Hiking Frosty Mountain in Manning Provincial Park
Contents
Frosty Mountain Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 22Km
Elevation Gain: 1,220m
Highest Elevation: 2,409m
Average Gradient: 11.10%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 8 – 10 Hours
– Moderate: 6 – 7 Hours
– Fast: 5 – 6 Hours
Dog Friendly?: Yes
Season: ~July – Mid-October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: One steep boulder field scramble with no exposure.
Frosty Mountain Trail
Note: This is the out and back trail, you can also find the looped trail here.
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°03’44.8″N 120°49’36.6″W
Frosty Mountain Overview
Frosty Mountain is a double peaked summit in Manning Provincial Park, with the lower, eastern summit sitting 2,409m high making for a very popular hike in the summer. The true western summit of Frosty Mountain requires a class 3, exposed scramble from the eastern summit in the summer, however in the winter it makes for an adventurous yet stunning snowshoe outing for parties experienced in winter travel. This post will be describing the popular summer hike to the eastern summit.
There are two options for hiking Frosty Mountain east, an out and back hike and a loop. The out and back hike covers 22km and 1,220m elevation, while the loop covers 31.5km and 1,420m elevation. Both routes are fairly popular and well marked, but the out and back route tends to see more traffic due to its easier stats.
Thanks to its high elevation, for most of the year Frosty Mountain is buried in snow, it’s only in July that the snow typically recedes, returning not long after in mid-October. As such, the season for hiking Frosty Mountain east is fairly short. The vast majority of people who hike Frosty Mountain do so in a relatively short period when the larches along the route turn golden.
Typically changing color from green to gold between late September and mid-October, Frosty Mountain is besieged with hikers and photographers all wanting that glimpse of the 2,000 year old larches on one of the few weeks they become available. Combined with frequently inclement weather, if you happen to go on a sunny weekend, expect to be sharing the trail with hundreds of other hikers all wanting the same thing. Frosty Mountain is beautiful and the golden larches add a lot of spectacle to an already great hike, so I am certainly not going to dissuade you from going, but please respect the park, leave no trace and stay on the trail. Also please don’t camp anywhere other than Frosty Creek Campsite, this is a very sensitive ecological area.
Due to the high possibility of snow even in early October, do make sure to check the weather and conditions before doing this hike as there is every chance you will need microspikes and winter clothing. There is also no cell service here so getting lost can be disastrous. Parking for Frosty Mountain is at Lightning Lakes, which is a paved parking lot suitable for all vehicles.
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Is Frosty Mountain worthwhile?
Frosty Mountain is a hike that becomes extremely popular for a few short weeks of the year, then drops off most people’s radars. During golden larch season this hike is great, offering a unique opportunity to see something you can’t really see anywhere else nearby, without heading into the Rockies. If you don’t mind knocking elbows with A LOT of other people this hike is a great hike. You could alternatively opt to avoid larch season and I’m sure the hike is pretty quiet, but you would be missing out on one of the huge draws of the hike. Would I hike this without the golden larches? Yes, probably, but only if it wasn’t the first time hiking this trail. If it’s your first time I’d say go in the larch season if you can. You might want to go midweek when it’s considerably quieter though.
How difficult is the hike to Frosty Mountain ?
At 22km and 1,220m elevation, this hike is probably on the lower end of difficult, closer to moderate. An average gradient of 11.10% is relatively steep but it is spread out over most of the hike. The end of the hike does have some steep gradient scrambling up a boulder field, but this is quite brief and has little exposure.
The longer loop option is 31.5km and 1,420m elevation, providing an average gradient of 9.02%. This is lower due largely to the longer route back to the trailhead. In reality, the loop is the harder option as it’s considerably further, making for a much longer day.
From a technical perspective Frosty Mountain is a relatively easy hike with well maintained trails if you’re hiking in favorable conditions. There is a steep scramble to reach the ridgeline at the end of the hike, but it’s pretty straightforward for most parties.
Frosty Mountain Route Information
The hike to Frosty Mountain starts at the Lightning Lakes day use area, which does have a large amount of parking, however as noted gets very busy in golden larch season. You’ll quickly head around the east side of the lake, which is beautiful in itself and worthy of a few photos, especially if you’re early and there is fresh morning mist over the lake. You’ll quickly hit a fork in the trail where the Lightning Lake Trail separates from the Frosty Mountain trail, obviously take the Frosty Mountain trail.
As with many trails in BC, there’s not a whole lot of action at the beginning, with plenty of switchbacks as you work your way gradually up the mountain. It’s not an aggressively steep ascent until the end, but you will be moderately out of breath for a large portion of the hike depending on your pace and how much you like to push yourself. You’ll have some peek-a-boo views of Lightning Lakes and its surrounding valley as you work your way up, and there’s even a few lookout spots which make for a nice photo, especially if there is mist over the lake as there often is in the early morning. But let’s face it, the main event is still to come so don’t dilly dally, especially if you’re one of the early birds that’s trying to beat the rush.
