Hiking Saxifrage Peak near Pemberton
Contents
Saxifrage Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 19.20Km
Elevation Gain: 1,450m
Highest Elevation: 2,501m
Average Gradient: 15.10%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 10 – 12 Hours
– Moderate: 8 – 10 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 8 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~June to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Yes
Scrambling / Exposure: None via this route
Saxifrage Peak Trail
The below coordinates lead to the start of Spetch Creek FSR. You will need to switch to Gaia/AllTrails to drive to the end of this road, where the hike begins.
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°25’17.5″N 122°41’54.2″W
Saxifrage Peak Overview
Saxifrage Peak is a sizable summit located slightly northeast of Pemberton, accessed via the Valentine Lake trail, featuring fairly prominently in the Scrambles in SWBC book and visible from most major summits in the area. The lake makes for a relatively popular backcountry camping spot, with both Saxifrage and Cassiope Peak reasonably well trafficked hikes/scrambles thereafter. Some people will camp for a couple of days to ascend both peaks, others can knock them both off in one big day, and finally some prefer to make two separate day trips out for both peaks.
Accessing Valentine Lake requires either driving or hiking up the Spetch Creek FSR. The end of the FSR is at almost 1,100m, however the road can often be deteriorated, sometimes meaning it’s only accessible in capable high clearance vehicles. SUV’s can and do reach the end of the road, however this really depends on how confident you are at driving these roads, and how far you want to push your vehicle. If you do have to park lower down you can add a decent amount of distance and elevation gain to the stats above, which assumes parking at the end.
Saxifrage Peak was historically ascended as a somewhat exposed scramble up the southeast ridge from the Saxifrage / Cassiope col (the route described in the Scrambles book), and indeed this may be the preferred route for adventurous folks looking for a bit of excitement on their climb. In recent years, however, the southwest ridge has frequently been ascended as this requires no scrambling and no exposure, it’s simply a steep hike. There is no trail from the lake, and the initial ascent requires some mild bush, but it’s very straightforward.
For those looking to knock off both Saxifrage and Cassiope, the suggested route would be to climb up to the Cassiope / Saxifrage col, scramble up Cassiope first, then scramble up Saxifrage from the col, then descend back to the lake via the southwest ridge of Saxifrage. This route is only really suggested for confident scramblers, however.
In terms of seasonality, July to October is likely your best bet as Saxifrage is a 2,500m peak, so snow can linger for a while. The early summer can be apocalyptic with mosquitos in the Pemberton Valley, typically only easing off in August. If you plan to camp at the lake you can expect to encounter severe mosquitos until mid to late summer when they clear up.
Dogs are welcome in the area, but this is prime grizzly territory, so make sure you’re prepared for possible encounters (even if you don’t have a dog).
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Is Saxifrage Peak worthwhile?
Anybody who has climbed Saxifrage Peak has noted that the views from the summit are incredible, and there’s good reason this is considered a 3* hike in the Scrambles book. Unfortunately on the day we ascended, many of the views were clouded over, so the photos throughout this description likely do not do this hike the full justice it deserves. As such, I’m going out on a limb to say this is a five star hike based mostly on the feedback of those who have summited on a clear day.
Even though we didn’t get the full experience, what we did see was still very scenic and rewarding, so I’m confident that on a bluebird day Saxifrage Peak lives up to the bill.
How difficult is the hike to Saxifrage Peak?
For a 2,500m peak, Saxifrage isn’t all that difficult as it can easily be broken up into more manageable chunks. The hike starts with a steep 400m forest climb before you reach a series of meadows. You’ll gently climb another 200m or so before reaching Valentine Lake, navigating to the northern beach. Most parties will stop for a break here, and to refill water. The remaining 750m of gain lie ahead, but it’s all scenic and open, offering plenty of opportunity to stop for photos along the way. If you break all of this up while camping at the lake, it will be even easier.
Technically this hike is quite straightforward, with the biggest challenge merely being navigating from the lake to the peak. With a downloaded GPX this is a no brainer. The initial 250m of gain from the lake will be a little bushy, but easy enough to navigate to avoid the worst of it. From then on it opens up into mostly heather slopes, before an easy talus climb from the ridge to the summit. There really shouldn’t be any scrambling necessary anywhere along the route, nor any exposure.
