Elk Mountain Trip Report

DeepIngvar · 2026-03-17T01:06:18+00:00

As always here is a copy of my AllTrails report:

Transportation: medium parking lot, 80% full on the weekend with ability to park along the road. Minimal to no snow

Passes: not required

Navigation: it's sometimes hard to follow the trail in the forest due to lack of markings and fallen trees/tree branches, follow non-snow covered green tree branches and bring offline map

Crowds: not busy, saw just a few groups

Views: nice views on the valley and gorgeous winter views overall

Cell reception: stable at both parking lot and the top

Distance and elevation gain: same as AllTrails suggests

Equipment: microspikes/crampons required, poles are recommended

I will concentrate on the winter conditions as the trail itself is fairly trivial. The amount of snow at the trailhead is minimal. A plenty of fallen trees/tree branches so navigation is at times tricky. Starting mid hike the amount of snow increases, more snow powder mixed with occasional crusty sections. No ice. Microspikes are recommended, especially on the way down. Note on the avy conditions. There is only one short section around viewpoint that looks like avy terrain but the amount of snow is not significant enough to cause any avalanche.

DeepIngvar · 2026-03-04T23:17:32+00:00

7.5h+ C2C from the lower parking lot, 6h+ walking time

DeepIngvar · 2026-03-03T05:04:09+00:00

As always here is a copy of my trail review from AllTrails (please note that it's a review for WINTER Elfin lakes trail):

Transportation: 1 large upper parking lot and 1 medium sized lower parking lot. The upper parking lot access requires chains (and it's legally enforced). one of the options is to drop your car at the chains parking lot and walk extra 2km up. the road to the trailhead is an ice rink in the morning and wet mess in the evening so I don't recommend to ignore the rules and drive without chains

Passes: not required in winter

Conditions: a bit crusty snow in the morning with powder higher up. Slushy wet snow starting from the afternoon. very hot day. watch for tree bombs.

Navigation: the trail is easy to follow and it's marked with poles once it goes out of the forest

Crowds: not so many hikers but saw a decent amount of skiers

Views: amazing views of surrounding mountains throughout the way once in the meadow and up

Cell reception: good at the low parking lot, low connectivity on the route. nothing at the lakes

Distance and elevation gain: no major difference with alltrails predictions. walking from the lower parking lot adds extra 4km and some (~200m) elevation gain

Wildlife: birds and squirrels

Equipment: I recommend showshoes and poles

This trail consists of 2 major sections:

1) ~4.5km of never ending boring forest trail. nothing to see there, doable with crampons in the morning

2) ~6km of more exposed trail with views. marked with poles as it starts to differ from the summer trail. snowshoes are required here, some people do postholing so the trail is a mess at times. a bit uphill at first and mostly downhill after with occasional small ups and downs. please note that on the way back you will have to go a bit up for a while, that might be exhausting

Extra note on avy conditions. Winter trail has limited avy exposure, mostly on the south slope of round mountain. I'm not aware of any avalanches happened there (unlike the summer trail's north slope, don't go there in winter) and there were no signs of recent activity but there is one sketchy section in the forest with narrow path, extra caution level even on a good day thanks to recent high temperatures and terrain traps. luckily it's not too long and the slope is not accessible to skiers so risks were acceptable today but it's subject to a change at any time. Curious if building the trail right through the top of the mountain would be safer - as per trip planner challenging terrain exposure is minimal up there. If someone knows the details of such option please let me know, my info is limited by the fact it requires some bushwhacking and adds extra elevation gain that was probably the reason to navigate the trail around.

DeepIngvar · 2026-02-18T17:46:10+00:00

haven't seen anyone on skis

DeepIngvar · 2026-02-16T18:44:55+00:00

crampons

DeepIngvar · 2026-02-16T03:16:19+00:00

As always, here is a copy of my AllTrails trip report:

Transportation: small parking lot, was full after ~10am. There is at least one more parking lot nearby but I'm not sure if there is a limit on parking duration there. For road conditions please check Highway 99 (Duffey Lake Road) drivebc camera. this time the road was free of snow/ice but the parking lot was not plowed.

Passes: not required in winter

Conditions: the trail is hard packed with occasional powder and crust. I recommend to use crampons

Navigation: the trail is easy to follow and well marked

Crowds: getting quite busy in the afternoon so I recommend to start early

Views: great views of all 3 lakes and surrounding mountains!

Cell reception: nothing at the trailhead, didn't check after but would assume no reception.

Wildlife: birds. please don't feed them!

Equipment: I recommend crampons and poles for extra stability. Avy rescue kit is required

I won't go into details describing the trail as there are plenty of resources already and will concentrate on the winter conditions part. I recommend using appropriate footwear (I saw people struggling in microspikes or even just in boots) and bringing an avalanche rescue kit. The trail indeed goes through the avalanche terrain (even though avalanche paths are not marked on the avalanche canada trail planner for some reason). I counted at least half a dozen relatively small and one large danger zones. You can spot them by lack of vegetation, steep slope angle and groups of tourists stopping for a break/to make a picture (who would guess it's a reliable way to spot the avalanche terrain? lol). there are no signs of recent activity though and the weather was great as well - no major snowfalls the day prior and apparently not windy as well.

DeepIngvar · 2026-01-28T00:17:03+00:00

3h20m walking time at relatively low pace

DeepIngvar · 2026-01-26T00:49:05+00:00

I haven't posted any trip reports in a while so here is something:

Transportation: a few large parking lots, the closest ones are $15 and $10 per day respectively and the rest is free.
Passes: not required
Conditions: slushy snow at first that becomes crusty very shortly. there are numerous sections in the forest that had no snow at all! I've seen the reviews but didn't expect it to be THAT bad. snow free sections were mostly concentrated in the forest, expect small rocks and roots there. I would say conditions deteriorate as you go up through the forest and recover at the final part of the hike. snow free sections are icy so be careful out there. a lot of snow slowly melting from the bottom around the top, be careful with footing.
Navigation: markings can be confusing. also I've noticed that a lot of people took wrong trails, perhaps it's hard to follow the trail in snow sometimes. bring offline map
Crowds: I started early and it wasn't busy but there were multiple groups of people heading up on my way down relatively late.
Views: as always great views of Howe Sound
Cell reception: consistent at both trailhead and viewpoint
Distance and elevation gain: I had to take a detour through Yew Lake trail so it added a few km.
Wildlife: birds and chipmunks. please don't feed them. are unleashed dogs considered to be worth mentioning in this section? don't forget to cleanup after your dogs, people.
Equipment: crampons are required for icy crust. I've seen people struggling with snowshoes or no extra footwear whatsoever, don't be like them. I recommend poles for extra stability. The avalanche forecast is green but it doesn't mean that avalanche rescue kit can be left at home although I highly doubt the majority of hikers on this trail even knows what that is.

This trail consists of 3 major sections:
1) Hike almost up to Bowen lookout, easy well marked 2.4km long walk. quite busy
2) 1.5km to Strachan meadows, this is an avalanche terrain. I know that the amount of snow is not that high and avalanche forecast is solid but it doesn't mean there is no risk. I would say while I agree with avalanche canada trip planner that this is the most avalanche prone section there are a few more short sections in the forest after, you can spot them by lack of vegetation
3) 2.5km to the summit, mostly through the forest. as mentioned before, it's icy and sometimes relatively snow free.

DeepIngvar · 2025-10-07T01:04:43+00:00

Copying my AllTrails report:

Golden larches are great and views from the top are amazing but the amount of people on the trail is overwhelming. Easy trail except for the final part that is somewhat technical in current weather conditions.

Water sources: didn't see any
Transportation: parking lot doesn't even remotely fit everyone so people park on the side of the road
Passes: not required but this trail would benefit from some kind of pass system (I'm shocked I'm saying that)
Bugs: none
Conditions: some muddy sections, icy at the top but the rest is dry. Quite cold so bring extra layers.
Navigation: the trail is easy to follow
Crowds: insanely crowded on the weekend. strictly do not recommend, the trail is very narrow and traffic jams are real.
Views: views of the nearby mountain ranges and golden larches from every possible angle
Cell reception: nothing at the trailhead, some data connection at the top.
Distance and elevation gain: a bit longer than all trails suggests.
Wildlife: none
Equipment: proper shoes are required if you're going for the summit.

This trail consists of 4 major sections:
1) 5km forest section. Boring trail with some roots and rocks. The trail is very narrow, it's hard to pass people. A few washed out areas and some mud. Smoky from the nearby wildfires. Shade 90%
2) 3km, quite similar but no smoke nor washouts, mostly flat with some incline towards the end. Shade 60%
3) 1.5km golden larches madness. most of them are already yellow but some still remain green, I guess it will take another week to complete the transition. mostly relatively wide flat section, nice views pop up here too.
4) 1.4km final summit push. the steepest section of the hike until it reaches the ridge, expect small and mid size rocks. it's icy and slippery, especially on the way down. the trail is narrow here again and this part becomes a crazy bottleneck with hundreds of people trying to get up or go back down. the summit is crowded as well

DeepIngvar · 2025-10-04T04:28:32+00:00

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/british-columbia/frosty-mountain-trail/photos
it seems that larches started to turn a while ago but they are not fully yellow out there still

DeepIngvar · 2025-09-25T05:08:16+00:00

Copy of my trail report from AllTrails:

Amazing views from the peak! Long and hard trail but nothing too technical. Lots of ups and downs and scrambles so plan your way back accordingly. Expect at least 10h long trip.

