Location of trail head N 49 19 .349
W 122 47.704
Drive out to Westwood Plateau Golf Course and drive to the far north end of the course ( end of the road) where you will come to a gate.

The sign says restricted access no parking. Drive through the gate and up the road. There is parking near the end at a small pullout and a large metal gate.
I asked some locals about parking here and they told me the gate is always open and they have never had a problem. When I get time I will phone the Golf Course and confirm however I did see a number of cars here.
The trail starts at the roadway and it is paved only a short way. The average grade seems to be about 12-14% so it is a great work-out for the legs to warm you up.
Let me say here , this is NOT a trail to wear running shoes or light boots on. It is rocky to a fault and will test your ankles and knees.
The elevation gain is only 435m and time wise it is only 1 1/2 hours to the lake but trust me you will get a good work-out.
G.P.S. for the lake is ;
N 49 20.155
W 122 48.974
I did not have the time to check out Cypress Summit View Point as the weather was cold and more clouds were moving in. There are a number of trails in the area that tie in with the Buntzen Lake trails so when time allows I will explore more.Someone has spent some time marking the trails and well there is a number of forks along the way it should be fairly easy to find the path.The area is criss-crossed with old logging roads so backpacking for a weekend would be fun.
I did not spot any deer or bear sign and there were few blood suckers near the lake.
Start of the trail proper.This is where the trail branches off.It is about 15 min. from the parking area, and you will see the pink flagging. Most of the way up there are small signs posted on the trees near branches or forks in the tail.A nice touch is that the dead-end trails are also marked so you don't have to waste time.
Trail markings
Present day Pictographs

Example of the trail conditions
View along the way
Nice swampy area at the lake.
Pictures of the lake itself.



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No Trail is long with Good Company.

Great trip report! I've always seen it on maps, but I had no idea how to get to the trail. What's the average round-trip time?

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"The Arctic views its distant vast and the shifting breeze that blows my horizon,
Where stormclouds mass along the skies, Dark and brooding across the blistered broken land"

It only took 2 1/2 hr. with a 15min stop for lunch. I was moving the whole time as this was a work-out trip for me. Went solo and went fast. Had to work out the kinks from yesterday at Galiano. All that road walking was a bit hard on the ankles wearing hiking boots.
From what I saw you could spend a weekend exploring up there and maybe even some fishing in the lake. I'm not too sure if it is stocked but I did see some movement on the water.Also ther is a ton of new growth in the forest. I would take bear spray as well. there have been reports of cats and bears in the area. Sadly I didn't see any.I did however run into a nice big fat grouse but I already pulled out a steak for dinner.

Ahh! My favorite Local Hike! I'm glad to see someone else hiked it, I never posted anything about it, I wasn't too sure if anyone would enjoy it as much as myself. The viewpoint... my god... More then worth it... it is an extremely unique and spelndid View of vancouver, burnaby, all the way south ... you can see Van Isle on nice days... On off days when it's cloudy it's usualy windy enough to blow the clouds apart for short periods of time to allow views... (i also went up during the winter with snowshoes... That is awesome as well) I usualy do this trail, (either the lake or the viewpoint.. Or both)With any beginners just wanting to start hiking, Once they see the view, they're hooked...

Thanks for the Trail report!


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--Alsid Prime

Looks like fun,Hiker.What does it link up to beyond the lake,if anything?

Very interesting Mr. Hiker. I'll have to check that lake out sometime.

beyond the lake/viewpoint If you continue north/northwest you can link up to the Elsay lake loop,if you head due west you wind up at Bunzten lake Or if you take the northeast down, you head to Coquitlam lake, (which is restricted access... so... take the backdoor hiking trail? Shhh... )

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--Alsid Prime

Interesting - I came across a description of Cypress Lake while looking for a map of Diez Vistas for Rapscallion. Apparently, it's quite the fishing destination - although the waters of the lake are deep brown and murky (one cannot see past 10cm, according to a discussion group, http://www.sharphooks.com/club.aspx, that I happened upon).

Here is an alternate map for Cypress access: http://www.bchydro.com/images/recreation/map-buntzen.gif

Alsidprime - you mean Lindsay Lake loop, don't you? Elsay is on the other side of Indian Arm

Beautiful pictures Hiker - looks like a nice workout too. I don't know that particular ridge very well (aside from the Dilly Dally trail). I hope to hike some of the trails there some day.

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The tree which moves some to tears of joy is, in the eyes of others, only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see in nature all ridicule and deformity...and some hardly see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is Imagination itself -
William Blake

Very true.
There were signs of a campfire there and someone had carved out a bench.It did not appear as though it gets heavy use.
Hey Ex; might be a great place for a belly boat. I was pushed for time so if I go again I'll see how far you can walk around the lake.

Apparently you still had some energy left over from yesterday's hike. Either that or it's the caffeine from all those Long island Iced Teas. []

Seawall: Egad! your right, Lol All these lakes... and trails... All jumbled up into one big ...thing, Thanks for the Corection!


"quote: Hey Ex; might be a great place for a belly boat. I was pushed for time so if I go again I'll see how far you can walk around the lake."
Regarding the belly boat, while i was up there I wandered off into the tree's for a minuite... to ..eh.. yes... And i happen upon this Big ol' Inflateable Raft! Just sitting there, I laughed... So don't bother bringing one up, theres one handy on the scene

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--Alsid Prime

This is the route that we showshoed this winter and we put in a report about it. We did not have time to explore the Cypress view area either, as we were heading to Lindsay Lake via this route. Makes a good snowshoe by the way.