Joss Mountain

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Joss Mountain is in the Monashee Mountains,  accessed by backroads from Highway One near Eagle Pass.    Drive on Highway 1 then turn onto the Three Valley – Mabel FSR and then onto a mountain road, 16 km of high clearance to 4WD access to the West Approach.   A post marks the trailhead .   This is a steep trail, but mostly easy to follow.    It goes through a subalpine zone, before emerging into the rocky alpine traverse to the top of the mountain.    There is no trail in the open area, but hikers should take the easiest route to the highest point.   

There is a Dominion Forest Lookout built in 1921 on top of a cliff at the summit.   It has been abandoned since 1931, but is still there, but in need of some TLC.    From the lookout are long views over to Mt. Tsuius (south), to the Mt. Begbie area (east), to Blanket Mountain and Blanket Glacier (southeast), to the Gold Range Peaks (SSE), the Jordan Range and Eagle Pass Mountain (north), and on a clear day some of the higher distant peaks, mostly to the east.   Alpine meadows and tarns are on the Joss Mountain East route on the southeast slopes.   

This is an out-and-back trek of about 12 km, with an altitude gain of about 1000m.    It requires some route-finding and some areas have difficult trail conditions, best suited to experienced hikers.     It is a rewarding hike, one we have done three times.

Shared here are some photos from one of the hikes up Joss Mountain in a Google Photos slideshow.    Click a link to go to the album (with captions) or enjoy the slideshow embedded in this post.

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Wilcox Pass Hike

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Wilcox Pass is a trail which starts near the Athabasca Icefield area on the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff.   The trailhead is a the campground 2.4 km southeast.      The trail climbs through a subalpine zone up to alpine meadows (at 2337 m or 7667 ft).   It continues through an open pass between Mount Wilcox and Nigel Peak.    As we climbed we had superb views of Mt. Athabasca (3491 m or 11 453 ft.) and Snow Dome (3520m or 11 550 ft.).     Mt. Athabasca is an all-day climb up the glaciers which we did some years ago.    Snow Dome is the hydrological apex of North America with drainage going to three different oceans.     I … Continue reading →

Eagle’s View above Clearwater Lake

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On a warm summer day in a part of the province that was not wrapped in smoke, I drove north through Wells Gray Park to the the end of the road.      At the boat launch I got into my kayak, then I paddled up the lake, heading north for 6 km.    The plan was to land at the beach of a marine campsite, then hike a signed trail up to a viewpoint overlooking the lake.   I had done this exact route a few years ago, but Clearwater Lake is my favorite lake, so it was a repeat, but one I was pleased to do again.    The lake was calm as I kayaked to Divers Bluff Marine … Continue reading →

Hermit Trail

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The Hermit Trail is one of the steepest trails in Glacier National Park, but it is only 3.2 km to the small backcountry campsite by a glacial meltwater stream.   We have hiked (and run) this trail a few times.    We have also gone up higher onto the shoulder of The Hermit (an outlier of Mt. Tupper), and to the snowfields between Tupper and Hermit Mountain, but these are off-trail steep explorations, best suited to experienced mountaineers.    We also visited the historic Hermit Hut off a side trail.    This was used by mountaineers, but has been removed.     The trailhead is located to the east of the Rogers Pass Visitors Center.     There is good parking and signage.  … Continue reading →

Guanaco Peak

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Guanaco Peak is one of the Coquihalla Summit Peaks, located at the headwaters rim of the Coldwater River.    It is easily spotted from the top of Zupjok, Yak, Zoa, and other peaks in the area, but it is hard to get to.   Access is by the Upper Coldwater River FSR which goes west from the Coquihalla Highway near the Coquihalla Lakes.    The road up the valley is in good condition for 7.5 km.     There is a small campground there (Zum Peak Campground) and from there a 1.4 km trail goes in to Little Douglas Lake where there is a backcountry campsite.   The rest of the Upper Coldwater Road is 7 km long and it is grown over.  … Continue reading →

Lime Ridge (North)

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Lime Ridge is a peak in Marble Range Provincial Park.    It is one of the karst limestone peaks accessed from the Jesmond Road.   Lime Ridge is a barren limestone 7 km-long open ridge with rugged views in every direction.     There are 3 routes that can be taken to get to the top of Lime Ridge.     The one best known is from the southwest, going up the Porcupine Creek FSR to a small Rec Site, then following a good trail to the south end of Lime Ridge and/or Porcupine Peak.    There is also a steep route on the west side near the middle of the ridge which follows an old mining road to a limestone quarry and … Continue reading →

Cwem Cwem Lake Hike

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Cwem Cwem Lake is an alpine tarn in a rocky plateau area right below Trophy Mountain.     Whereas most hikers go up the Trophy Mountain Trail through the alpine meadows to Plateau of the Tarns in a cirque below Long Hill and the West Trophy Peak, Cwem Cwem requires scrambling down a creek gully and climbing back up to the east.   There is no trail, but there may be a few cairns along the route.     The best route is to go to the last tarn below Trophy Two (West Trophy), then descend the creek gully down to the Silvertip Creek Valley.    Go upstream, following the creek to Cwem Cwem Lake.   The lake seems like an idyllic spot for … Continue reading →

Mt. Bowman Hike

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Mt. Bowman is located in the Marble Range, northwest of Clinton.    To get to the trailhead, we drive north on Highway 97 to Clinton, then turn down the Kelly Lake (Pavilion – Clinton) Road to the junction of the Jesmond Road, a good gravel road which goes north along the western flank of Marble Range Provincial Park.   The trailhead is accessed by one of two high clearance, bumpy gravel side roads (23 and 24 km north) which go to the powerline.     There is a small parking area near the creek.    A good trail follows the creek upstream with a gradual climb.   At 3.1 km a small rough camp is reached.     The trail which continues east goes … Continue reading →

Raft Peak Traverse

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Raft Peak is an 8000 foot rocky mountain north of Clearwater, just outside Well Gray Park.    It is accessed by a long (22 km) rough (high clearance and the last part requires 4WD) mountain road.     There are 5 peaks in the range.     From the trailhead to the top of the west summit is a steep 3 km scramble.   From there it is an airy scramble across to the second peak.     The north slopes descend with snowfields in the cols leading down to Cirque of Tarns.  The traverse to the third and fourth peaks is much easier.   The final peak requires a bit of light scrambling up, then down the other side. The traverse is an all-day … Continue reading →

Fifty Years on Trophy Mountain

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On a sunny and warm day in early July, an early start was important, so the hike started at the trailhead by 8:30 in the morning.     The first 2 km was through forest, winding uphill, crossing streams, working toward subalpine glades up to the meadows.    Snow was still present at the higher elevations so the slopes were mostly wet, with wildflowers, flowering shrubs, and emerging perennials all the way from the forest to the heathlands in the alpine zone.   This was the fiftieth consecutive year in a row of hiking in the Trophy Mountains.    Over the years, all of the 9 summits were hiked, some from different trailheads, some involving day-long traverses.    In later years, the … Continue reading →