Hiking Soprano, Contralto and Mezzo Peak near Lillooet
Contents
Soprano, Contralto & Mezzo Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 10.75Km
Elevation Gain: 1,177m
Highest Elevation: 2,555m
Average Gradient: 21.90%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 8 – 10 Hours
– Moderate: 7 – 8 Hours
– Fast: 6 – 7 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~July to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No – But it would make it easier
Scrambling / Exposure: Mixture of Class 2 and easy Class 3
Soprano, Contralto and Mezzo Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°34’44.0″N 122°13’37.1″W
Soprano, Contralto & Mezzo Peak Overview
Soprano, Contralto and Mezzo peaks are a trio of summits located in an incredibly scenic region of the Cayoosh Range, between Pemberton and Lillooet. Accessed via Downton Creek FSR, this area is dotted with multiple lakes and dramatic summits, making it one of the finest backcountry hiking regions SWBC has to offer. There are multiple peaks in the area that can be climbed of varying difficulty, with some parties opting to link many of them together in what is known as the “Statimcets Choir Traverse”.
The full traverse summits Soprano, Contralto, Mezzo, Schroeder, Linus and Statimcets (Peak 8700) peak as a looped hike along the ridges connecting them all. The full traverse involves a mixture of Class 2 to Class 4 scrambling and is a much more involved day then what is suggested here, a portion of the traverse. The route described here covers what most people would consider the most scenic part of the traverse thanks to the plethora of alpine lakes visible from each of the summits. It’s also a simpler part of the traverse, only requiring Class 2 and easy Class 3 scrambling with minimal exposure.
Due to the long drive from Vancouver (~4 hours), many parties will choose to camp in the area, either at the trailhead or around Holly Lake, which has several areas for camping.
One of the biggest challenges over the years has simply been accessing the trailhead. Downton Creek FSR has a history of closures due to a number of bridges early on along the road being in poor condition. The road was closed for several years but re-opened in 2024/25. That being said, it could close again at a moment’s notice, so it’s important to confirm that this road is open prior to going, as hiking or even biking the road would be impractical for most parties. Furthermore, the road gradually becomes more and more overgrown once you go past the Mount Seton trailhead, with the spur road especially overgrown. As such, you should expect pinstripes if you plan to drive all the way to the trailhead. Some parties opt to park lower down and hike up to the trailhead to avoid this. The spur road also likely requires some ground clearance, so an SUV is likely necessary.
In terms of seasonality, most people will complete this hike during the summer once the road and lakes are fully melted out. The peak season is therefore July to October, though a little earlier may work if you don’t mind snow.
This region is pet friendly, though much of the hike passes over boulders, scree and talus and may be challenging for some dogs. This is also grizzly territory, so do keep that in mind.
Maintaining this website requires a significant investment of both time and money, if you find this website a useful resource, please consider making a donation using this button.
Are Soprano, Contralto & Mezzo Peak worthwhile?
This region around Holly Lake is one of the finest accessible alpine locations in SWBC, without a doubt. If you are able to park at the trailhead (1,750m), in just 30 minutes of hiking you will reach Holly Lake, and from here on out the views are simply to die for. Soprano, Contralto and Mezzo offer world class vistas from their summits, with over 10 alpine lakes, countless dramatic peaks and a nearby glacier all visible throughout the day.
This route includes dropping down to visit some of the nicer lakes as well, though this does require a more involved endless boulder field descent back to the trailhead. Still, if you want to visit the lakes that you can see from the summits, that’s the cost of admission. Otherwise, you can alternatively retrace your steps and return via Holly Lake.
How difficult is the hike to Soprano, Contralto & Mezzo Peak?
For an area of this beauty and at this elevation, this is a surprisingly straightforward hike. You will follow a well established trail to Holly Lake and the unnamed lake beyond, before self navigating for the remainder of the day (no trails, no markers, no cairns). Climbing Soprano will involve some very steep, loose talus and consistent use of hands for balance (Class 2 / Easy 3), however it shouldn’t be too exposed. This is likely the trickiest summit to climb. From Soprano to Contralto it’s relatively straightforward (assuming you don’t follow the ridge), with some easy Class 2 / 3 scrambling to the summit, and from Contralto to Mezzo is mostly just hiking.
If you plan to visit the lakes on the south side of the ridge, your exit route will likely be the most challenging part of the day, as the entire descent will be on endless boulder fields. The lakes are stunning no doubt, but if you aren’t seriously into lakes then you may want to consider retracing your steps back over Contralto and out via Holly Lake.
Overall, the biggest challenge of the day is just backcountry navigation.
Soprano, Contralto & Mezzo Peak Route Information
The hike begins from a trailhead at the end of a spur road off of Downton Creek FSR. This spur road is typically overgrown (even Downtown Creek FSR is overgrown beyond the Mount Seton trailhead), so you should be willing to accept pinstripes if you want to reach the trailhead. An SUV with some ground clearance is also likely necessary to drive the spur. Alternatively, you could park at the start of the spur road and hike it, which would add a few kilometers each way, and around 300m elevation gain.
