Lodge
Dogs:Ā Yes (on a leash)
Parking:Ā The resort has started to charge for parking in most areas. You can only park in lot 3B for free. This is a slightly longer walk to the trailhead.
Transit: In winter you can take the shuttle up to Cypress Mountain.
How hard is it? Easy – It’ll get your heart pumping on the switchbacks, but the path is well marked and it’s not very long.
Extra info: You need to go to Blackcomb Lodge to pick up a (free) back country pass before you get started.
Snowshoeing to Bowen Lookout ā Getting Started
Head to Cypress Mountain Resort. The start of this trail is next to the Eagle Express Ski Lift. In 2021 Cypress Resort is using covid-19 as an excuse to start charging for parking. If you want to avoid the extra parking fees, you can park at lot 3B. After that, you need to visit Blackcomb Lodge. Just inside the door you can pick up a free back country pass that will allow you to cross the ski slopes at the base of the mountain without paying.
The trail starts off pretty flat as it heads over to Yew Lake. There are great views up to Black Mountain from across the open areas. In December streams alongside the path and parts of the lake were not yet frozen, so be sure to stick to the path.
Just be careful not to miss the turnoff at the end of the Yew Lake Loop to continue on to Bowen Lookout. You walk through a stand of gorgeous (and massive) old growth trees.
The next part of the trail is the part that will get your heart pumping. There are a short series of switchbacks that will take you up around 100m (over half a kilometer.) If you decide to do this hike as the sun is setting you’ll hike up into trees bathed in golden light as you get higher. It is really pretty.
Once you arrive at the lookout, you’ll see even the fabulous views through the trees.
How busy is the trail to the Bowen Lookout
This trail is easy as well as beautiful, so you can’t really expect to have it to yourself. We went at sunset on a Friday in December and there were around 20 other hikers enjoying the view. My photos might make it seem calm, but there were quite a few people around. There is just enough space to maintain social distance.
Bowen Lookout – Heading home
We started to head back once the sun had sunk below the horizon. To get back, you can either follow the trail as you came up, or you can take a slightly shorter route if you turn left once you get back to the Yew Lake Loop.
Just make sure you bring a headlamp. It’ll help you get back even once the trail is dark. Even if you are not planning to hike for sunset, you should bring a headlamp in winter. It is one of the 10 Essentials, and you never know when something might go wrong. Having a light is one of the best ways to ensure you can get home.
This was SUCH a fun little adventure! I love that you can manage a walk to Bowen Lookout even if you only have a couple of hours to spare. It’s a fabulous place to watch the sunset and it’s great that anyone can manage it. If you’d like to see other snowshoeing possibilities, see my epic post listing all the snowshoe trails on Vancouver’s North Shore.
32 thoughts on “Snowshoeing for Beginners – Bowen Lookout”
I’ve been skiing but never snow shoeing, I think nowadays that is probably more my speed. Would love to try!
It’s pretty easy (especially compared to skiing) not much skill involved. š
Bowen Lookout in the snow looks amazing! 2h of walking is definitely worth the view! Thanks for this snowy inspiration!
Thanks Anna!
I am absolutely dying to try snowshoeing…but I live in southern Arizona and there aren’t many opportunities nearby, lol. We’d hoped to travel to BC this year, but of course that’s not happening. Hopefully soon – it seems like such a neat activity!
I’ll cross fingers and tows that you can still give it a try once things open back up, Plus, that means I can finally see the beautiful desert trails you have in Arizona!
I live 2 hours from the snow field in Victoria, Australia. I will have to check out next winter if snowshoeing is a possibility.
Thanks Joanna! I guess it is the wrong for season for that right now!
I have never heard of this place before but it looks very pretty! I would love to try snowshoeing some time.
I love snowshoeing, and this is a beautiful place to go snow shoe walking.
What a magnificent view from the top. On the first sight it looks for me almost the same as sunset over Mount Batur in Indonesia, where clouds looked like white river between peaks.
Oooh nice! I think I have seen a post about Mount Batur. That looks like a stunning area!
What a beautiful place to go snoeshowing! I’ve never done it – I was hoping to this winter but now we’re on a Stay-At-Home order (and who knows how long this’ll last!).
Looks like a great experience!
I hope they let you back out soon! I loved your frozen waterfall photos!
Wow, this sunset lighting is incredible! As soon as more snow falls here I’ll be headed out for a sunset snowshoe here in Minnesota š
Oooh nice! I can’t wait to see it. Minnesota does seem like a winter wonderland!
Your photos look absolutely amazing. We don’t get much snow in Australia, so I’ll have to save this up for the bucketlist when I can get overseas again!
The mountains will be waiting for you Emma! š
I’ve never been snowshoeing before but it sounds incredible and sounds like a good hike that’s doable but so rewarding. You photos are incredible!
I wish I were brave enough to try this, but alas, I am not.
Those sunset pics!!! Simply stunning. This is an activity we simply cannot do in hot Western Australia ha!
I love winter hikes, and would love to try snowshoeing! It just looks like a fairytale with all the snow and how quiet and serene it is. And thos sunset views are to die for!!!
Thank you!
I never thought of doing this or even a regular hike for sunset. I’m always concerned about getting back in the daylight but this view is so beautiful I might have to rethink that. Not for my first time snowshoeing though, but this is a great looking trail to start with. Gorgeous view!
Yeah I know what you mean. We don’t normally attempt a sunrise/sunset hike unless we know the hike well in the daylight. Too many things can go wrong.
This one is pretty easy through simple terrain so we were sure we could pull it off
Looks so beautiful, I have heard Vancouver is such a fantastic place and Iām dying to visit! I will definitely save this for later for when I finally get to go!
Snowshoeing is something I really want to try and this post just inspired me to ACTUALLY do it! Thanks for sharing š
Oh Yaaay! I hope you can Sarah!!
Wowwwww. This is gorgeous! That view at the end is truly stunning. I’ve never been snow shoeing but I’m dying for some proper winter snow (haven’t had any here in St. Louis this winter) and this makes me yearn for it even more!
I hope you get some soon Amanda! It has been a pretty mild winter hasn’t it!?
What beautiful pictures surrounded by helpful tips! My new boyfriend is an outdoorsy kind of guy, so I’ll be using these tips this winter! Thank you!
Ah nice! Outdoor date time! š