Mount Cheam, Saturday 21st September 2024
Three at the Summit by Rob
Rob writes:-
It’s easy to see why this trip is so popular as soon as you arrive at the trailhead. Visitors get to drive up to the alpine, above the trees, and the amazing views of valleys, mountains and distant peaks start immediately on the trail and continue through the entire hike. The fall season is even more spectacular as the light from the sun is lower in the sky and the vibrant fall colours on the hills add to the effects and views.
A small group of four of us, reduced due to various reasons from our original eight, set out at the crack of dawn from North Vancouver/Vancouver; a necessary thing in order to get to the trailhead by 9 am, before most of the weekend “hordes” arrive; with a three-hour drive needed to get there. The logging road is challenging, containing (by count) one hundred and eleven deep water bars (drainage ditches crossing the road)! By afternoon the parking lot was completely full and the access road lined with “overflow” parking. On the drive out we counted 26 other vehicles parked along the logging road leading to the parking lot. This doesn’t even include the dozens more vehicles, ATV’s and dirt bikes that went up and turned around while we were on the road and while we were hiking.
The hike itself is only about three hours up and two hours down, taking a moderate pace. The distance is about 9 kms return, with a 680 m elevation gain. Parts of the trail are steep, with an average 15% grade overall, but in general the trail is well graded. The views all the way up and at the top are spectacular and rewarding. We took a leisurely lunch stop of about 40 minutes as the sun was out and the wind died down to almost nothing, plus we found a nice perch to enjoy on the side of the top peak. The pictures for this report tell some of the story, but the views have to be seen in person to really experience the area. We recommend coming to this destination in the fall if you can. A mid-week trip is also recommended, due to the crowds on the road and parking lot; and a 4wd vehicle with high clearance is also a must for access.
Some of our club members are contemplating a return trip next year involving a longer day and a possible connecting hike with Mount Archibald or Lady Peak on the same day (making a much longer but interesting day).
and here is the route from Iain’s Garmin GPSMAP67i
