Capturing the Art of Nature
West Vancouver Adventures
Today’s trip saw us explore three separate areas of West Vancouver – Cypress Falls Park, Eagle Harbour and Klootchman Park.
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2007
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The Pathfinder was back in operation and seemed to be performing well but after an extended period of questionable starting I still wasn’t ready to trust it in the back country. So this adventure gave us the chance to explore some new areas while staying close to help should the truck fail again. I am happy to report that we had a flawless day of SUV travel.
Our first stop in the day’s adventure was to Cypress Falls Park. The name sounded promising. This little park is just above the number 1 highway at exit #4. After one wrong turn we found the main entrance to the park with little problem. We got out and walked to the main trail that parallels the creek, it is a well maintained trail and we met an number of people out with their dogs. We could hear the roar of the water shortly after joining the trail and so we headed up stream to take in the views. It wasn’t long before we came to a view of the Falls. The Falls started as a narrow gap and had a drop of 40 to 50 feet and the heavy flow added to the grandeur of the view. The trail brings you to a good frontal view of the Falls and then curves around to a platform that is right at its top. Just beyond the precipice was a wooden bridge which was quite intriguing in its design.
Our next stop was to find Nelson Canyon Park which is to the west of Cypress. We drove to where it should start but found no easy access so we drove further down to Marine Drive and Eagle Harbour and then back up along Nelson Creek. We didn’t get to drive too far before we saw a trail that led up along side the creek so we parked and headed out. The trail climbed a short way and then leveled off. There, we found an open gate that led to the train tracks and train tunnel. The tunnel runs through the mountain for about a mile and exits near Horseshoe Bay. We then continued up the trail to the top of the tracks and took a few pictures. We decided not to continue up into Nelson Canyon Park. A jogger coming down told us to walk further west along the level portion and we would find some great views of the harbour. So off we went along the busy walking trail and did indeed get some great harbour views.
Our final stop was to Klootchman Park. This little park is right next to Lighthouse and has caught my eye for years, so today we were finally going to explore it. We headed down Marine Drive and turned off on the side road and right past the small sign that announced the park entrance. We turned back and parked on the side of the road next to the sign and headed down a small trail that wound its way between two homes. It was a bit over grown and I wasn’t too hopeful about where we were heading. Then we came to a tall wooden staircase structure that dropped us down a cliff face to further bush below. We continued along the trail and as we reached the cliff overlooking the water we were greeted with a stench of rotten fish! Fortunately the breeze was enough to keep it at bay most of the visit. The view was worth the effort and I was particularly pleased to have a new view of my favourite tree at Cypress Point in Lighthouse Park.
A great day of exploration and we enjoyed finding sights that are quite easy to get to yet so unknown by most.