Saxifrage Peak Route Information
As noted the trailhead for Saxifrage Peak is from the end of Spetch Creek FSR. This FSR is mostly manageable for an SUV, however there are a few aggressive cross ditches towards the latter kilometer or two that might stop you in your tracks. If in doubt, you may need to prepare to hike up the FSR from wherever you stop, potentially adding a few kilometers and a few hundred meters of elevation gain to the stats above.
Another thing to note, the Spetch Creek FSR is mislabeled on most maps at the time of writing. In most instances, the FSR is slightly further along the road to the north from where Gaia or AllTrails says it is. It doesn’t show anywhere on Google Maps, but if you want to locate the beginning, it’s essentially where the “Cool Creek Canyon Trailhead” is on Google Maps (see coordinates”. Once you locate the beginning and start driving up, it should connect to the FSR on Gaia/AllTrails.
From the end of the road you should find a trail leading into the forest. Do not cross over Spetch Creek, if you do you are going the wrong way, turn back and locate the correct trail. The Valentine Lake trail begins by hiking through a beautiful forest drenched in moss as it runs parallel to Spetch Creek. After a few hundred meters you’ll begin a steep climb away from the creek.
After around 400m of climbing, or 2.5km, the trail mellows out as you enter a series of open meadows. There can be several muddy sections through this area as the relatively flat terrain collects moisture throughout the annual freshet, with several creeks flowing through. Over the next 4km or so you’ll wander through these meadows, climbing gently for another 200m in the process.
Shortly before reaching the lake you will pass by a sign about the couple that vanished in this region back in 2010, with no trace of them ever being found. It’s a mysterious story that you might want to read up on before visiting the area. Either way, shortly ahead you will reach the southwestern shores of Valentines Lake, presumably named due to heart shape.
You will now follow the trail around to the northern end of the lake, where there is a small beachy area that makes for a nice place for a break before beginning the steep climb up Saxifrage. You may want to refill water here, as this is likely the last opportunity to do so, depending on the time of year.
From the northern end of the lake, you will now want to get your GPX out as there is no trail to follow up Saxifrage. You’ll soon enter what appears to be a dense treeline, however you’ll quickly realize this is quite easy to navigate without having to do much bushwhacking. If you simply follow the GPX here it will provide a fairly reasonable route through.
At around 2,000m elevation, or after 250m of climbing from the lake, the bushes will give way to open heather/grass slopes with some talus sprinkled around. You can mostly stay off the talus for the next couple of hundred meters, with the route aiming for a saddle between the true summit and a subsummit to the west.
Shortly before gaining the ridge the heather/grass gives way to a mix of loose dirt and rock, some of which can be slippery under foot. Thankfully this is short lived, and once you gain the ridge you’ll be on stable boulders for the remainder. The ridge also offers plenty of views to the north, with a bit of a glacier on the northern aspect, and several colourful lakes down below (White Lakes).
From the saddle, it’s now merely a case of boulder hopping along the ridge to the true summit, which isn’t all that far away. There shouldn’t really be any need to scramble, but you may find your hands touching rock here and there as some of the boulders can be quite large.
In short order you’ll be on the summit of Saxifrage Peak, which will offer stunning views in every direction. To the north will be Mount Olds and Oleg, to the east will be the Joffre range of peaks, south will lie Cassiope Peak and Valentine Lake, and to the west will be Rhododendron and Ipsoot Mountain.
After resting up at the top, you can simply head back the way you came to Valentine Lake, then back out to the trailhead assuming you’re doing this as a day hike.
When should I hike Saxifrage Peak?
July to October is the peak season for Saxifrage Peak, however July can often be pretty bad with mosquitos. The best period will be mid-August to early October, and shortly after that the snow will likely return to the area. Saxifrage is not really an accessible peak in the winter as access would be impossible once the roads are snow covered.
Top Tip
This is a grizzly bear region, so prepare accordingly and ideally travel in groups. You should also prepare for mosquitos, especially in the early summer.
If you prefer scrambling over steep hiking, the Scrambles in SWBC route via the Cassiope / Saxifrage col would likely be preferred.
