New to this site, the trail is only mapped as far as the Golden Snowmobile Club hut. A future remapping of the trail will continue past the hut to the Prairie Hills – a ridge opposite many of the classic peaks either side of Rogers Pass.  For now the trail mapped here follows a badly damaged muddy section for about 2km.  It is only worthwhile hiking this 2km to the Club hut if you plan to hike the ridges beyond the hut finding your own route.  The views of the Selkirk Mountains and Rogers Pass from the ridges are spectacular.  The photos here were taken from the ridge beyond the hut.

Note: Prairie Hills is also known as Quartz Creek. However, it is confusing as Quartz Creek (aka Prairie Hills) is not the creek which drains out of Quartz Lake. If you are asking anyone in the area for directions, tell them you are headed to the Snowmobile Club hut. From here on we will refer to Quartz Creek as Prairie Hills.

Trailhead
The concrete bridge at km 11.9 described in the road acces marks the start of the hike.

Trail
The road beyond the bridge soon narrows to a trail and that point is marked by a large sign that clearly states the area beyond is closed to motorized use. Regrettably, this closure has been ignored by some ATVers and the resulting damage to boardwalks, meadows and the creek is obvious. The trail passes through a series of wet meadows before ending at the hut which overlooks a large open meadow and the Prairie Hills beyond.  Again it is only worth hiking this trail if you plan to continue on up the ridges.

Prairie Hills and Quartz Lake trails share the same initial access. From the junction of Highway 95 and Highway 1, drive west on the Trans Canada Highway for 38 kilometres to the Quartz Forest Service Road (FSR) turnoff. The highway is multi-laned here and there is a left turn lane. (The start of the Quartz FSR is used as a staging area for snowmobilers in the winter.)

Set your odometer at 0 km at the red roofed building right immediately after turning off Hwy 1:[read more]

0 km red roofed building.
1.4 km stay left and pass through the yellow gate.
4.1 km stay straight ahead on main road.
5.5 km concrete bridge and parking area for Quartz Lake (there is a post and kiosk at marking the trailhead for Quartz Lake).
6.3 km stay left.
7.0 km stay on main road.
9.2 km turn off to the right.
9.4 km park here or cross a very broken down bridge.  You’ll need a passenger to watch your tires as you cross.  Again, park here unless you have a vehicle with high clearance (and if it’s wet you’ll want 4 wheel drive).
9.5 km wide concrete bridge with kiosk on other side.  The road beyond does continue for another 2.4 km to a concrete bridge over Quartz Creek, but as noted you’ll need a high clearance vehicle.  Otherwise, hike or bike this 2.4 km.
11.9 km the true start of the hike.