While it is well known for hosting some of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Cypress Mountain on the North Shore is also known for some of the Vancouver area's steepest and best freeride and downhill mountain biking trails.
Most of the trails on Cypress Mountain are set up for shuttling, but there are some trails that are accessible via the BLT route. From the parking area the route is a restricted access road that allows bikers. Climb up and turn right below the power station to follow the road under the lines until it forks. Turn right into the woods and climb for another 1.7 kilometers until you are back at the power lines. This is the trailhead to Upper Tall Cans and the top of the loop.
Definitely more all-mountain than downhill, Upper Tall Cans starts right under the power lines and captures a lot of mountainside features and uses a lot of natural terrain. There are steep rolls and exposed rock features, but connecting all of this fun means a bit of pedaling through some flat or uphill, rooted sections. Back to more gravity fed fun, the trail leads to some drops and hits before it is split in two by new development. Tall Cans gets tighter and more technical at the end before it crosses BLT and turns into Wu Tang. Gear down and speed up because the first log jump is big, unavoidable, and not too rough at speed. The next section of trail is downhill-inspired but not difficult. Very fast and open, the trail beelines down the hill for a while before rolling up and down the banks of a creek toward the bottom of the trail. You then connect with Roach Hit, which is pretty tame at the end but takes you through bike-park style jumps and features and back out to the road from whence you climbed.
Whether you are making a quick single run or one of many, this lap gets you a good bunch of riding from not too much climbing, and it is worth the push.
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