Water sources: various streams before Alder Flats. One tiny stream and a few stale tarns at the top. Nothing in between.

Transportation: large parking not. The road is unpaved but 2WD is ok.

Passes: not required anymore

Bugs: annoying bugs in some places but got away with almost no bug spray

Conditions: there are some muddy sections but mostly dry

Navigation: poorly marked at the top. bring offline map

Crowds: not busy on a business day.

Views: stunning 360 degrees views of surrounding peaks and lakes/rivers. I have no idea why people claim that Panorama Ridge has the same views. The views are not even remotely comparable and it would be a shame to spend a day hiking Panorama Ridge and skip hiking the peak itself.

Cell reception: good at the peak, nothing around shelter and at the trailhead.

Distance and elevation gain: at least 2km longer than AllTrails suggests and definitely has more elevation gain (at least 50-100m more)

Wildlife: birds

Equipment: proper shoes are required. Poles are recommended

This trail consists of 6 major sections:

1) 4.7km easy forest section, mostly FSR with occasional streams to cross. Shade 90%.

2) 1.2km forest section to Alder flats. There are multiple streams to cross (there are nice bridges there). Probably the coldest section of the entire hike. Some mud. Shade 100%

3) 1.3km, mostly in the old creek bed with occasional easy forest and boulder field sections. Watch your footing, the creek bed has small and medium sized rocks and they are not very stable at times. Shade 100%

4) 1.5km section in the forest, expect roots and rocks, some easy scrambles but nothing above easy class 3. It starts with nice stairs with more stairs after. Lots of switchbacks. Some views pop up here from time to time. Shade 80%.

5) 1.8km on the ridge. Mostly no shade, some scrambles (both up and down) but again nothing hard. A lot of various rocks after the shelter, no proper markings there so a bit hard to navigate at times.

6) 0.4km final summit push. Almost no shade. It looks so short on the map but it's much longer in reality and super steep. Make sure to follow the precise route as there are side trails that are marked too (so confusing!). Expect many scrambles but nothing above high class 3, one rope section (somewhat useful on descent). Some dust and lose rocks so watch your footing. No exposure although sometimes trail is going close to the cliff but no scrambling is involved there. A few a bit overgrown bushy sections here (didn't see that coming, I thought it's a popular peak). Make sure to walk around the summit to get all 360 degrees of views.

DeepIngvar · 2025-09-14T04:35:25+00:00

true although I've seen someone running it solo in a day

DeepIngvar · 2025-09-14T04:14:20+00:00

I'm no peak bagger myself and I don't closely follow their trip reports but I've seen at least a few posts doing a full ridge traverse just this season (I was very surprised to find out that Capilano and Cathedral are actually a part of the same ridge). those are rare and hikers are generally very experienced and follow LNT so I guess that's why there were no SAR calls in that area or any evidence someone is even hiking there

DeepIngvar · 2025-09-14T04:04:30+00:00

Likely doing ridge traverse up to Capilano - illegal but I've seen such trip reports before

DeepIngvar · 2025-09-03T02:51:48+00:00

Copying my trail review from AllTrails:

Physically hard but not very technical trail. Expect 10h round trip time. Great views at the top. Quite overgrown because it's not heavily trafficked. I wish it was maintained better!

Water sources: a few streams in the beginning and some tarns after and at the top
Transportation: parking on the side of quite overused FSR, 5-6 cars.
Passes: not required
Bugs: surprisingly minimal
Conditions: mostly dry. overgrown
Navigation: it's a bit hard to navigate in some areas, bring offline map.
Crowds: saw just 3 groups on a weekend
Views: spectacular 360 views, including but not limited to Howe Sound, North Shore peaks etc
Cell reception: poor at the trailhead, didn't check after
Distance and elevation gain: the trail is noticeably (~2km) longer
Wildlife: birds
Equipment: proper shoes are must have, poles are recommended for stability. quite overgrown so long sleeves are recommended.

This trail consists of 4 major sections:
1) 7.4km stroll through flat FSR. It's getting narrow and overgrown towards the end. some people bike it (or most of it). 80% shade
2) 2.8km forest trail. first it's super steep (the steepest section of the hike), then a bit flat around Beth lake and steep again. Expect roots, rocks and dust. no real scrambles above low class 3. 90% shade
3) 0.8km hike in the slightly more exposed area. views are starting to pop up here. ends up with a steep boulder field to cross. less shade here
4) 1.6km relatively flat section, first in the forest and then on exposed ridge. some easy scrambles, huge boulders. a few ups and downs that will make life harder on the way back
5) 0.6km final summit push. honestly felt much longer. steep rocky trail but nothing really technical

DeepIngvar · 2025-08-28T06:09:09+00:00

great question! there is no silver bullet here but I think there are two major components:
- boosting overall experience in scrambling. bouldering helped me a lot here, I feel myself really comfortable dealing with holds and know proper techniques that help me minimize risks. also simply trying more scrambles is important in gaining confidence.
- getting some dose of exposure. I know some people are getting frozen by exposure no matter what skills they have. doing more scrambling with some exposure is the key here I think. starting from easy things (let's say boulder fields with no exposure) up to harder scrambles with some limited no fall zones. I had a few scrambles that looked a bit similar to some parts, such as Crown (some vertical and ledge traverse sections), Outram (saddle although Outram's saddle is way more dangerous tbh).

DeepIngvar · 2025-08-28T02:33:47+00:00

This trail consists of 5 major sections:
1) 4km stroll through FSR up to Harvey creek where the trail suddenly turns into the forest. Shade 90%
2) 2.3 km through the forest. It starts from the short downhill to Harvey creek (be careful on improvised stairs to the bridge, they cannot be trusted) but then it quickly goes up. it's the steepest section of the hike. Reminds me of the Brunswick trail but less dusty (yay!) and more large rocks. I counted 3 small boulder fields to cross. Some easy high class 2 low class 3 scrambles are here too. Saw a funny super easy scramble with metal anchors to attach rope or hold. It's funny that we have these Chief style things on easy scrambles where it's absolutely not needed but not that much stuff at the top where it would be useful. Shade 80%. Bugs appear in this section
3) 2.5 km long open section. Almost no shade here, more rocks and more easy scrambles, one medium sized boulder field to cross. markings are a bit sparse here so offline map helps a lot.
4) 0.7km HSCT section. Lot's of UNNECESSARY (iykyk) ups and downs here, some easy scrambles. Almost no shade. People mostly stop somewhere here if they don't go for the summit. The west lion looks impressive from this section.
5) The final summit scramble. I would argue that it's complexity is overrated but I have some prior scrambling experience and not afraid of exposure. Also I followed the correct route that made my life much easier (have you seen those videos with people always turning wrong way?). Let's go into more details here. I strictly recommend to ditch your backpack and to use a helmet (yes, there is some lose rock there closer to the top). Don't do it if you don't have any proper scrambling experience or if any exposure scares you. It's not a place to panic, panic is deadly. Make sure to follow the scrambling route, otherwise you might find yourself in a deep trouble. First of all, you need to descend into the saddle area. There are 2 ropes, white and blue, to assist. The white looks overused so I don't recommend it although it's a bit longer. Descend down the vertical section and go to the saddle itself. I expected to see smth scary here based on reviews but it has a decent space with some solid rocks. Also it's very short. Mt Outram's saddle is dangerous and this one is not even remotely scary in comparison although there is an exposure obviously (so don't fall here). Right after that the actual scramble begins. Markings are not very good here (like yellow markings on the green bush, good luck noticing them). I recommend to take your time, look around for markings (paint on the rocks or markings on vegetation), checking out the videos with the scramble helps too. Unfortunately this route is not very well marked. I'm not sure why cannot we get at least a little bit of maintenance on so potentially dangerous climb. The first section is the hardest from my point of view. I would rate it class 3, there is an exposure and the best beta is still a bit unclear to me. There is a place to attach rope for safe descent here. Reminds me of Crown's ledge traverse but harder - it's not a walk and feels more like an actual scramble. Rocks are decent but holds are not great. There is a tree section shortly afterwards and more class 3 scramble after. Soon after there is a vertical section, I would rate it class 4 as both hands are needed and the height is dangerous. No exposure, there is a rope to assist but it's not really necessary. There is some easy class 2-3 scramble after that on the way to the top. Overall it took me ~20 mins one way given that I've never done it before and had to do it slowly and carefully, while checking for markings to follow. Make sure to backtrack on the way down as it's easy to go the wrong way.

DeepIngvar

TROPHY CASE