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Projects
- > Hollyburn Historic Sites Walking Tour
- > Hollyburn Lodge Renewal Project - List of Donors
- > Hollyburn Lodge Renewal Project - A Historical Perspective - Lessons Learned
- > Official Opening of the Renewed Hollyburn Lodge (January 15, 2017 - Photos)
- > Hollyburn Lodge - Thank you for being part of the future! - Jackie Swanson
- > "It Takes a Community to Build a Lodge" - Kevin Healy
- > Hollyburn Lodge Renewal Project Photos (2016)
- > Hollyburn Lodge Renewal Project Photos (2015)
- > Hollyburn Lodge Farewell BBQ - April 24, 2015
- > Hollyburn Lodge Restoration Project Timeline
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Proposed Fred Burfield's Tractor/Bombardier Museum at First Lake
- > Fred Burfield's Bombardier on Hollyburn Mountain -Vintage Photos
- > The Restoration of Fred Burfield's Bombardier - Steve Richards
- > The Restoration of Fred Burfield’s Bombardier - Photos
- > John Deere Tractors on Hollyburn Mtn - Video & Photos
- > Fred Burfield's John Deere Tractor Restoration Project – Peter Tapp
- > Fred Burfield's John Deere Tractor Restoration Project - Video & Photos
- > Fred Burfield's John Deere Tractor After Restoration - Photos & Video
- > Pioneers
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Geography
- > Howe Sound Crest Trail 2020
- > Views from the Major Summits in Cypress Provincial Park (Photos)
- > The Hollyburn Shoulder & Romstads Run (Photos & Video)
- > Hollyburn Plateau Lakes (Photos)
- > Hollyburn Plateau Lakes (Videos)
- > Hollyburn Mountain Public Access Trail
- > Hollyburn Lodge, First Lake (Videos)
- > Hollyburn Ridge Lakes (Photos)
- > West Lake (Videos)
- > Blue Gentian Lake Videos
- > Hollyburn Ridge Creeks (Videos)
- > Natural Historians at Work on the Brothers Creek Trail (July 2013 - Photos & Video)
- > Old Growth Conservancy on Hollyburn Ridge (Photos)
- > Black Mountain Plateau Lakes (Photos)
- > Yew Lake In Cypress Provincial Park (Powerpoint Slides, Photos & Videos)
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History
- > North Shore Mountains Historical Timeline (1875 - 2010)
- > Artifacts of Yesteryear (A.G.M. F.)
- > The History of Hollyburn Lodge - Don Grant
- > Hollyburn Lodge Photos (1924-1984)
- > Hollyburn Lodge Videos: "Hollyburn Lodge Through the Seasons & Generations"
- > The Hollyburn Trail (1922-1927) Articles by Pollough Pogue
- > “The Ski Camp At the ‘Old Mill’ Site” – Eilif Haxthow’s Hollyburn Journal (October 1924 - January 1928)
- > Searching for the Nasmyth Mill Site - Part 1 (Don Grant)
- > The Hollyburn Pacific Ski Club of Vancouver, B.C. - Rudolph J. Verne (1927)
- > Hollyburn Mountain Articles by Pollough Pogue (1927) & Photos from HHS Archives
- > The Swedes At the Hollyburn Ski Camp (1927 -1946)
- > The Burfield Family At Hollyburn Ski Lodge (1946 -1983)
- > History of Hollyburn Ridge - Ted Russell
- > Walks in West Vancouver - Hikes on Hollyburn Ridge (1929
- > Hi-View Lodge & the Chairlift (1951 – 1965)
- > Hollyburn Ridge Brochure circa 1954
- > 1962 Boy Scout Map of Hollyburn Mtn
- > West Lake Camp/Lodge (1932 - 1938) "The Other Side of the Mountain"
- > Westlake Ski Lodge (1939 – 1987)
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Prose & Poetry
- > "Heritage of Hollyburn – Holmenkollen (Cabin 225)"
- > "The History of the HWTC" – Bob Tapp
- > "The Bread Lady's Cabin" - Vince Hernandez
- > "Cabin Builders on Hollyburn Ridge (1930’s)" - Hal Plumsteel
- > "Hollyburn Cabin ‘North Plus Fours’ Through the Generations" - Don Grant
- > "Many A Notch In Time" - A.G.M.F.
