Cypress Provincial Park
|
Cypress Provincial Park
|
||
 Cypress Provincial Park in winter |
||
| location | British Columbia (Canada) | |
| surface | 30.12 km² | |
| WDPA ID | 18631 | |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 24 ' N , 123 ° 12' W | |
|
||
| Setup date | Oct 9, 1975 | |
| administration | BC parks | |
The Cypress Provincial Park is a 3,012-hectare Provincial Park in the Canadian province of British Columbia . The park consists of two parts, a larger, southern part of the park and the northern, approximately 900 hectare area along the Howe Sound Crest Trail . The park is located about five miles north of West Vancouver , in the Greater Vancouver Regional District . The park can be reached from Vancouver via Highway 1 (Trans-Canada-Highway) .
investment
The park is north of West Vancouver in the western North Shore Mountains . The highest peaks are the 1454 m high Mount Strachan , the 1217 m high Black Mountain and the 1325 m high Hollyburn Mountain . In the southern part of the park there are several mountain lakes: Blue Gentain Lake, First Lake, Yew Lake and West Lake . The northern part of the park with the Howe Sound Crest Trail comprises a narrow strip along the trail. The Howe Sound Crest Trail is a nearly 30 kilometer hiking trail that leads north from Cypress Bowl over the North Shore Mountains to Howe Sound . It leads along Lions Peak , one of the most striking mountains above Vancouver, and along the 1788 m high Brunswick Mountain and Deeks Lake and ends near Porteau Cove Provincial Park . The trail is only accessible in summer from mid-July to mid-October because several sections are at risk of avalanches. The highest point of the trail is the 1542 m high Unnecessary Ridge at Lions Peak.
The park is a category II protected area ( national park ).
history
The area around Hollyburn Mountain has served as a recreational area since the beginning of the 20th century. The first ski area was established here as early as the 1920s. In 1926, the Hollyburn Lodge , which still exists today, was built. The area called Cypress Bowl was classified as a Park Reserve in 1944 . From the early 1960s, the provincial government continued to develop the area as a local recreation area. Unfortunately, the area between Black and Strachan Mountain was cleared to make way for the privately operated Cypress Mountain ski area, until further clearing was prohibited with the creation of the Provincial Park in 1975. In 1982 the park was expanded to include the northern section with the Howe Sound Crest Trail. The 2010 Winter Olympics snowboard and freestyle competitions were held in the Cypress Mountain ski area. With the Friends of Cypress Provincial Park (FCPP), the Provincial Park has a registered support association. The aim of the association, founded in 1990, is to protect the natural environment of the park.
Flora and fauna
Located in the Coast Mountains , the predominant climatic zone in the park is that of the temperate rainforest . Within the British Columbia ecosystem, the park area is assigned to the Very wet Maritime-Montane Subzone, the Coastal Western Hemlock Zone and the Coastal Douglas-fir Zone . These zones are found in the lower elevations of the park. The higher areas of the park , from about 900 m altitude, are assigned to the Moist Maritime-Windward Subzone of the Mountain Hemlock Zone .
In the lower elevations, the park is covered with coastal rainforest made of Douglas fir , which is interspersed with West American hemlocks in the higher elevations . These zones were partially cleared before the park was founded. From a height of 800 m - 940 m up to the highest park areas at about 1300 m height, the forest changes into a mountain forest with purple firs , mountain hemlocks and the Nootka false cypresses, which give the park its name . Despite the clearing in the 20th century, there are still some more than 1000 year old trees of this type in the park area. The lush undergrowth consists of ferns, blueberries and heather.
A variety of large and small mammals and 113 species of birds are found in the park. Coyotes , black bears and mule deer can often be seen from the access road .
activities
The diversity of the natural environment with its jungle and the wide range of recreational opportunities make Cypress Provincial Park a year-round local recreation area. A road leads into the park up to a height of 300 meters. The park offers hiking trails and lookout points that provide spectacular views over Vancouver to Mount Baker and Georgia Strait when the weather is clear . A section of the 18,078 kilometer long Trans Canada Trail and the Baden Powell Trail , a 42 kilometer long hiking trail in north Vancouver that later also passes the "Lynn Canyon" and the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge , runs through the southern part of the park . Hikers can camp on rustic campsites. There has also been a mountain bike park that can be reached by lifts since 2005. In winter there are numerous ski slopes and other winter sports opportunities in the privately operated Cypress Mountain ski area and in the southern park area.
Web links
- Cypress Provincial Park . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
- Cypress Provincial Park In: The park's English-language website at BC Parks
- Homepage of the Friends of Cypress Provincial Park
- Homepage of the Cypress Mountain ski area
Individual evidence
- ↑ World Database on Protected Areas - Cypress Park (English)
- ↑ Master Plan for Cypress Provincial Park. (PDF; 1.13 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks , June 1997, accessed December 29, 2012 .
- ^ Ecosystems of British Columbia. (PDF; 9.85 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations , February 1991, accessed on December 29, 2012 .