Hiking Bagpipe Peak near Squamish
Contents
Bagpipe Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 14.8Km
Elevation Gain: 1,170m
Highest Elevation: 1,657m
Average Gradient: 15.81%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 8 – 10 Hours
– Moderate: 7 – 8 Hours
– Fast: 6 – 7 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round (Winter Preferred)
4×4 / High Clearance Required? An AWD SUV should be fine
Scrambling / Exposure: Plenty short, bluffy scrambles with limited exposure. One potentially tricky snow bridge crossing.
Bagpipe Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°37’58.7″N 123°00’47.4″W
Disclaimer: Winter hiking (snowshoeing) involves significantly more risk than summer hiking. Hikers should be prepared with appropriate education, training and equipment for all possibilities, including but not limited to avalanches. A mistake such as going off trail, getting lost or injured can be far more dangerous in winter than summer. You are responsible for your own safety, and while I am happy to give my opinion on this website as to the avalanche risk of a specific hike, do not take this as fact and please do your own research. Everybody has different risk tolerances and mine might be different to yours.
Bagpipe Peak Overview
Bagpipe Peak is the highest mountain in the Fannin range, boasting over 600m of prominence and offering panoramic views from its summit, with especially nice views of the nearby Ben Lomond, Red Mountain, Sky Pilot Mountain, Ledge Mountain and Mount Habrich. An ascent of Bagpipe Peak is a rare endeavour thanks to difficulty accessing the area, particularly since the Furry Creek FSR to the west was deactivated.
The route via Furry Creek would typically have been the “standard” route to Bagpipe Peak, but since its deactivation most attempts have come from Indian River FSR to the north. Since there is no trail and plenty of ugly, bushy terrain, any ascent of Bagpipe Peak tends to be snow covered. Unfortunately this makes timing a hike up Bagpipe Peak a tricky affair, as the Indian River FSR is typically only snow free by around May. This wouldn’t be a huge issue, however this route to summiting Bagpipe also requires a snow bridge near the summit to be intact and safe. The later you leave it, the more likely it is that this snow bridge is entirely impassable, without any easy alternative route. It’s not uncommon for parties to reach this snow bridge only to find it’s not in any condition to be crossed, resulting in an unsuccessful summit attempt.
Due to a combination of the road needing to be free of snow, yet the snow bridge needing to be intact, May tends to be the best time to attempt this hike. Generally speaking you want to go as soon as the road is passable (or slightly before) to try and ensure the snow bridge hasn’t thawed to an extent you can no longer cross it. By June the snow bridge is quite possibly out of commission.
The route in general is a rugged affair through some fairly tedious terrain. It begins with a steep, bluffy forest climb before dropping down into a valley, which it follows for several kilometers. Most of the elevation gain comes at the end, ascending Bagpipe’s northwest ridge. This ridge is very bluffy, requiring a decent amount of route finding as you weave your way through. It can be slow going and tiring, especially in spring snow.
Indian River FSR is a rugged road but doesn’t typically have any aggressive cross ditches. Most SUV’s should be able to make it to the trailhead with some careful driving.
While pets are permitted in the area, this isn’t a hike that most dogs would find feasible. You may get your pup to the snow bridge with difficulty, but getting beyond that may prove too big an ask.
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Is Bagpipe Peak worthwhile?
The views from the summit of Bagpipe Peak are panoramic and unobstructed, offering some nice views into the Mountain Lake Hut peaks in particular. Unfortunately the hike to get there can be a bit of an arduous one, with a variety of challenging terrain, without a whole lot to see. Going with a good group of friends will certainly make the day a lot more enjoyable.
If you don’t have any up to date beta there is also the risk that the snow bridge will not be safe to pass, in which case you will have put in all that effort without reaching the peak. Fortunately the views from the plateau below the snow bridge are already quite nice, but obviously nowhere near as rewarding as the summit itself.
How difficult is the hike to Bagpipe Peak?
Physically speaking the stats for this hike are somewhat difficult, with a fairly high gradient and somewhat high elevation gain (especially in snow). The stats don’t tell the whole story though, as much of the elevation gain comes over a shorter distance since ~5km of the hike are practically a flat plod through the valley. That means most of the elevation gain comes over the remaining 9.8km, for an average gradient in the 22 – 23% range.
Technically speaking there are also a few challenges on the hike. Firstly the initial forest climb includes a couple of steep rolls that will require some hands on climbing up bluffs, utilizing whatever bushes you can find to assist. The drop from this high point into the valley traverses a few sections of deadfall which, depending on the snowpack, can involve some hidden obstacles like tree and rock wells. The valley plod is mostly straightforward but does involve some creek crossings that will get more challenging as the spring progresses. Crossing the Stawamus River can also be challenging without getting your feet wet. The biggest challenge by far is the bluffy climb up the northwest ridge of Bagpipe, requiring route finding and some short, steep snow climbs. Ultimately the biggest test will be the snow bridge at 1,400m, which is steep and often pulling away from the cliff, leaving an exposed several meter drop into the gap between the cliff and snow. This section very likely necessitates the use of an ice axe and crampons.