- > "The Building of Alasker Inn" - Dick Andersen
- > "Par-a-dice Inn" - Jack Branston
- > "Youthful Days on Hollyburn Mtn – 1960’s (Part 1)" - A.G.M.F.
- > "Youthful Days on Hollyburn Mtn – 1960’s (Part 2)" - A.G.M.F.
- > "Braced for Every Season" A.G.M.F.
- > "Hollyburn Hideaways" - A.G.M.F.
- > "Cabineers" - A.G.M.F.
- > "Called To Higher Ground" - A.G.M.F.
- > "After Autumn Leaves" - A.G.M.F.
- > "Ridgeline Vignettes" - A.G.M.F.
- > "A Reverent Ode to the Outdoor Commode" - A.G.M.F.
- > "A Ramble on Hollyburn Ridge" - A.G.M.F.
- > "When A Mountain Comes to Mind" - A.G.M.F.
- > "A Fine Place to Rest" - A.G.M.F.
- > "To A Cabin In the Woods" - A.G.M.F.
- > "TWIXT TIDE AND TIMBERTLINE" - A.G.M.F.
- > "HEWN BY HAND" - A.G.M.F.
- > "On Winter At First Lake" - A.G.M.F.
- > "Hollyburn Lodge" - A.G.M.F.
- > "A Curious Encounter" - A.G.M.F.
- > Cabins
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Competitive Sports
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The Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection
- > The Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection (Page 2) Photos
- > The Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection (Page 3) Photos
- > The Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection (Page 4) Photos
- > The Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection (Page 5) Photos
- > The Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection (Page 6) Photos
- > The Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection (Page 7) Photos
- > The Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection (Page 8) Photos
- > The Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection (Page 9) Photos
- > The Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection (Page 10) Photos
- > The Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection (Page 11) Documents
- > The Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection (Page 12) Documents
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The 'Golden Age' on Hollyburn Mtn (1927/1928 & 1928/1929 Ski Seasons)
- > The 'Golden Age' on Hollyburn Mtn (1929/30 & 1930/1931 Ski Seasons)
- > The 'Golden Age' on Hollyburn Mtn (1931/32 & 1932/1933 Ski Seasons)
- > The 'Golden Age' on Hollyburn Mtn (1933/34 Ski Season)
- > The 'Golden Age' on Hollyburn Mtn (1934/35 Ski Season)
- > The 'Golden Age' on Hollyburn Mtn (1935/1936 Ski Season)
- > The 'Golden Age' on Hollyburn Mtn (1936/1937 Ski Season)
- > The 'Golden Age' on Hollyburn Mtn (1937/1938 Ski Season)
- > The 'Golden Age' on Hollyburn Mtn (1938/1939 Ski Season)
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Pollough Pogue's Hiker & Skier Magazine - Volumes 1 & 2 (1932/1933)
- > Pollough Pogue's Hiker & Skier Magazine - Volume 3 (1934/1935)
- > Pollough Pogue's Hiker & Skier Magazine - Volume 4 (1935/1936)
- > Pollough Pogue's Hiker & Skier Magazine - Volume 5 (1936/1937)
- > Pollough Pogue's Hiker & Skier Magazine - Volume 6 (1937/1938)
- > Pollough Pogue's Hiker & Skier Magazine - Volume 7 (1938/1939) Nos. 1, 2, 3
- > Pollough Pogue's Hiker & Skier Magazine - Volume 7 (1938/1939) Nos. 6, 7, 8
- > Heroes of the Harnessed Hickory (Parts 1 & 2)
- > Heroes of the Harnessed Hickory (Parts 3 & 4
- > Hollyburn Mountain
- > Grouse Mountain
- > Mount Seymour
- > Princeton
- > Revelstoke
- > Banff, Alberta
- > Pacific Northwest - Snoqualmie & Mt Hood
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The Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection
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Recreational Skiing
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Recreational Skiing In Cypress Provincial Park
- > Historic Ski Runs On Hollyburn Mountain
- > Recreational Skiing on Hollyburn Mountain - 1920's & 1930's (Photos)
- > Recreational Skiing on Hollyburn Mountain - 1940's (Photos)
- > Recreational Skiing on Hollyburn Mountain - 1930's, 1940's, 1950's (Videos)
- > Recreational Skiing on Hollyburn Mountain - 1950's & 1960's (Photos)
- > Recreational Skiing on Hollyburn Mountain - 1970's (Photos)
- > Historic Ski Runs On Mount Strachan (Photos)
- > Recreational Skiing On Black Mountain (Photos)
- > Recreational Skiing On Grouse Mountain (Photos)
- > Recreational Skiing On Mt. Seymour (Video & Photos)
- > Recreational Skiing Near Princeton, BC (Photos)
- > Recreational Skiing On Mount Baker (Photos)
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Recreational Skiing In Cypress Provincial Park
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Hiking
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The Trail to Hollyburn Peak (Photos & Video)
- > Lake Country on Hollyburn Mountain
- > Historic References to Yew Lake (Cypress Lake) - 1920's
- > Yew Lake & Black Mtn
- > Howe Sound Crest Trail Part 1 - Mount Strachan
- > Howe Sound Crest Trail Part 2 - Strachan Meadows to West Lion Peak
- > Howe Sound Crest Trail Part 3 - West Lion To Deeks Lake
- > Mt Brunswick Peak from Porteau Cove circa 1940 (Varsity Outdoor Club)
- > Hiking Near Grouse Mtn
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Garibaldi Provincial Park
- > Explorations In Garibaldi Provincial Park - 1930's
- > Garibaldi Provincial Park: Around Garibaldi Lake
- > Garibaldi Provincial Park: Elfin Lakes & Diamond Head
- > The Black Tusk
- > "The Brandvolds of Diamond Head" - Irene Howard
- > Brandvold Family Reunion At Diamond Head Chalet – September 15, 2007
- > Garibaldi Provincial Park Hike Videos - Summer 2019
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The Trail to Hollyburn Peak (Photos & Video)
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Cypress Now
- > Cypress Creek Lodge
- > X-Country Skiing & Snowshoeing Videos
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Snowshoeing Photos
- > Snowshoe Trails To Hollyburn Lodge
- > Ancient Giants & Marr Giant Connector Trail
- > Ridge Traverse Trail
- > Ridge Fall Line Trail
- > Far East Trail
- > Upper Glades Loop Trail
- > Public Access Trail to Hollyburn Peak
- > Snowshoeing On the Black Mtn Plateau
- > Snowshoeing On Mt. Strachan
- > Howe Sound Crest Trail To Bowen Lookout & Binkert Kiosk
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Hiking Photos & Videos
- > Cypress Provincial Park Map - Section 1 (West)
- > Cypress Provincial Park Map - Section 2 (East)
- > 10 Minute Trail to Hollyburn Lodge (March 2013 - Photos)
- > Hollyburn Lodge via the Westlake Road & the Main Trail (April 2013 - Photos)
- > Brothers Creek Trail to the Junction with Crossover Trail (April 2013 - Photos & Video)
- > Brothers Creek Trail to the Junction with Blue Gentian Trail (April 2013 - Photos)
- > Brothers Creek Trail - Crossover Trail Junction to the Upper Falls (July 2013 - Photos & Video)
- > Baden-Powell Trail to the Snowline (May 2013 - Photos)
- > Views of Lawson Creek along the Baden-Powell Trail to the Crossover Trail (May 2013 - Photos)
- > Crossover Trail on Hollyburn Ridge (June 2013 - Photos & Video)
- > Trail to Blue Gentian Lake & the Baden-Powell Trail from the Upper Brothers Creek Bridge (October 2013 - Photos)
- > Blue Gentian Lake to Hollyburn Lodge via West Lake (November 2013 - Photos)
