Hiking Tenquille Lake near Pemberton
Contents
Tenquille Lake Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 12.60Km
Elevation Gain: 750m
Highest Elevation: 1,715m
Average Gradient: 11.90%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 6 – 7 Hours
– Moderate: 5 – 6 Hours
– Fast: 4 – 5 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: No
Season: ~July to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No – But it helps
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Tenquille Lake Trail
The below coordinates go to the start of Branch 12 on the Hurley River Road. If you have a capable vehicle you can drive Branch 12 to the end, where the parking lot is. If not, park at the start of Branch 12 and hike from there.
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°33’23.7″N 123°01’16.1″W
Tenquille Lake Overview
Tenquille Lake is a vibrant, alpine lake nestled in the Pemberton Valley and typically accessed via the Hurley River Road. It offers fantastic access to a breathtaking backcountry filled with multiple peaks of varying difficulties, making for a great base camp to explore deeper in the area.
While the lake is perfectly manageable as a day trip, and indeed you could readily add on a peak or two as well, to fully explore the area most parties will spend at least one night camping at the lake. The area is managed by the Pemberton Wildlife Association, who operate the campsites and a cabin at the lake, both of which are comfortable depending on your preference.
Accessing Tenquille Lake is possible from a couple of trailheads, the Branch 12 trailhead located off the well groomed Hurley River Road, or the Lillooet River Road trailhead. Those with a high clearance vehicle can drive Branch 12 to a parking area at roads end, making this hike a modest 12.6km / 750m gain (as noted). From the Lillooet River trailhead you can expect a full 21km and almost 1,600m gain. Even without a high clearance vehicle, I would strongly suggest everyone should begin the hike from the Branch 12 access point. For those with low clearance vehicles unable to drive up Branch 12, you should park on Hurley River Road (suitable for all vehicles) and begin hiking from the start of Branch 12. While this would make the round trip something like 23km, the elevation gain would only be in the region of 1,000m, making this far easier than the Lillooet River trailhead, which is relentlessly steep.
Once at the lake, most parties will want to explore deeper into the region. There are 5 “commonly” hiked peaks around, with a 6th peak that tends to be less common due to its difficulties.
- Copper Mound and Mount McLeod – Often combined together, mostly just backcountry hiking.
- Mount Barbour – Mostly hiking with some easy, Class 2 scrambling at the summit (can be combined with Copper Mound and Mount McLeod for adventurous groups)
- Finch Ridge – Mostly just hiking
- Tenquille Mountain – Mostly just hiking (can be combined with Finch Ridge, but connecting the two can involve some tricky route finding and potential Class 3 scrambling)
- Goat Mountain – Least common but the highest peak of them all. The trickiest summit, mostly tackled by peakbaggers. Usually involves traversing the ridge from Tenquille and descending a very steep gully between the two to return to camp. Class 2 / 3 scrambling with some exposure in the gully.
It’s technically possible to summit all 6 peaks over 2 days for motivated/fit parties as you can traverse Barbour/McLeod/Copper on day 1 and Finch/Tenquille/Goat on day 2.
In terms of seasonality, Tenquille Lake is best saved for mid-summer onwards, typically July to October. The mosquitos can be horrific in the Pemberton Valley in early summer (July), so if you want to avoid this I would suggest going between mid-August to the end of September for the best conditions. Snow will likely still be around in June, so deeper exploration beyond the lake may be more involved at this time. Access to the lake/cabin is possible in winter, but would typically be a multi-day affair beginning from Lillooet River Road (the Hurley is closed to vehicles), so it’s very rare for snowshoers to go and is generally a backcountry ski destination at this time.
Dogs are not welcome at Tenquille Lake.
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Is Tenquille Lake worthwhile?
Tenquille Lake is a beautiful region with fairly unique views of meadow covered peaks. Even just hiking to the lake will be a rewarding one, however summiting any of the nearby peaks is recommended to get a full feel of the area and the best views.
How difficult is the hike to Tenquille Lake?
The difficulty will largely depend on where you begin hiking from. As noted, there is little reason to begin hiking from Lillooet River Road as any car can drive the Hurley, so your choice will either be starting from the trailhead at the end of Branch 12 (high clearance vehicle necessary), or from the beginning of Branch 12, parking on Hurley River Road. If you can get to the actual trailhead this is a very moderate hike, and you’ll likely be at the lake in around 2 hours. If you begin from Hurley River Road, you can add another 5km (each way) to the stats above, plus an additional 300m gain or so round trip. This would probably increase the hike to “difficult”, but even so it would be on the easier end.
Technically speaking the hike is easy and follows a trail the entire way to the lake.
Tenquille Lake Route Information
If you have parked on Hurley River Road at the beginning of Branch 12 (see coordinates), your first task is simply to hike along Branch 12 to the road’s end (the parking lot). There will be one junction where you’ll want to keep left, staying on the main road, otherwise it’s very much a case of just following the road. It’ll be around 5km or so to reach the parking lot, which should take an hour and 15 minutes, give or take.
For those able to drive up Branch 12 (lots of fairly deep cross ditches, be warned), you’ll begin from the parking lot at the end of the road. Here you should find an obvious, single track trail leading into the forest. The first kilometer of the hike will climb quite steeply, which will be an immediate test for those carrying heavy overnight packs.
At around the 1.2km mark, you’ll drop down and easily cross over Mowich Creek using some logs/rocks. The climb beyond will be much gentler, and in fact you’ll begin descending slightly for the next kilometer or so. There’ll be a few views of the Pemberton Valley along this stretch, making a nice excuse for a break.
As you begin climbing once again, at around the 4.2km mark you’ll intersect with the trail that leads up from the Lillooet River Road side. If you pass by any poor souls coming up this route, give them some encouragement as they’ve already climbed 1,300m at this point.
Luckily for them (and you), it’s only around 100m more of climbing before you break out of the forest and into the beautiful alpine meadows shortly before the lake. You’ll be surrounded by lush, green slopes beneath giant peaks, notably Copper Mound to the south and Goat and Tenquille Mountain to the north. You’ll now get to enjoy a pleasant stroll through these meadows for a little over a kilometer, before a short but steep descent down to the cabin and ultimately the western shores of Tenquille Lake.
Most parties will no doubt want to explore the lake a little, and if you’re camping you’ll now head to your designated campground on the northern side of the lake. There are a few beaches around to relax and soak in the views and there’s a trail around the whole lake if you want to see it all.
All of the peaks can be accessed from the lake, so depending on what your plans are, the lake is a great place to regroup, relax and decide on your next steps. If you are simply returning to the car, then return back the way you came.
When should I hike Tenquille Lake?
July to October is the peak season for Tenquille Lake, however I would suggest avoiding July and early August if you want to avoid mosquitos. As such, mid-August to early October is the best time to visit. Unfortunately this can coincide with forest fire smoke, so do check the smoke forecast if this is an issue.
Top Tip
Tenquille Lake is commonly frequented by grizzly bears, so prepare accordingly and preferably travel in groups. If camping, ensure to practice the usual protocols for bear safety. There should be food caches around for use.
As noted, I strongly suggest starting from Branch 12, whether that’s at the parking lot at the end of the road, or at the beginning of the branch. There is no point in suffering up from Lillooet River Road as any car can reach the start of Branch 12.
The cabin and campgrounds can fill up on summer weekends, so book in advance if you want to go then. If you want to avoid crowds I would suggest avoiding weekends entirely. It should be easy to book a spot outside of the weekend.