From the trailhead you should easily locate a flagged trail leading into the forest. The trail climbs gradually before passing through some meadows as it arches around to the shores of Holly Lake, where many parties opt to camp. The eastern ridge of Soprano looks incredibly impressive from the shores of Holly Lake.
You’ll now work around the lake (which can be a bit muddy), before continuing towards another lake. At around 2,080m you’ll depart any trails and work your way around the eastern shores of this unnamed lake, with Soprano, Contralto and Schroeder all offering a stunning view, especially in the early morning when the reflection on the lake is showstopping.
You’ll now climb away from this lake, working up the western slopes of Soprano. The terrain here is very steep, loose talus, so take care with your footing. You will likely be using your hands for stabilization for most of this climb, but there should never be any true exposure. I’d consider this high Class 2 or low Class 3 scrambling. It’s also fairly short lived, you’ll climb around 250m from the lake to reach the summit of Soprano.
Some people will say the views from Soprano are the best of all of the peaks in the area, and it’s hard to disagree. It’s slap bang in the middle of more than 10 alpine lakes, all of which are visible from the summit thanks to its panoramic views. You’ll also see all of the other peaks on the Statimcets Choir traverse, as well as the more technical peaks to the south such as Tenor, Found and Lost Peak.
Once finished on Soprano you have two choices for reaching Contralto:
- Stay high on the ridge and follow it along. This route would be the obvious choice, however it includes a Class 4 step early on that some parties (like us) may want to avoid.
- Drop off Soprano, boulder hop across the northern slopes of the Soprano-Contralto ridge, then rejoin the ridge at a weakness beyond the Class 4 step.
The route here followed #2 above, and was unknown to us at the time. Thankfully it went seamlessly, and we regained the ridge beyond the Class 4 step. From here, the remainder of the scramble to Contralto was a mixture of Class 2 and easy Class 3 scrambling, with little exposure. It was actually very fun picking a route over the ridge, you could either stay high on the ridge (trickier) or stay slightly on the southern side of the ridge, where there were plenty of options for easier routes. In short order you’ll be on the summit of Contralto, which for us was the most scenic of the peaks (though they were all fantastic).
After another rest on Contralto (and no doubt countless photos), Mezzo is an easy addition and is actually the highest of the three peaks. You now simply continue along the wide ridge before a short, simple Class 2 scramble up a bump before the summit, then the remainder of the route beyond is mostly just hiking. Again, the views are outstanding, but you’ll be used to that by now.
Assuming you are not doing the full traverse (which would now return to Contralto and continue on to Schroeder), you now have a decision to make. You can either return the way you came, up and over Contralto then back down to Holly Lake, OR you can have an adventure and head down to the “Valley of Many Lakes” beneath Found and Tenor Peak.
“Valley of Many Lakes” Exit
If you opt for this exit route, just note that it WILL take you a lot longer than you think. Despite only being ~5km from Mezzo back to the trailhead via this route, it took us ~2.5 hours as the entire descent is on slow going boulder fields. Let that be your warning.
From Mezzo you can drop into the valley via the southern ridge. This is a very steep boulder field that I wouldn’t want to ascend, but as a descent route it worked just fine. If you want it to be a little less steep, don’t take as direct a route as we did and instead drop to the saddle between Mezzo and Found Peak before heading into the valley.
Our route descended a ridiculous 300m in just 600m of distance, for an average gradient of 50%. This was slow going but very efficient, then it was a matter of continuing the boulder hopping towards the first lake directly beneath the glacier. There wasn’t much space to enjoy this lake (all boulders), so we continued on to the next lake. This one was still mostly boulders, however on the NE shores we spotted a grassy embankment where we stopped for a break from the never ending boulder hopping. The views from here are stunning as well.
After this rest, you’ll need to climb up some grassy slopes before the boulders return. After a traverse across another boulder field where you’ll want to try and stay high (there’s another lake ~50m below if you care to reach it), you’ll be faced with another steep descent. If you keep descenders right you can tackle some of this part on scree, but in short order you’ll be back on boulders.
The remainder of the return basically follows a descending traverse across a few more boulder fields, before a short bushwhack out to the end of the FSR you drove up, at which point you just follow the road back to the car.
When should I hike Soprano, Contralto & Mezzo Peak?
Peak season for this zone will be July – September. October is a bit of an unknown as peaks of this elevation could see fresh snow once the temperatures drop and the rains return. Usually early October will be okay, but late October perhaps not. Mosquitos will be brutal in July and possibly early August, so the best time would be between mid-August to end of September.
Top Tip
Make sure to verify that Downton Creek FSR is open before visiting this area.
This is of course grizzly bear territory, so prepare accordingly for that.
Camping at Holly Lake will make for a pleasant weekend trip, but you can also just car camp at the trailhead if you prefer. If you have more than one day you could easily explore some of the other peaks, namely Statimcets (Peak 8700), Linus & Schroeder.
