Katrina Breukelman
Aug 14-15, 2016 - Take a right off Duffy Lake Rd, and follow this narrow side road as far as your vehicle allows. Our car made it about 1/3 of the approx 2 km before we decided to park due to pot holes. This stretch of walking was a nice warm up before heading to the trail. Good variety! Starts in the trees, decent incline but nothing crazy steep to start with. Trail comes to a fork, take the right trail to Mt Rohr. Shortly after this trail this started getting pretty muddy for us. Well maintained trail had logs laid out in the really bad areas which was super nice! Trail opens up to a meadow and this is where we realized how bad the bugs can be - do not forget your big spray! After the meadows watch for markers but be aware that there is more then one correct way up. Pick the least muddy if you can find it. After you climb over some steep boulder areas out in the open (or stick to the far right a deal with the mud) you will head back into the trees shortly and note a creek that you climb up and over. **wasp nest** we tied a piece of grocery bag on a stick here, probably won't be there very long but if you bushwhack a bit to the right you should avoid the wasps. Thankfully 2 guys ahead of us called back to warn us after they got stung. After this section you again can choose to head straight up a builder section or veer to the right like we did and choose mud over boulders. Not much farther and you have mad it to the gorgeous lake!! I would imagine the lake could get fairly busy on a weekend. Camp spots immediately visible, we hiked around the left if the lake to a meadow area and dropped our overnight pack there. Very beautiful and quiet. :) 1 hour 45 minutes to the lake and 15 minutes further to the meadow. We continued on with day packs to the summit. Lots of boulder fields, for about an hour, then the climb begins, we had a touch of snow to walk over, but were able to stay below the most of it. You really need to watch for the markers of stacked rocked from here on out, but there really isn't one correct way. I was pretty happy to be done with the boulder field and take on the grassier section. As you started the steep sections, take your preference in your route to the top. Be aware that there are several false summits. Little bit of scrambling but nothing crazy at all. 2 hours 15 minutes from the meadow and we reached the summit!! Glorious views!! 360, fantastic mountains all around! We had perfect weather and just soaked in the sunshine and views for a solid hour at the top. Check out the journal at the summit and add your buit to it. We reluctantly headed back down to the meadows to camp overnight and continued down around noon the next day. I would love to come back and spend a couple days up here just relaxing and exploring. Side note: We did hear another group with kids across the lake making use of their emergency whistle for some game. We could hear it while an hour away, and tried rushing back as we genuinely thought there was an emergency. Not cool.
5.0
Feb 1, 2016. It felt like a black and white world up on Elk Mountain today!! The clouds didn't break to give us a view, but the snow covered trees were beautiful! Hiked about 15 minutes before we hit snow. We put on our snowshoes after about an hour because we were slipping so crampons would have worked too. Once we got out of the trees we definitely needed snowshoes as the fresh snow covered the trail pretty good. We enjoyed the snow covered trees and white beauty despite the clouds. 2 hours up, 40 minutes down. 2014 - Pretty steady incline the whole way up. Most of the hike is in the forest, beautiful! Come out to a view along the side of the mountain, walk along it and up a few steps to some big rocks. Relax and enjoy the view but then continue. on another 15 minutes. It will be so worth the spectacular view!! Meadows, mountains, flowers so beautiful! Probably about 2 hours up, 1 down. 2013 - Great hike, perfect if you don't have a lot of time but still want a good work out and great view.
4.0
Jan 1-2, 2016. We parked at the first parking lot (which was packed) because we were unsure of the roads and if we would have parking space further so that added a 2 km walk. In hind sight, we could have made it to the main parking lot in our truck as we had chains with us, but better safe then sorry. 5 hours up, of glorious views. Stopped in the hut at heather meadows for lunch. Recommend using the outhouse here as it is much preferable to the 4 at the top. The trails were very well marked and very used! Saw lots of people out coming down from an overnight or just out for a day trip. The trail was very doable, no crazy steep sections. The hut was not over full, just to capacity I think and more in tents outside. Make sure you pay in advance online, there is a ranger that comes around to check. Melting snow on the stoves was constant as that was everyone's drinking & cooking water source. One of the highlights was finding the perfect winter spot to watch the sunset over the mountains. Incredible!! 2014 - Great hike! Not difficult at all. Nice variety and views along the spacious trail. Great hike for an easy enjoyable day to soak it all in. The hut at the top is really nice, sleeps at least 20 and there are 20+ tenting stands there as well! Outhouse and another building with tables inside (not for sleeping). The swimming lake was cold and refreshing! Beautiful views, loved it! A relaxed 2 hours up and 1.5 hours down? Maybe less.
5.0
Jan 1, 2015 - hiked this New Year's Day almost a year ago. It was spectacular! A bit of work as there is some incline, but totally worth it and really not very long. I would say it's a step up from dog mountain? Awesome views and great place to explore!
4.0
Dec 28, 2015 - great snowshoe! Beautiful hike through tree'd areas, around a beautiful lake where there were several whiskey jacks happy to land in a hand offering crumbs. The snow was great as we got a fresh load yesterday. Amazing views at the top looking out to the ocean and mountains around the sides. We were on top of the clouds and the sunshine was wonderful! Recommend this hike if your looking for an easier day or taking someone along who is newer to snowshoeing. About 1.5 hours up and 1 down with a fair bit of exploring added to the mix. Went back about a week later that the trail was pretty worn and had lost its magical effect. ;) Super populated so don't expect a quiet hike. If your going over the holidays... Expect lineups!
3.0
Nov 28, 2015 - Fantastic as per usual, though a little low on fresh snow. Sun was shining though! Explored more then in the past which was totally worth it. The main trail saw quite a few other snowshoers, but going off the beaten path was quieter. One of my favourite places to go. April 4, 2015 - Fantastic weather and enough snow! I tried going in February 2015 and we had to turn around due to a white out about 30 minutes in, but this time we had sunshine and only a few clouds that hid the peak of Mt Baker from us. Great conditions, however I would have enjoyed more snow. Snowshoes were definitely still a good idea. About 45 minutes to an hour up? Enjoyed the glorious view and enough sun to give some colour before heading back down, exploring as we went. Lots of back country skiers and snow boarders out there, even a big group camping overnight. March 9, 2014 - I just snowshoed up Artist Point this past Monday. It was incredible! Gorgeous views the whole way up and once you're at the top it's breathtaking! The drive from Abbotsford was gorgeous! Once you arrived at Mount Baker there's no point going into the lodge to ask for advice, no one will be helpful and at the very least they will highly discourage you to go forward. They don't want to be held legally responsible. **Check out Avalanche reviews yourself and be prepared!!! We went on a gorgeous sunny day and saw probably 10 others out on the hike as well. Everyone was very friendly and helpful, who couldn't be with such a gorgeous view! So drive to the end of the road till you hit a dead-end there's a parking lot and will likely be a few other cars there as well, start hiking up! It'll seem like you're going uphill where others are skiing down at first… You are. You'll reach a point where there's a warning of avalanches and that you're going out of boundaries to your right, that's where you're heading. Continue on; if others are ahead of you it's easy to follow their trail if not make your own! about 45 minutes in you will get to a 'ridge' that continues on to the left , instead you want to go right and zigzag up the steeper incline. Up ahead will be artist point in all it's glory! Relax and enjoy the view; we hung out up there for an hour, enjoying Gods creation, the sun was so brilliantly shining we came down with sunburn. Took us an hour up at a very steady pace and probably 40 minutes down taking our time. Can wait to go back again!
5.0
Hiked this Oct 24, 2015. Next year I'll go a month earlier to better enjoy the fall colours! Rough road driving in and easy to miss it! The road is a small side trail off a large operations parking lot (winter snow removal?) take this bumpy side road for 4.3 miles. I drove my honda civic with no issues, just took my time with the bumps and a couple awkward run ins with oncoming traffic as the road is quite narrow. It was a great hike, starts with some switchbacks, after an hour it opens up to give you some views of the mountains around you and you start the easier portion of the hike with less incline. Walking through more meadowy areas. We didn't quite make it to the top because we got a late start. After just over 2 hours we turned around. I would imagine we had about 20-30 minutes ahead of us yet. But the last 30 minutes of our hike gave us great views of Baker, Shuksan and more! We heard from others coming down that the top was similar views to what we were seeing. Bring a windbreaker, it's chilly up there. Going down was quick as usual, about 1 hour. Bathroom - it's there, I was advised to not use it and took their word for it. I plan to go back next year in September and allow more time for enjoying at the top!! :)
4.0
Really enjoyed this hike! July 18, 2015. Relaxed hike, not much for steep inclines though we still broke a sweat. It was enjoyable, probably took us about 2 hours up and 1 hour down. We weren't paying much attention to time since it was a short hike. the trail itself is pretty basic, the only concerns would be crossing the river. Some streams are quite simple, but the main river was a little sketchy! Would recommend kids or senior in light of the stream. You will end up with a fantastic view of the glacier and will see many hikers with overnight packs as they will be setting up camp just a bit farther before taking on Mt Baker summit the following day!
5.0
June 15/15 Great day hike if your looking for a peaceful quieter hike. Super easy to find and very accessible. Conditions were great and the trail was well marked. Took us about 2.5 hours up to rainbow lake going at a pretty steady pace. There is incline for sure, but I think 'difficult' is a big extreme of a rating. There are quite a few level areas to catch your breath. Once you arrive at the lake - keep in mind it's Whistlers drinking water so don't go swimming! Make the trek around the lake to the far side, the view is 10 times better! If your looking to swim, hike another 20-30 minutes past the far side of the lake into another valley and enjoy a chilly swim in Madely Lake. Not as beautiful but even more peaceful! Total hike with the extra lake took us 4.5-5 hours at a steady pace. Enjoy!
