The chairlift at Sun Peaks starts at 10:00 am and I was first on the chair to hike the upper trails on a sunny July day. From mid-station I took the Gil’s Trail which winds around through the forest on the east side of the mountain crossing a number of steep downhill runs on the way to the north part of the mountain. The trail is a single track which gradually gains altitude for 2.4 km.
There are some open viewpoints as the trail crosses ski runs. The views look to the east. There are two reservoirs (used for snow-making) and one lake (Cahilty Lake) on the forested plateau.
Gil’s Trail joins the main trail system at a junction of three trails (Gils, Saddleback and West Bowl). A short trail bears north to picturesque Tod Lake.
After a short stop at the lake, I returned to the junction and hiked back on the Saddleback Trail toward the front side of the mountain.
At the junction near the top of the Crystal Bowl, I chose to hike down the track through the bowl. This is not a hiking trail, but it is a reasonable route down to the main hiking trails below. From a viewpoint there were wide views down the bowl toward Sun Peaks, across to the ski runs on Mount Morrisey and all the way toward Shuswap Lake.
The loop route was 7 km, taking about 2.5 hours. This included lots of short stops to photograph wildflowers, pollinators, birds, and a few smaller animals.
The plan for this summer was to hike about 5 times on the mountain, on different routes, with family and friends before the lifts close at the end of September. The Gil’s Trail loop is a recommended route, one of several on Tod Mountain.
