Trip report from Rob

Thompson Trail to Brohm Lake, August 15, 2021

A group of 10 of us drove to and met beside the Tenderfoot Creek Fish Hatchery just off the Paradise Valley Road a bit North of Squamish on Sunday August 15th.  Plenty of parking along the road near the hatchery.  The day started out warm and sunny and got even warmer and muggier as the sun climbed higher in the sky.

Fortunately finding the trailhead was not difficult as our intrepid leader Sheila had scouted out the trail access previously with friend Gerd.  The Thompson Trail is a pretty climb up from the Paradise Valley road level to the hill on the West side of Brohm Lake.  Once meeting the trails that go around Brohm Lake, hikers can choose a variety of trails and loops to walk, depending on weather and energy and stamina.  We chose to hike a clockwise circuit around the lake.  Once we got back around the lake to the West side we found a nice area to have lunch and also do some refreshing swimming off a rock ledge in the lake (or to just have a dip in the lake for some of us).  After this rest and lunch stop we packed up and continued around the lake to the Thompson Trail junction and then back down this trail to the creek/road level where we started.  At the bottom of the trail Sheila directed us to large boulder field that formed sheltered “caves” through which a cool breeze was blowing.  Very refreshing after getting hot and sweaty again!  All in all, a great easy to moderate hike and a great lake to swim in.  

In fall this hike is interesting as well because hikers and visitors can stop at the hatchery and the creek and pools in the creek to watch salmon swimming and gathering to spawn, and once covid restrictions are lifted you can also take a self-guided tour of the hatchery.