- > Descent of the Fire Access Road In WV's Upper Lands (July 2013 - Photos))
- > Upper Brothers Creek Trail to Lost Lake (July 2013 - Photos)
- > Views of Small Lakes & Ponds along the Unknown Lake Trail (August 2017 - Photos)
- > Hollyburn Peak via the Powerline Trail & the Plateau (July 2013 - Photos)
- > Hollyburn Plateau via the junction of the Baden-Powell Trail & the Old Strachan Trail (July 2013 - Photos)
- > Old Trail to Mount Strachan - Part 1 (August 2013 - Photos)
- > Old Trail to Mount Strachan - Part 2 (August 2013 - Photos)
- > Black Mountain (July 23 - Photos)
- > HSCT East - Trailhead to Binkert Kiosk (July 2013 - Photos)
- > HSCT - Binkert Kiosk to Mt. St. Marks (July 2013 - Photos)
- > HSCT Trail (Summer 2017 & 2018 - Photos)
- > Partners
- > Site Map
How We Got To Hollyburn
Iola Knight & Donald Grant
Today, would we walk from Richards and Smithe all the way, except for the North Van ferry ride, up Capilano Valley, climb the two Lions, then return? The Latta brothers did in 1903. Or, how about walking from the NV ferry up Lonsdale, hiking up Grouse Mtn., then climbing Crown Mtn. and the Camel and not going to bed from Friday night to Sunday night - Buddy Barker and her friends did in July, 1928. Feet and legs were how one got there.
The first ascent of Hollyburn Peak was in 1908 by members of Vancouver Mountaineering Club (forerunner of BCMC), following trails made by loggers. In 1910, John Davidson did a botanical survey of this area, hiking from St. Mark’s Camp on Howe Sound (Lions Bay today.)
West Vancouver developed as a result of forestry - from the late 1800’s, trees were cut up to as high an elevation as possible with skidroads and flumes used to transport them to sea level in the days before logging trucks. In the vicinity of McDonald Creek (near 22nd Street) and Marr Creek (near 26th Street), where logging had taken place, trails up Hollyburn Ridge were the legacy. It was up one of these trails that Rudolph Verne and a friend hiked in May 1923 when they came upon James Nasmyth's abandoned lumber mill buildings at an elevation of 2,500 feet (762 m). Verne, an avid skier, saw possibilities for skiing at this location. In December 1924, he told Eilif Haxthow, a recent emigrant from Norway, that he had rented an old building and had a plan to start a ski camp that winter, where hikers could rent skis, purchase coffee and sandwiches – even spend the night. Eilif accepted the offer and with Hjalmer Fahlander, another Swede, helped Rudolph put his plan in place. Everything was carried up the mountain on the backs of these Scandinavians and a few others that joined them later - food, tools, building materials, cement. They opened the ski camp on January 11, 1925. During the last weekend in January, they had close to 150 guests. Despite a low snowfall, things went fairly well that first year.
In May 1925, a couple of ‘wranglers’ came to the ‘Old Mill’ ski camp with horses. An entrepreneur named Fred Scott conceived the idea that ‘dudes’ from Vancouver, clothed in full cowboy regalia, might enjoy a ride up the Hollyburn trail on a horse. He persuaded Captain Lindermere, the forest ranger on the mountain, to be his first ‘customer.’ Since few were inclined to follow Lindermere’s example, Fred’s business venture faded quickly into obscurity, but in 1926 horses did participate in transport on Hollyburn - as packers and to haul building materials on a stoneboat up to the new ski camp site at First Lake. In the 1930’s there was ‘Baldy’, Ted Russell’s packhorse.
