Hiking Cottonwood Peak in the Stein Valley
Contents
Cottonwood Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 18.65Km
Elevation Gain: 1,270m
Highest Elevation: 2,357m
Average Gradient: 13.62%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 8 – 9 Hours
– Moderate: 7 – 8 Hours
– Fast: 6 – 7 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~June to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Yes
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Cottonwood Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°22’13.5″N 122°11’47.5″W
Cottonwood Peak Overview
Cottonwood Peak is a summit located in the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park, typically accessed from Blowdown Pass, around an hour’s drive from Pemberton. The hike follows a road up to the pass (which can sometimes be driven in capable 4×4’s), before leaving the trail and gaining an undulating ridge, which you follow along to the summit.
Blowdown Pass is a fairly popular region in the summer months, with Blowdown Lake offering great camping opportunities with easy access from Blowdown FSR. This road is suitable for most SUV’s, but not likely lower clearance vehicles. Gott and Gotcha Peak are easily the two most popular summits to ascend from this area, however Cottonwood Peak is another great option if you’re looking for something a bit less traveled. This region is beautiful, so having an excuse to visit multiple times is always welcome, with plenty of opportunity to explore even more peaks, such as Moomin Peak or Nottgott Peak.
This hike is mostly straightforward, with no scrambling necessary to reach the summit. As long as you are comfortable navigating in the backcountry off trail, most parties should be fine to summit Cottonwood Peak.
Due to the elevation of the trailhead (1,650m), Cottonwood Peak is only accessible for hiking once the snowline is high enough to reach it. Therefore winter and much of spring is out of the question, with the season generally running from June to October. Snow can often linger at higher elevations though, so if you want a snow free ascent you would probably want to wait until July.
Dogs are allowed in the park, but suggested to be left at home. Grizzlies are quite prevalent in this area so do prepare for any possible encounters.
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Is Cottonwood Peak worthwhile?
Cottonwood Peak offers some fantastic views for relatively moderate effort. Thanks to being able to park at 1,650m (or higher), it won’t be long before you start to get very nice views. From Blowdown Pass onwards you will have rewarding views the entire day. The only downside of this region is how far away it is, around 3.5 hours drive each way from Vancouver. As such, many parties opt to camp at the lake and make a weekend of it.
How difficult is the hike to Cottonwood Peak?
While you park at 1,650m and the peak is only about 600m higher, due to the undulation along the way this hike clocks in at around 1,270m of elevation gain, so it’s no walk in the park. Still, the average gradient isn’t the steepest, and most of the elevation gain is spread throughout both the ascent and descent, so it never really feels all that steep.
Technically speaking there isn’t a lot of difficulty. You will need to self navigate to reach the peak as there isn’t any trail once you begin ascending to the ridge, and there’s some light bushwhacking on the way up to it. There’s plenty of up and down along the ridge, and some steeper stretches when descending the last bump and climbing up to the summit. Your hand may touch the ground once or twice, but I wouldn’t go calling this a scramble by any means, nor is there ever any exposure.
Cottonwood Peak Route Information
Parking for Blowdown Pass is at ~1,650m elevation along Blowdown FSR. You’ll probably want to refer to a GPX as you’re driving to know exactly where the trailhead is to ensure you’ve parked in the correct spot. Some capable 4×4’s will be able to drive the spur all the way to Blowdown Pass. The spur is quite rough and overgrown, so expect to get your paint scratched if you do try to drive up the spur.
Assuming you don’t try and drive up the spur, the hike will instead begin by hiking it. The first 2.5km or so is uneventful, just a mellow gradient on rocky terrain, climbing around 300m in the process. At this point you will reach a junction where the road will curve around to the left (anybody driving will go that way), and a trail continuing ahead to the right. If you are going to the lake you will have to go to the right, but if you are going directly to the pass, either way works. We took the lake route in each direction so I will describe that.
The trail now traverses the northern edges of Blowdown Lake, and you’ll pass by a few routes going down to the lake. Anybody camping will obviously want to head down, but if you’re going directly to the pass, just keep ahead on the trail. The lake is only 50m below the trail, so you can always head down and climb back up, it won’t add a lot of effort. You’ll get a few nice viewpoints of the lake with Gotcha Peak behind, but trees still block much of the views along the way.
You’ll traverse above the lake for around 1.5km, still climbing in the process, before joining up with the drivers route on the road just below Blowdown Pass. After a couple of switchbacks you’ll reach the pass at around 2,150m. Anybody driving would have to stop here as well, despite the fact the road continues. This is the start of Stein Valley (as indicated by a sign), where vehicles are not permitted.
From the pass you can see Cottonwood Peak in the distance, as well as the beginning of the vast Stein Valley below. You’ll now continue following the road as it arcs around to the left, descending slightly as it goes. The road continues some way, but you’ll only need to follow it for around 1.5km, descending approximately 140m as you go. The views will be nice at least, especially of the false summit of Gotcha Peak behind. There’s a good chance alpine flowers will be blooming all around, too.
At some point you will need to leave the road and begin climbing up to the ridge. When you decide to do this is really up to you, but the linked GPX isn’t a bad option at all. From here you’ll climb steeply for around 120m with some light bush to navigate through before reaching the ridge.
Once on the ridge the route becomes very obvious, with Cottonwood Peak the highest point along a series of smaller bumps. You may even find some faint trails up on the ridge as anybody going to this peak will now be converging on the same route. If you keep on the north side of the ridge most of your route will avoid the trees on the south side, though at times you may be forced into the trees briefly, especially if there is some lingering snow.
After climbing and descending one minor bump you will have a steep climb up to the Three Sisters summit, before dropping down briefly and climbing another unnamed bump. The views from these two peaks are quite nice, and all the while Cottonwood Peak will be getting (although it may not feel like it!).
From the final bump before the peak you’ll have a steep drop off. At first it looks a little imposing, but as you descend it opens up and is really just a steep hike. You may need to put your hand down on a couple of occasions, but nothing worth noting. From the low point it’s now just a case of plodding up to the summit of Cottonwood Peak.
The views from the top, and indeed for much of the ridge, will be fantastic. You’ll have great views of peaks you may not have much knowledge about. Some of the highest peaks in SWBC will be on full display here, such as Skihist Mountain (highest), Petlushkwohap Mountain (2nd highest) and Siwhe Mountain (10th highest) to name a few. The general scenery is stunning every way you look.
After you finish up on the summit you simply return back the way you came. Unfortunately this does involve quite a bit of ascending on the return journey thanks to the undulating ridge and the climb back up to Blowdown Pass. Once you reach pass though, it’s all downhill.
When should I hike Cottonwood Peak?
As noted, Cottonwood Peak is only accessible once the snowline has thawed to these higher elevations. Typically this means June to October, but you might be able to visit slightly earlier/later depending on the year. These peaks see less snow due to the warmer and more arid climate, and despite the very high elevation they do tend to melt out earlier than other peaks of similar elevation.
Top Tip
Preferably hike in a group and bring bear spray for this one as grizzlies aren’t uncommon here. If you are bringing a dog, make sure it is under control as you don’t want it running off and bringing a bear back to you.
If you want a bigger day you can easily add on Gott or Gotcha Peak, or even both if you want a truly massive day. Alternatively you could camp at the lake and hit multiple peaks in one trip, which many people will do due to the long drive.
