Bowen Lookout Trail – A hike with stunning views of Bowen Island and the Howe Sound
Are you looking for an outdoor activity to do with your partner? Or are you researching ideas for engagement photography locations with your fiancé? Well, look no further because the Bowen Lookout Trail is an amazing hiking trail for you adventurous love birds to explore!
The Bowen Island Lookout Trail located on Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver is classified as an easy hike on Vancouver Trails. Although it is quite steep with a total elevation gain of 110m in just 2km, it is a well groomed trail without anything technical to get in your way. Also, did I mention the view you’re rewarded with after trekking up and around those switchbacks? It’s worth it – I promise!
How do you know the best time to take Engagement Photos?
As with all of our photo shoots, proper planning and scouting is the key to a successful engagement session. A few days before our session together, Justina and I laced up our trail runners and ran up and down this route so we would know what to expect on shoot day. Armed with our sun tracking and weather apps, we knew exactly what the sun would be doing and at what time.
Danica & Colin’s Late Spring Engagement Session
Now that you know a little bit about the trail, let me tell you about this super fun engagement session we did with Danica and Colin. We photographed this engagement session at the end of the Spring thaw back in 2020. Because we had already hiked this trail a few days prior, we knew we could start two hours before sunset to get that gorgeous golden hour light and make it back to our cars before it was completely dark.
The Bowen Lookout trail starts off just after the Cypress ski chalet. You follow a gravel path, which takes you into the forest and you’re immediately surrounded by pacific northwest vibes. The sun was still quite high at this point so the giant firs and cedars were perfect for filtering those rays. After walking over the boardwalks through the marsh, we were spat out of the forest and onto another gravel path, but this time, it was steep uphill grind.
A Necessary Stop for Unnecessary Mountain
We stopped at the top of the hill to take in the views of Unnecessary Mountain before continuing on the trail. When we arrived at the viewpoint, we found a spot off trail for a quick outfit change. The light shining through the trees was way too beautiful not take photos, so we spent a bit of time playing in the woods. These two love birds were, seriously, so fun to photograph and made our jobs so darn easy!
After spending some time at the lookout, Danica and Colin changed back into their hiking clothes and we made our way down the hill.
We finished off our session taking full advantage of golden hour, then said one final farewell to the giant hill behind us. Danica and Colin, we had such a wonderful time photographing you two. If anyone is looking for an easy hike with a stunning view, we highly recommend the Bowen Island Lookout Trail.
Want to have an engagement photography session on Mount Cypress?
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