Word got around and soon hundreds of local youths hiked up the ‘Hollyburn Trail’ to try the new sport of skiing, extolled in a number of Pollough Pogue’s Vancouver Province articles. Who could not be charmed and intrigued by the following words? “
A skier …loves the snow and the pure sharp air, the crystal days of winter sunshine, blue shadows on the white meadows, the large free wind of the mountain top; the sculptured peaks that enclose the high plateau in a pattern of violets and silver, the nights of white moon and icy stars.” (“The Craft So Long To Learn,” Pollough Pogue, The Province, November 30, 1928)
During the Depression years, some of the hikers that made the trek to ‘the Ridge’ from the West Vancouver ferry wharf at the foot of 14th Street built almost 300 cabins on municipal land - from shake shanties to elaborate lodge cabins. Except for what they found left by the loggers, materials were carried up – stoves - sofas - a sewing machine - even a piano, because the four guys who carried it wanted some music! Brian Creer and Bert Baker earned 5¢ per pound to haul other folks’ packs from Marine Drive up the mountain. The ‘Bread Lady,’ Barbara Hughes and her son would carry 100 lb. sacks of flour to their cabin at the Forks. One day, a hiker volunteered to pack it for her, but soon tuckered out and left the sack on the trail. She never saw him again!
In the 1940’s, Harry Huff who operated the service station at 25th and Marine Drive, had a wood truck that on Fridays and Saturdays, he would use to transport hikers’ packs up to the Forks charging 75¢ a pack. At tree line above 26th and Ottawa, the hikers would swarm aboard for an illegal trip to the Forks.
By 1952, things were becoming modern! ‘Hi’ Colville, Bill Theodore, Dick Lawrence and others had built a single chairlift from a point near the top of Chairlift Place to Hi-View Lodge at 2,600 feet (793 m). It was called the “Chairway to the Stars,” but hikers still had to hike either to Westlake Lodge or Hollyburn Ski Lodge to enjoy their favorite winter sports. Folks referred to the lift as “going from nowhere to nowhere.” By this time, Grouse had a double chairlift up the south side; the clearing scar is still visible today. On Seymour, there was a road to the ski area.
Before the chairlift was built, in winter, the Burfields, who now owned the Hollyburn Ski Lodge, had a Bombardier “Sno-Cat” to transport skiers from the ‘Old Mill’ site to the ski area at First Lake. This was great in a winter of good snow; otherwise hikers ‘hoofed’ it. For hauling around the ski camp, the Burfields at first used ‘Red’, their trusting horse. Later Red was replaced by a little John Deere tractor. Norm Deacon at Westlake also had a John Deere.
In 1965, the top terminal of the lift and Hi-View Lodge burned down. Hollyburners drove their own vehicles or rode Fred Burfield’s new bus up a rough road as far as they could and then transferred to the Bombardier or walked in to their cabins. Some people began to use skidoos to get around the mountain.
Alex Swanson’s children would often ride down the mountain on dilapidated old bikes purchased at police auctions. By the time they got to the bottom, these bikes would usually be a wreck.
In 1967, the Girl Guides and Boy Scouts of Canada began work on the Baden-Powell Trail, a British Columbia Centennial project for these two groups. This 50 km trail, completed in 1971, begins near the Eagleridge exit above Horseshoe Bay, crosses over Black Mountain and the Hollyburn Plateau, descends via Hollyburn ski runs and a forest trail to the Capilano Reservoir and then continues east crossing the lower slopes of Grouse, Fromme, and Seymour before reaching its terminus in Deep Cove. For the past 32 years, many hikers have accessed Hollyburn via the western section of the popular Baden-Powell Trail.
In the early ‘70s, a three-lane highway was constructed to provide access to the newly created Cypress Provincial Park, which officially opened in 1975. In 1976, thousands of Vancouverites used this highway to get to the new downhill ski facilities on Black and Strachan. In the late 70’s, hang gliders flew from Highview Lookout beside the highway to landing sites in West Vancouver. After a couple of glider pilots failed to reach their intended destination, this form of transportation down the mountain was forbidden!
Today, cyclists and mountain bikers can frequently be seen pedaling their way up and down the mountain, most using the highway, a few using an network of forest paths to make their clandestine descents.
Parts of the old trail systems used by the loggers and ski pioneers are still in use. In 1981, as a training run, Peter Croft, a well-known rock climber, would walk to the Centennial Seawalk at Dundarave, run all the way up the original 26th Street trail to the ski camp at First Lake, and then walk down! With increased traffic on the Grouse Grind, more hikers are returning to the quieter trails of Hollyburn. Natural history enthusiasts are attracted by the mountain’s flora and fauna. Others come to revisit the pathways of their youth.