Hiking Coquihalla Mountain near the Coquihalla Recreation Area
Contents
Coquihalla Mountain Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 21.20Km
Elevation Gain: 1,350m
Highest Elevation: 2,157m
Average Gradient: 12.74%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 9 – 10 Hours
– Moderate: 8 – 9 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 8 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Summer
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Class 2 scramble, little exposure if you go the right way.
Coquihalla Mountain Trail
The above GPX includes Jim Kelly Peak and Illal Mountain as well as Coquihalla Mountain.
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°31’51.1″N 120°57’44.3″W
Coquihalla Mountain Overview
Coquihalla Mountain is an extinct stratovolcano located near Coquihalla Pass with a couple of standard routes to the summit. Visible from most peaks in the Coquihalla Recreation area, Coquihalla Mountain is 2WD accessible thanks to the well manicured Tulameen River FSR. You used to be able to drive an additional few kilometers on a narrow spur road in higher clearance vehicles, however in recent years this road has deteriorated significantly, to the point of becoming impassable for practically every vehicle.
There are two primary routes to summiting Coquihalla Mountain. The first route is the traverse, which is a class 3 or 4, highly exposed traverse along the eastern ridge that capable and confident parties suggest is the preferred and most direct route. The second route, and the one described here, is more of a hikers route that wraps around to the southern flanks before a class 2, low exposure scramble up to the summit. Some parties opt to complete the traverse then descend down this hikers route. This blog will be describing the second route only, the hike.
Tulameen River FSR is not a plowed road, which means this hike is only accessible once the snow has thawed. As such, most people will not hike Coquihalla Mountain until the summer months, usually between mid-June and October.
Coquihalla Mountain is situated near Illal Meadows, a scenic alpine meadow with a few lakes that make camping in the area ideal. There are also a couple of other nearby peaks, Jim Kelly Peak and Illal Mountain. Fit parties can link together all three peaks into one long and tiring day, with other parties choosing to camp in the meadows to make a full weekend of bagging these peaks. Coquihalla Mountain is the highest and most demanding of the bunch, but as usual offers the most rewards.
This region is pet friendly.
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Is Coquihalla Mountain worthwhile?
Coquihalla Mountain is the most prominent peak in a stunning area more akin to something you would expect to see in Garibaldi Provincial Park rather than Coquihalla Pass. The black stratovolcano, lush meadows and alpine lakes make for a scenic day or weekend, especially if you decide to link Coquihalla Mountain with Jim Kelly and/or Illal Mountain. This is truly a stunning area that is well worth the effort to get into.
How difficult is the hike to Coquihalla Mountain?
If you only hike Coquihalla Mountain this would still be a challenging day out, but if you add in Jim Kelly Peak and Illal Mountain I would probably upgrade this to a “very difficult” day out that adds at least 2 – 3 more hours of hiking / scrambling to the stats noted above. If you want to make life easier you might want to consider an overnight, spreading the hikes out over a couple of days.
Technically speaking Coquihalla Mountain has its challenges, but the majority of the trail is a hike. The trail is easy to follow up to Illal Meadows to the Jim Kelly / Coquihalla Pass, before you drop down and wrap around the southeastern ridge of Coquihalla Mountain. Here the trail becomes less obvious, with some parties choosing to boulder hop along the talus, while others drop down further to the grass and creeks below. Following any official trail here is challenging, though there are sporadic cairns to assist. Once you are directly south of Coquihalla Mountain you will scramble up the mostly class 2 slopes to the summit.
Coquihalla Mountain Route Information
The trailhead for Coquihalla Mountain is from Tulameen FSR, immediately after crossing over Illal Creek (see coordinates). Tulameen FSR is 2WD friendly, it’s mostly just a gravel road with little to no potholes. Note that Tulameen FSR is only accessible in the summer once the snow has melted as it is not a plowed road.
