Where are the cabins located on Cypress Mountain?
Are you trying to find the magical looking cabins in Vancouver that you have been seeing all over social media lately? I’m here to help! These are the Cypress Mountain Cabins, also known as the Hollyburn Cabins, and are located on Cypress Mountain, a 30 minute drive from Vancouver. The cabins trail is one of the best snowshoe trails in Vancouver! Going for a walk or a snow shoe to find the cabins makes for a perfect Winter adventure!
There are about 100 cabins in the area and they are privately owned which means there might be people staying in them so be respectful and keep your distance.
There are a couple of different places that you can choose to start your hike from and you can make it as long or short as you like. This will be explained further down in this guide as well as information on why the cabins are there, how to find them and where to park.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links that may earn us a small commission should you decide to click through and make a valid purchase (at no extra cost to you). Thanks so much for your support!
Why are the cabins there?
Let’s start with why the cabins are there…
After the Hollyburn Ski Camp/Lodge opened in January, 1927, Hollyburn Ridge became a popular place for people to build their own cabins to be close to the skiing action. In 1973, the owners of the cabins formed the Hollyburn Ridge Association in order to protect and preserve the Hollyburn Cabin area and to promote the recreational use and access to the public to the Hollyburn Ridge area. You can read more about the history of the Hollyburn Cabins here.
✨ Walking around in the snow searching for the cabins is a magical experience ✨
Where to park for the Cypress Mountain Cabins
Parking Lot Option 1 – small parking lot on side of road
There are two different routes you can take. I have marked the map below with the places to park. The first is a small carpark that you will see on your right that fits about 7 cars off the side of the road next to the trail. This is a very unofficial trail and is a longer hike to get to the first cabin. There is also more elevation involved in this route so if you are looking for some good exercise this might be the hike for you!
Parking Lot Option 2 – Hollyburn Nordic Area
Alternatively, you can park at the Cypress Mountain Hollyburn Nordic Area and do a slightly different trail. You will see the turnoff to the Cypress Mountain Hollyburn Nordic Area on your right a bit after the first smaller carpark. Once you reach the carpark, drive all the way to the end and park. The trail starts from here.
Packing List for Your Day Hike
When hiking in the snow, you are going to want to dress in layers and make sure you wear waterproof outer layers. These are some of the things that you should bring along with you.
🥾 Check out a full list of our hiking gear!
- Micro Spikes – to stop you from slipping on ice!
- Waterproof outer layer
- Puffer Jacket – this is my favourite puffer jacket that you see in all of our photos
- Fleece mid-layer – my favourite fleece
- Merino hiking t-shirt – my favourites are from Icebreaker
- Fleece Leggings or water resistant snow pants
- Hiking boots or insulated hiking boots
- Warm merino hiking socks
- Hiking poles if required, however the trails are quite flat from the Nordic Ski Area
- Beanie
- Sunhat
- Sunscreen
- First aid kit
Lastly, if you are looking to purchase your own snowshoes, you can get them online from MEC here
How to find the Cypress Mountain Cabins
There are not a lot of instructions online on where you are supposed to start this walk and so we got pretty confused the first time we went. We ended up walking way too far and getting a bit lost. Don’t make this mistake! This is why we have provided instructions for the 2 different routes you can take. For each route, you will park in a different area.
Route 1 – from the smaller parking lot before the Cypress Mountain Hollyburn Nordic Area
If you choose to park in the smaller carpark that you arrive at before the Nordic Ski Area, once you have parked, look for the trail that goes into the forest. It is quite a wide trail which cars can use and if you have a 4wd you might even prefer to drive a little further and park further up the trail. Keep walking and eventually you will reach an intersection where the right is a flat path and to the left is uphill. We chose to go left and found a few cute cabins up there, but I’m sure there would be more if you went right. It’s kind of like a choose your own adventure!
You will come to a few different places, where there are snowy paths on either side of the main path. Venture off onto these paths to find some magical cabins!
Tips
1. If you don’t have snow shoes, bring along some micro spikes because the road can get pretty slippery.
2. Bring along a toboggan for the sliding down the hills!
3. Wear sunscreen! The sun reflects off the snow and burns.
4. The cabins are privately owned. Please be respectful and don’t go climbing all over them. There also may be people staying in them.
Route 2 – From the Cypress Mountain Hollyburn Nordic Ski Area
Once you reach the carpark for the Hollyburn Nordic Area, drive all the way to the end of the carpark and park here. The trail is located at the end of the carpark. You will reach the first two cabins after about 250 metres. If you keep walking you will come more and more cabins. You can go as far as you want to before turning back to the carpark.
The Instagram Famous Cabin
There is an A-Frame cabin on the trail closes to the Hollyburn Nordic Area that has become quite “Insta Famous.” This can be found close to the start of the trail from the Hollyburn Nordic Area parking lot. It will be on your left-hand-side as you walk into the forest.
Our Thoughts
This is a fun day outing for the whole family. Walking through the snowy forest on Cypress Mountain in search of the cabins is such a magical experience and so much fun!
You might also like:
