Synopsis: A steep climb up a road to a hanging valley, an easy walk to the bowl, and a brief grunt up to the ridge above Vowell Creek, with great views and lots of ridgewalking possibilities.
Access: From the lights in Golden, drive south on Highway 95 for 63.0 km to the hamlet of Spillimacheen. Turn right on the Westside Road and cross the Columbia River valley. After 2.3 kilometres, turn left on the Westside Road. Do not take the Giant Mine Road. Follow the Westside Road for another 7.5 km through the forest to a Y, where there is a hayfield. Take the right hand fork for another 2.3 km, when you reach a four way intersection. Turn right and set your odometer to zero.
You are now on the Bugaboo FSR. At 11.5 km, stay right. Do not take the left fork to Cartwright Lake. Continue to 29.5 km, where you will see the well-marked trailhead for the Rockypoint Creek snowmobile trail. Continue for 50 metres and turn right up a short road to a parking area.
Alternative approach: From the lights in Golden, drive 75.8 km south on Highway 95 to Brisco. Turn right on Brisco Road and follow it across the valley. In 5 km, you leave the valley and the pavement. Once you enter the forest, look for a left hand turn that goes up the hill. The road here is steep and sometimes rough, but it will get you to the four way intersection described above. The intersection is 7.1 km from the highway. Set your odometer to 0 and drive for 29.5 km, go past the trailhead 50 metres, turn right and park in the staging area.
Trailhead: The official trailhead is back 50 metres to the road, but you can take a skid trail from the back right hand corner of the parking lot and get to the trail that way.
Trail: The trail follows a steep road (built for snow machines) up the hillside to the east of the creek. There are a few spots where a very steep trail has been logged, but the brush is thick and I'd suggest you keep to the road. Besides, only on the road will you stumble across a Stop sign in the middle of nowhere. (I think it's to keep snow machines from driving over a cliff.)
The road climbs steeply, switching back, until you gain the hanging valley, some 500 metres higher than your car. It is steep in spots, but easy walking. You cross a couple of slide paths that give good views.
The road then enters the forest and becomes very boggy in spots. There are still some steep stretches, but lots of gentle hills too. Eventually, the road ends and you end up on the old Rockypoint Creek hiking trail, a relic of the old Forestry Recreation program. Again, the trail has some boggy spots, which haven't been helped by the dirt bikes that make this trip in the summer.
You will cross two creeks in quick succession, and then the trail starts climbing. There is a patch of windfall across the trail, but it can be skirted on the left. Then, the trail breaks into the sub alpine, and you will find the wrecks of several old buildings, including a log cabin.
The trail does continue across the clearing, but is hard to find. No matter. Cross the creek and mosey through the thinly spaced larch towards the back of the bowl. You want to head pretty well due west. If you climb the biggest hill in the bowl, you will notice a trail switchbacking up to the ridge on your left. Cross the creek, climb the hill, and you are on the ridge.
The views of the peaks and glaciers at the north end of Bugaboo Park are spectacular, and there is a lot of easy ridge walking up here. Turn left, and a half hour of trudging will get you to a high point with great views in every direction. (That thing that looks like a rocket is a radio repeater for emergency services.)
Turn north, and you can go all the way along Vowell Ridge, or ascend the peak to the east of the ridge. Below you is Vowell Creek, which the map shows has a logging road up it. Don't believe the map. There was a road once; a few years ago, I tried to get up it. It is bush. Thick bush. Life is a lot easier on the ridge. The valley, and in fact everything west of the ridgeline, is now in Bugaboo Park (which the map doesn't show.)
Cautions: