-Brent & Dorian
Day Hiking Ambassadors
Cabin Lake… the name alone conjures up images of awesomeness. Who doesn’t like cabins? Who doesn’t like lakes? Well, maybe there are some out there, but we’ll leave that topic for another time. Cabin Lake is situated at the top of Black Mountain in West Vancouver, Canada, in an area known as Cypress Bowl. Funny, there aren’t any Cypress trees there, but no one really seems to care because the place is overwhelmingly beautiful. In winter there are alpine and nordic centers, as well as snowshoeing and tubing. They have free snowshoe trails maintained by Parks, and “pay to play” trails managed by the resort company there. So really, there is something for everyone and every budget. In summer, there is a vast trail network. Cabin Lake is one of our favorite places because it is accessible year round, and is such a primo location. The lake itself is kind of starfish shaped. It is off the beaten path away from the alpine runs, so it is quite quiet in winter, and a fun swimming hole in the summer. It’s not unusual to see dogs and owners swimming together on a hot day. It’s a decent grunt to get there, but the whole trip is worth it. We especially like to go up there for tea at sunset. The lake is at 1200 meters/3940 feet. What intrigues us the most about it is the spring thaw. Crystal clear pools of blue water form on top of the snow below it, and as the temperatures stay above freezing, eventually little holes form in the snow at the bottom of the lake and let all the goo bubble up through the blue water. This process does take a while to happen, so we get a lot of time to admire the blue water. It’s truly amazing, and anyone who has seen this phenomenon will know what we mean. For those who haven’t… there’s a little something for your bucket list.