A steep climb through a burned forest, then over a rocky alpine hill to a great view of both the Columbia and Beaverfoot valleys.

Trailhead
Walk north to the end of the landing. There is a skid trail climbing steeply uphill. Head up the skid trail.

Trail
Climb up this skid trail until you reach the top of the block. Turn left (not right) and follow the trail across the top of the block, past the green trees, into the burned trees, and almost to the end. [read more]

You will see trails heading up the steep sidecut, as well as some ribbon. Enter the brush here. The first 50 metres are a bit confusing, but you will eventually find fallen burnt logs that have had a chunk cut out of them. Look up the hill, and if the fireweed hasn’t gotten too thick, you can see the trail going right up the hillside.

A word of warning here: there is nothing tricky about this trail, but it is really steep and offers no shade. People who do well hiking on steep hills will enjoy this. People who have trouble on steep will take longer. Carry lots of water on hot days.

As you get further up the mountainside, you will reach a couple of level spots. The last pitch to the ridge is really steep, but also unnecessary. As you get higher on the hillside, look to your right, and start working your way towards the draw. You can see the rocky knob to the north that you want to get to the top of. Go too far up the hillside you are on, and you’ll have to descend to cross the draw.

Once you get to the bottom of the draw, work your way up the rocky, burnt sub-alpine hill until you are on the broad area on top. The only real problem is the small area where the fire workers cleared a heli-pad. The trees they dropped make things a bit messy for about 20 metres.

The views from this ridge are spectacular. To the west and south, you can see the Columbia Valley, and further west, you can clearly distinguish the different spires in the Bugaboos. To the east, you can see the Wolverine Pass trail, Moose Creek, and the mountains of Kootenay National Park. The one with the marked horizontal stripes is called… wait for it… Striped Mountain. It is quite distinctive. To the north are the Goodsirs and Hanbury Glacier. And if you look to the east and down, you will see one of the most heavily logged valleys on the planet. Don’t look down.

I have heard of people following the ridge north, although I haven’t done it. There are a couple of spots on the way up Castle Mountain that look downright nasty. The ridge south towards Harrogate Pass looks more inviting, although I haven’t done that one yet either.

Heading back down the trail, it can be difficult to find the actual route. On the top part, try to stay close to the ridge that goes down the hill. Towards the bottom, you want to be just south of the ridge. But if you lose the trail, the travel is still pretty simple. Just head down.

Cautions

• This trail is very steep and offers no shade. Carry lots of water.
• Finding and following the trail going downhill can be difficult.
• I was chased off this ridge by a grizzly once. Watch for bears.

From the junction of Hwy 1 and Hwy 95, drive east on Hwy 1 for 25.7 km, and turn right on Beaverfoot Road. (If you enter Yoho National Park, you’ve gone too far.) Drive down Beaverfoot Road, cross the railway tracks in 100 metres and continue to the bridge across the Kicking Horse River at 1.1 km. At 1.4 km, there are a bunch of signs, including one on the left that reads 0. Set your odometer to 0 here, and the FSR signs will match. [read more]

Drive south on the Beaverfoot FSR. Near 12.8 km, slow down for activity (people and horses) at Beaverfoot Lodge. At 23.9 km, stay right for Marion Lake. (Misspelled on the sign.) At 27.8 km, as the road is swinging left, there is a spur off to the right, currently marked as “The Burn Trail.” Turn right here. Beware the first cross ditch is about two car lengths down the road.

The road is in fairly good shape, although it would be wise to carry a saw. There are several cross ditches in the first kilometre. At 29.7, keep right. The road starts switchbacking up the mountainside, but it is easy to follow. At 32.0 km, again keep right on “The Burn Trail.” At 33.5 km, the road switchbacks to the right. If you have a low clearance car, you might choose to park here and walk. The last two kilometres are a bit rough.

At 35.5 km the road widens into a landing. Park here. (The road continues south, I think to link up with the east end of the old Harrogate Pass trail.)

To get your bearings, look uphill. There is a cutblock directly above you. At the top of the block, you will see unburned forest to the right and burned trees on the left. You are going to climb a trail through the burned trees to the ridge. If you look further north, you can see a steep rock hill. You will end up on top of that, although you aren’t climbing anything as steep as what you see here.

This hike is the result of the big Hot Creek fire in 2003. You will be following a trail put in by the fire workers.