5.0
Aug 8, 2014 - Fantastic hike! Perfect weather. Went to Garibaldi Lake the first day, swam in the freezing lake and stayed overnight. Day 2 to enjoyed hiking with just our day pack to Panorama Ridge. Incredible views of Black Tusk along the way! The final view when your at the top of Panorama Ridge is just incredible, its so beautiful! Hiked back to Garibaldi Lake to pick up our packs and headed back down. Unfortunately, my shoes hadn't dried over night and I got awful blisters - pretty much peeled the whole base of my feet and took months to heal, but I still say it was worth it and would do it again for sure! Will just bring my new weird blister proof socks from Australia next time!
5.0
July 6, 2014 - Fantastic, but a tough hike! Took us a good 4 hours of steady trekking to get up. Very steep hike, not for beginners. Totally worth the hike though! We tented up there, but it was awesome to be able to leave our bags in the hut over night. I'm glad we did when I saw animal tracks by the glacier the next morning... not sure what type of cat it was. We had perfect weather on July 6-7, 2014. According to the journal in the hut, the weekend before got hit with snow overnight, but the general camping area was clear of snow... though quite wet. Also, from reading the journal, sounds like the best chance at snow free visits are July and August. Great view up there, watching the sunset as the clouds rolled in and out. And the colour of the lake is fabulous! Coming down was quicker of course, but definitely steep.
5.0
Hiked Mt Cheam this past Saturday! (Fall 2014) Beautiful hike! Of course it helped that we had great weather of +25 and clear skies! Definitely need a truck/jeep to get up to the trail head. Don’t even attempt to take your car on this road. But thanks to the road you get to start the hike at a good elevation and enjoy beautiful view for the whole hike! Every part of the hike is very enjoyable. Majority of the hike is spent out in the open rather than covered by trees. If it is hot, make sure you have enough water; I went through my 2 litres. All ages are able to do this hike, so long as they are up for a bit of a challenge. The incline is not extreme, lots of easy parts. Took us about 2 hours up and 1 hour down; going at a pretty comfortable pace, slower than my usual. Spectacular view at the top! And Lady Peak looks very magnificent – I think I will have to try her next year. God’s creation is on display for those up for a bumpy drive!
5.0
Hiked May 2014 deep snow on the top 3rd of the hike. Very steep incline pretty much the whole time. Need to use your hands at points to prevent sliding down. Tough trail and we had to turn back just short of the peak due to daylight hours and bad conditions. Hope to return in the summer though I have heard the bugs are bad in the summer. I did not find the trail to be marked very well so be careful not to miss your turn off! Good luck, it's a tough one... Can't say I really enjoyed it.
2.0
Hiked Nov 4, 2013 Gorgeous day, sunshine and clear! Was brisk and a bit of ice in a few places at the top, only a couple spots with mud or areas where water was running through a little bit. No snow yet! Starts with stairs pretty much right away! After 10 minutes though they are over and you can enjoy nature!! There was a helicopter for the first 30 minutes as well... Since they are building a gondola (unfortunate) but once that noise was gone it was fabulous to hear the water running, the occasional bird and just be in the great outdoors! Steady incline and nice changes from trail to a bit of scrambling. Loved it! Took us 1 hour and 40 minutes going directing to the 3rd peak. Enjoyed the view while we ate lunch and took our time coming down as you have such a great perspective of all of creation on the way down - took us 1 hour and 30 minutes, but that was at a very relaxed pace. Enjoy! :)
4.0
I would skip this one and head over to Lynn Canyon instead - free and beautifully l in comparison.
2.0
Amazing hike! My new favourite! Aug 3/13 The trail has a great variety and little breaks from the incline. Trail, rock, scrambling, climbing over roots and rock, incline. Starts easy, gets harder, option to drop your pack and set up camp about 2 hours in at alderflats. Most people seem to do this but I would highly recommend taking your pack up 4 more hours to the clearing - meadow like - just before the emergency hut and camping there! Drop your pack and just take the basics up the last hour to the peak. After the hut when you hit the snow be sure you have been following the orange flags, if its cloudy it is easy to miss them and the white out effect can result in climbing some pretty steep rock areas or even getting disoriented and lost. A lot easier to follow the trail on the way down from the peak as you start about the clouds. What a gorgeous view!! So incredible! Start early enough in the day to have time to enjoy the top, stop to drink ice cold water from a fountain on your way back to the hut! The sunset I had in the meadow area was spectacular! Well worth carrying a pack all the way up. Be sure to take enough water as the supply after alderflats is minimal to none until you hit the snow after the hut. Enjoy! Gods creation is on display up there!
5.0
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