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 a backcountry basecamp. There are 7 or more peaks to hike and scramble, and there will be no one around.
We have also included Cwem Cwem Lake in a route we call the Trophy Mountain Circuit. Hike to the summit of Trophy Two, continue east by following the narrow “airy” ridge down to the col and then scramble up Trophy One in rocky gullies and ridges. From the summit, descend the south ridge all the way to the lake, and then return by the route noted above. We have also done this circuit in the other direction. It is a long route which will take all day, and it will require scrambling and route-finding. On this outing, we went around the lake and climbed to a col on the east side, then we traversed over to Silvertip Ridge on the south side of Cwem Cwem, hiked to the top and then continued around the lake and hiked the long and rugged route back.
Cwem Cwem is a special spot, one of our favorites. Some photos of the route are shared here in a Google Photos album.
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