Other than the few views over Lightning Lakes you really won’t see a whole lot other than forest until you reach the Frosty Creek campsite after around 7.5km. Shortly after the camp site you’ll hit a few switchbacks and your first sightings of the precious golden larches will appear. Not knowing how many larches I would see, I ended up taking tons of photos of this first batch only to later realize this was a pretty small larch area and a little further is far better.
Once you’ve spotted your first golden larch you will continue ascending, with more and more larches sprouting up, until you reach a larch forest. This is the main event, a beautiful stroll in the magical larch forest ensues for quite some time. This part of the hike is thoroughly enjoyable and it’s also where the views of Frosty Mountain to the west finally open up. As you wander through the larch forest you’ll have some opportunities to perch yourself on a ridgeline overlooking Frosty Mountain and the sweeping valley beneath it. There are great opportunities for photos of the golden larches with Frosty behind here.
After spending some time gallivanting around the golden larch forest you’ll remember you’re actually on a hike to the top of a mountain. Once you’re out of the larch forest, which is a nice respite from the constant ascent, you’ll soon hit what is the only technical part of this hike. The final ascent up Frosty Mountain does involve some scrambling up a boulder field to the ridgeline. It is steep and the trail, if there is one (I didn’t see it) is easy to lose. You basically scramble up a boulder field whichever way you want until you reach the ridgeline leading to Frosty Mountain. Even though the trail may be hard to follow, it’s obvious where you’re going. Be prepared to use your hands, this is steep and loose and any fall could result in injury. It’s not really exposed though.
Once on the ridgeline you’ll have breathtaking views of Frosty Mountain itself, the valley beneath it, as well as panoramic views of the larch forest you just walked through. From the ridgeline you’ll want to head towards the summit. The other direction will take you down the other side of the ridgeline and is where you will be going on the way back if you choose to do the loop. The ridgeline walk to Frosty Mountain itself is pretty straightforward without requiring any more scrambling or any serious exposure.
You’ll soon reach the summit of Frosty Mountain (East) where you can now see the actual Frosty Mountain and realize why summiting it is a challenge. It’s an impressive mountain with a few beautiful lakes beneath it as well as more golden larches. The views from the summit are 360 degrees and obviously stunning.
After taking your summit shots and having some food you’ll head back. If you’re doing the out and back route you’ll simply retrace your steps back to the car, but if you want more of an adventure you can do the loop.
The Loop
Once back on the ridgeline, instead of heading down the boulder field back into the golden larch forest, you’ll go to the very end of the ridgeline where you will find a sign saying you can go another route. In actuality the loop is an easier descent than scrambling back down the way you came and offers incredible vistas that you would miss by doing the out and back. As you meander down the ridge you’ll have amazing views of the various mountain ranges to the east. Eventually you’ll reach a burnt out forest from a fire long ago. Usually these scars on the land are ugly, but here it was actually pretty interesting and made for a nice change in the typical forest landscape.
Soon you will be down from the ridgeline and back in the forest, and this is where doing the loop really sucks. You’ll essentially have about 12km, at least, of nothing but forest. The trail is in fine condition and the descent far more gradual than the out and back route, but after already hiking 18km or so you’ll be fairly tired by now. It’s really just a zombie walk for the rest of the hike. You do have the option of hiking up Windy Joe if you really want to make it a long day, which I did, but I would say it is definitively not worth the effort. There is literally nothing to see on the Windy Joe trail and even at the top there is not a lot to enjoy other than a fire lookout tower.
Moving swiftly on, assuming you didn’t bother with Windy Joe, the trail will continue on it’s trudge until it hits a fork, going left on the Similkameen Trail, meandering next to the likewise named river. You’ll eventually come out to a little meadow, which is quite pretty actually, before turning left onto the aptly named and easy to miss Little Muddy Trail. You can follow this trail all the way back to Lightning Lakes, passing through Skyview Campground on the way.
When should I hike Frosty Mountain ?
As noted previously the season for Frosty Mountain is short, between the end of June and Mid-October approximately. Make sure to check snow conditions before going and be prepared for quickly changing weather and temperatures. If you want golden larches, go at the end of September/early October.
As soon as word comes out that the larches have turned golden, half of BC will show up on this hike on the next sunny weekend. If you really want to do this hike without the crowds, go midweek, even if it means taking a day off work.
Top Tip
If you’re deciding between the loop and the out and back it really depends on your ability and how early you can start. I pretty much always choose a loop over an out and back as I dislike seeing the same thing on the outbound and inbound hike. The loop is worth it to me if you have plenty of time and don’t mind a few hours of boring forest walks at the end of your hike. The ridgeline descent on the loop is really rewarding with amazing views and the descent on the loop is far easier on the legs/knees than the out and back as it is less steep, just very long! If you’re short on time and only care for the larches/Frosty summit, go ahead and do the out and back. You won’t miss the main highlights by skipping the loop, but you will miss some great views. That being said you will save at least 2 – 3 hours in time by skipping the loop.
