What happened to Eagle Mountain Trail? 4X4 with 4LOW BC

Eagle Mountain is located in Coquitlam, BC, at the northern tip of Westwood Plateau. The trail leads to Eagle Lookout overlooking the Lower Mainland of Vancouver.

This Friday evening, I came to visit West Coast Offroaders in North Vancouver. They planned a small trip to Eagle Mountain along with a few folks from 4LOW – I was lucky enough to get an invitation for tag along. My first impression stepping into this 4×4 shop was, surprisingly, a sense of familiarity. I almost thought I stepped foot into an ARB store back in Australia! The showroom was well presented with displays of trusted brands like ARB, Longranger, Warn, and Old Man Emu.

After introducing myself, the shop owner, Fab, told me that he had to take a rain check due to work. A big disappointed but totally understandable – there are so many 4WD waiting to be finished so they get to go out explore! Before the day got too late, we headed towards Coquitlam and met with 4Low crew.

It was a rainy day in Vancouver and the mountain was covered in fog, which gives it a rather moody feel.

Cypress Lake Forest Service Road, as known as Eagle Mountain Trail, used to be a tactical 4X4 playground. However, ever since I started wheeling with Noah back in 2018, this trail has always been some sort of mystery. Only a handful of wheelers have access to the gate key controlled by an app. Browsing through the videos from nearly half decades ago, I came to understand that this trail requires at least 33″ wheels and some lift in order to get through the big rocks along the way. I wonder what it looks like now and why it’s become such a secret spot.

After a little research and digging around, I got to know that the trail went through a series of road work and is now under maintenance. This means in order to minimize the deterioration from motor vehicle use, access to the trail is limited to those who already have access key before 2018. No new key will be issued until further notice.

Instead of complaining, I had a great sense of appreciation towards Four Wheel Drive Association BC’s effort in keeping the trail active – government ministry originally planned to close the trail to everyone. The Association went through extensive negotiation with the related governmental departments and was also able to reach an agreement with the contractor to build a few rocky obstacles for some 4×4 challenge.

Truth to be told, I am glad this trail is not wide open to the public. Due to its close proximity to the city, it’s destined to gain tons of traffic on a daily basis. Who doesn’t want a little mountain therapy after work? Many sections of the trail are narrow and it can be a headache to deal with if you meet other wheelers head-on. The space at Eagle Lookout is spacious for a small group but imagine more than 10 cars fighting for the limited space? Not ideal.

There are many trails and lookouts to explore around Vancouver. Eagle, in my opinion, is best to be kept with trusted access. This also means it’s time to make more friends, especially the experienced ones. The OGs usually have the key – you didn’t hear it from me. =P