Bagpipe Peak Route Information
(Disclaimer: I did not hike beyond the snow bridge at 1,400m, so the GPX above stops there, though the route beyond should be very obvious)
The hike to Bagpipe Peak begins from Indian River FSR, off of Mamquam FSR, and should be accessible in any SUV with some careful driving. There are typically no deep cross ditches on this FSR, though there are some rocky stretches. The GPX above begins about 1.6km before the trailhead as I was stopped by snow on the FSR, so if the road remains snow free you can continue driving a further 1.6km, to around 800m elevation, where the route departs from the FSR and begins climbing up into the forest.
Once departing the FSR you will be self navigating for the entire day. The first task of the day is a steep 300m climb over 1.5km. With a snowpack most of this climb is straightforward, however there are two steep rolls that will likely require some forest scrambling to get over some bluffs. They’re not really exposed to much of a fall and you may be able to bypass them if you look around a little.
Eventually the steep gradient will mellow out as you reach a high point above the valley that you’re about to descend into. The next 1.5km or so will be a gradual descent, traversing across some slopes to the climbers left. At times the terrain will be awkward and annoying, with a few stretches of deadfall to navigate around, as well as one or two rock slides. On the descent it’s fairly straightforward, but the climb back up on the way out can be a bit more disorienting.
After this gradual descent, where you drop around 130m in total, you’ll reach the bottom of the valley at around 1,000m elevation. Over the next 2.5km or you’ll simply plod through this valley, without gaining or losing much elevation. In firm snow conditions this will be easy, but as the snow softens through the day this section can be a bit of a drag.
The valley involves a few creek crossings flowing off of the nearby Thistle Peak. Most of these are straightforward, though depending on the time of year this can vary. All of these creeks flow into the much larger Stawamus River, which you will also need to cross. There seems to be a “standard” crossing point as indicated by some ropes that crossed the creek, though these provided no help at all on foot. Crossing the Stawamus River shouldn’t be too challenging, though during periods of high snow melt this will obviously be more difficult. You may get wet feet at worst, but this shouldn’t stop you in your tracks.
Shortly beyond the crossing you’ll reach Stawamus Lake, which will likely be mostly snow covered. Keeping climbers left of the lake you continue ahead, climbing again towards the northwest ridge of Bagpipe Peak.
As noted, this ridge is quite bluffy, likely providing a number of options for ascending (at least lower down), so use this GPX as a general guide only. The initial section is mostly just steep forest, but soon enough you’ll reach some bluffs that you’ll need to navigate. Most of the time there is no choice but to pick a spot to climb up, likely requiring some kick steps into the snow. Most of the bluffs are fairly small and at no point should you feel too exposed to any serious fall, that is until you reach the snow bridge at 1,400m.
At this point all routes seem to merge onto this one large, steep bluff with seemingly only one way up. Most of the bluff is a sheer rock wall that you cannot ascend, except for a small spot in the middle with a patch of snow cascading over the edge. In ideal circumstances this patch of snow will be wide and deep enough to cover the bluff and allow for an easier (albeit steep) climb up. Unfortunately as spring progresses this patch of snow melts out, and gradually pulls away from the cliff, leaving a large, deep gap between the cliff and the snow that you could fall into. At the same time the snow bridge thins, becoming less supportive for foot traffic to pass over it. Ultimately it’s a judgment call depending on conditions as to whether you cross this bridge, and unfortunately for me the bridge did not appear safe, and the gap between the rock wall and the snow was deep enough (a few meters) that if I were to fall in, getting back out would have been very difficult. I ended up stopping here, but thankfully the views from here are already pretty rewarding. If you were to ascend this section you will likely want crampons and an ice axe, even though it’s only brief.
Obviously I cannot comment too much on the route beyond this snow bridge, but this is the crux of the route and if you get past it, the remainder of the hike should be much simpler. Most of the remaining route is at a mellower gradient, however there are a couple of steep spots you’ll need to navigate.
The summit is around 250m elevation above the snow bridge and will offer panoramic views of the usual peaks in the area, namely Red Mountain, Ben Lomond, Sky Pilot, Mount Habrich, Ledge Mountain, Mount Garibaldi, Meslilloet Mountain and many more.
To return you simply retrace your steps. The valley will likely be a bit slower going in softer snow, and the gradual ascent out of the valley will be a bit more draining, but overall it should be straightforward.
When should I hike Bagpipe Peak?
As noted, timing for Bagpipe Peak is very difficult due to the road needing to be free of snow, yet the snow bridge needing to be as stable as possible. You want to time it for as early as possible once the road is ready, which usually means May. You could go earlier but it may mean a long walk along the FSR if you get stopped by snow on the road.
Top Tip
Since you will no doubt be doing this hike in spring, go early so the snow is supportive. Thankfully most of the hike is in forest, so the snow is less impacted by the sun until later in the day. By midday the snow can often be slushy mashed potatoes.
