Hiking American Mountain near Hope
Contents
American Mountain Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 8.00Km
Elevation Gain: 781m
Highest Elevation: 1,483m
Average Gradient: 19.52%%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 4 – 5 Hours
– Moderate: 3 – 4 Hours
– Fast: 2.5 – 3 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~April to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Yes
Scrambling / Exposure: Steep snow climb / Class 2 scramble.
American Mountain Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°25’06.5″N 121°31’26.5″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.
American Mountain Overview
American Mountain is the unofficial name of a prominent peak situated north of Hope. Boasting over 600m of prominence, this peak garners some interest in the peakbagging world, but the general hiking crowd would have little interest given there is no trail whatsoever. The easiest route to the top is generally from the logging roads in American Creek drainage to the east of the summit.
Due to the combination of no trail and plenty of forest travel, this peak is best climbed when there is a healthy snowpack to cover the bush, but not when the snowline is so low that access is impacted. As such, spring is the best time to go when you should be able to drive to approximately 700m elevation on American FSR yet still take advantage of the snowpack at higher elevations. The linked GPX starts considerably further down this FSR due to a rock slide on the road blocking vehicular traffic at the time, but in all likelihood this should be fixed up quickly due to active logging and powerlines in the area.
There are a couple of ways to tackle the end of this hike, with some parties taking a gully while others take a steep forested approach. The gully route requires a good snowpack while the forest route works either way. The route described here does not go up the gully, it remains in the forest.
Given this is a backcountry hike, dogs are welcome.
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Is American Mountain worthwhile?
American Mountain is a hike that is spent entirely in the forest and even the summit is mostly flat and partly forested, so any views are generally obstructed and you need to walk around to find them. If you time it well (spring) though, the hike will be quick and simple with relatively worthwhile views relative to effort. We went in the depths of winter, starting low down on the logging road and in deep snow, making for a long and difficult day. This made the views from the summit a little underwhelming given the difficulties to get there.
How difficult is the hike to American Mountain?
Time it well and this hike can be short and relatively seamless. The biggest challenge will be some finicky navigation lower down, with a few creek crossings and some disorienting forest to navigate. This route that avoids the gully is non-technical, though it does have some steep spots towards the summit. It does not get steep enough to necessitate crampons or an ice axe and there is no scrambling or exposure.
Physically speaking it is quite straightforward, albeit steep in spots.
American Mountain Route Information
The “trailhead” for American Mountain is essentially at the 700m elevation mark along American Creek FSR at the big bend, or approximately 4.6km into the linked GPX. As noted, we parked significantly further down the FSR due to a rock slide that should hopefully have been fixed by the time you visit.
After parking, you’ll continue along the road on foot, following the GPX as there are a few different spurs here. Hopefully you have a decent snowpack as the road will likely be alder ridden without. Towards the end of the road, at around 850m elevation, you will ascend a cutblock that leads into the forest, at which point navigation will become the main priority.
You’ll now have to cross a few small creeks, most of which should be straightforward, before the steep climb begins. It’s all just steep forest travel from here on out, just pay attention to your GPX to ensure you’re generally going the correct way. The steepest section is between ~1,300 – 1,400m, after which the trees begin to thin out as you gain the NE ridge of the summit.
The views now start to open up to the northeast, with some nice views out towards the Old Settler and the Coquihalla peaks. The final steps to the summit are lower grade, and unfortunately the summit itself is mostly flat with enough trees around to infringe upon the views. There are a number of buildings on the summit as well, such as the old Hope Tram building, a radio repeater and other communication towers on the summit. The tram building is often open for exploration, and might actually provide some nicer views as it’s slightly higher than the trees.
If you walk around the summit a bit you can no doubt find some clearer viewpoints, with some decent views towards the Fraser Valley and the Cheam range in particular. After finishing at the top you simply retrace your footsteps back to the trailhead.
When should I hike American Mountain?
Spring is the best time to visit American Mountain when you are able to drive to the trailhead while benefitting from the snowpack higher up to cover the brush. This will not be a pleasant hike in the summer when the snowpack is gone. Winter will also work but you will most likely have to park lower down the road and snowshoe to the trailhead as the snowline is generally well below 700m in winter.
Top Tip
Save this hike for spring for the best conditions, this peak isn’t worth the effort if in winter if you have to start low down and break trail all day.
