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 up Wild Horse Ridge. The trail on the left climbs up a creek valley to subalpine meadows below the peak. The Marble Range peaks are limestone karst, rugged, barren, and dry. The Bowman Trail is a steep, often loose single track up a series of gullies to the upper cirque. There are a number of tracks set by hikers looking for the best route up. Some are harder than others and may require some scrambling. The trail emerges into a wide bowl-shaped area between two horns. There are some caves in the limestone, but exploration would require climbing gear. I went down one of them and found it difficult and dark.
The top of Mt. Bowman is a series of rocky crags connected by a ridge. There are excellent views. To the west are the Edge Hills over the Fraser River. Farther west is the Camelsfoot Range (we once hiked Yalakom Mountain there). To the north are the ridges and lower peaks of the northern end of the Marble Range, with the Cariboo stretched out as far as the eye can see beyond. The the south and east are some Marble Range peaks we have hiked – Mad Dog Mountain, Wild Horse Ridge, Mt. Kerr, Lime Ridge, and Porcupine Ridge (more posts on these hikes to come).
This is an out-and-back route, but the descent is a slow process on scree slopes. Care is needed and it is easy to follow the wrong gullies through the cliffs. The rest of the return is easier hiking back to the trailhead, a 12 km hike (880m elevation gain).
There are some challenges – getting to the trailhead, route-finding, getting past fallen trees, scrambling up steep scree gullies – but the hike is worth the effort. The Marble Range alpine areas are unique, rugged, and remote.
Shared here are some photos from a couple of times doing this hike (I have done it a few times), embedded in this post as a Google Photos slideshow:
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