From the trailhead there is an old, now disused spur road running adjacent to Illal Creek. You used to be able to drive this road for several kilometers to an actual trailhead/parking area, however over the years it has deteriorated and is no longer driveable to the end. Most parties do not even bother trying as the road is so bad and overgrown. Instead, this will now be the start of your hike. The spur road makes for relatively quick and easy progress, crossing a few creeks along the way (you’ll see why it’s no longer driveable), likely with some overgrown sections.
After following this road for around 3.5km, climbing just 100m or so in the process, you’ll drop down and cross over a creek before beginning the forested section of the hike. The gradient now picks up, and over the next 1.5km you’ll ascend quite steeply through the forest following an obvious trail. At around the 1,540m mark you’ll traverse across a steep boulder field before another short stretch of trees, before breaking out of the treeline and into the lower meadows.
Over the next 1.5km the views will really begin to open up of all the peaks surrounding the meadows, particularly Jim Kelly Peak, which many parties will hike first since it is the first you reach. After hiking along the trail for another 2km you’ll find yourself at the shores of a small lake beneath Jim Kelly Peak, which is a nice place for a break. If you are climbing Jim Kelly, you’d now take a trail to your left, wrapping around the lake and ascending via the northwest ridge, following the fairly obvious route, which goes mostly at class 2. From here you could expect to take an hour or so to climb up and down, including a break at the top.
Continuing on to Coquihalla Mountain would mean taking the right trail at this junction, before a short descent down to Coquihalla / Jim Kelly Pass. Anybody doing the traverse would now climb up the ridge and follow it along to the summit. Instead of that, this route now descends from the pass to the south, crossing along or adjacent to a talus slope. Officially there is a “trail” here, but it is difficult to follow for the most part, with most parties just opting to pick their own path in the general direction. You can either stay higher up on the talus, or drop down further and hike along the heather and creeks below (where the trail is).
As you hike you may wonder how on earth you’re getting up this peak as all of the slopes appear to be pretty impenetrable, but thankfully none of these bumps along the ridge are the actual summit. Referring to your map, keep hiking along the talus until you are directly south of the actual summit. You should be able to pick up some cairns here, if you do so you should follow them. In the GPX above the descent route is the easiest route up, maxing out at class 2. The ascent route misses a portion of the trail and ends up on some class 3 terrain, albeit fairly briefly. Both routes do conjoin towards the top. The scramble is actually quite short and straightforward, only climbing around 150m, much of which is really just steep hiking.
Once you reach the top you’ll find yourself between two bumps on the ridge, the one to your right has the large summit cairn, but the one to your left is the actual true summit. The views for the whole scramble will have been good behind you, but from the summit they are exceptional. You might look across the ridge that some people choose to traverse and wonder how on earth they did it. It’s easier than it looks, supposedly. To the northwest will be the more familiar Coquihalla Recreation Area peaks, like Needle Peak, Yak Peak, Alpaca Peak, the Anderson River group of peaks and plenty more. To the south will lie a number of peaks, but the most prominent might be Manning Park summits, including Mount Outram. You’ll also be able to see Mount Baker on a clear day.
After you’ve rested at the top you can simply return down the same way you came, taking care on the descent of the scramble. After returning all the way back to the Coquihalla / Jim Kelly Pass you could optionally add on Illal Peak, which is only around 1.5km away and 100m higher. You’d also get to see the nice lake below Illal Mountain. If not, you can simply hike back to the trailhead from here.
When should I hike Coquihalla Mountain?
Due to Tulameen River FSR only being accessible once the snow has melted, all of the peaks around Illal Meadows are generally summer only objectives. Usually this means mid June to mid-October.
Top Tip
Bugs can be horrendous on this hike at certain times of the summer, usually earlier on in the summer. Bring plenty of bug spray, especially if you’re camping.
If you are aiming to do all three peaks, give yourself plenty of time as most parties will take over 10 hours.
Bears are apparently fairly common in this area, so be ready for possible encounters.
