Hiking Deeks, Ardberg & Oban Peak on the North Shore Mountain
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Deeks, Ardberg & Oban Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 17.20Km
Elevation Gain: 1,775m
Highest Elevation: 1,672m
Average Gradient: 20.64%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 10 – 12 Hours
– Moderate: 8 – 10 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 8 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~June to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Minimal
Deeks, Ardberg & Oban Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°32’42.2″N 123°14’25.2″W
Deeks, Ardberg & Oban Peak Overview
Deeks, Ardberg & and Oban are a trio of peaks in the North Shore mountains accessed from the Porteau Cove Lookout trailhead at the northern end of the Howe Sound Crest trail. These peaks do not see anywhere near as much interest as the other North Shore staples like Harvey, Brunswick, Tunnel Bluffs, St. Mark’s or the West Lion, however they do offer fantastic views if you’re looking for an alternative to the more popular spots.
As is often the case on the North Shore, this is a huge hike as you need to begin almost at sea level, with the highest peak standing at almost 1,700m. With a bit of undulation between each peak, the total elevation gain on this loop is a big one. That being said, travel is very efficient along the route, particularly up to Deeks Lake. From the lake, the route is still fairly evident and usually well flagged thanks to the Bagger Challenge, but you will want a GPX for navigation. After tagging all three peaks, the loop is completed by descending the steep, rugged and twisting Old Deeks Bypass trail. This trail offers several spectacular views above the Howe Sound, but it can be a leg burning descent on the way down.
It’s entirely possible to extend this hike even further for particularly fit and ambitious parties, with the nearby Laphroaig and Lagavulin Peaks optional extensions by continuing along the ridge from Ardberg (and back). You could also add on Mount Windsor fairly readily too. Camping is possible along the way at Deeks Lake for parties wanting to split this over two days, though you wouldn’t want to descend the Bypass Trail if so.
Dogs are welcome in the area.
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Are Deeks, Ardberg and Oban Peak worthwhile?
While the stats for this hike are huge, with a long slog to start getting any payoff, this trio of peaks offer very nice views once you get there. The Bypass Trail descent extends those views for longer periods than you would usually expect for peaks of this elevation on the North Shore, so for this reason these peaks are preferred over the likes of the nearby Mount Windsor. This is a nice alternative to the usual North Shore peaks that get climbed constantly, especially if you want to get away from the crowds.
How difficult is the hike to Deeks, Ardberg & Oban Peak?
Physically speaking this is obviously a big hike with a consistently steep gradient. That being said, the entire climb is consistent and many parties can reach Deeks Lake in a couple of hours, and the first peak (Ardberg) an hour or so longer. Once you’ve reached the first peak it’s mostly a pleasant adventure between each of the peaks, with frequent breaks throughout on each summit. The descent off Oban down the Bypass Trail is steep and fairly gruelling. Your legs will quite likely be shaky by the time you reach the Howe Sound Crest trail for the plod out.
Technically this hike is mostly straightforward but does include a little bit of scrambling. Reaching the Ardberg / Deeks col is all hiking, then summiting Ardberg requires a short bit of simple forest scrambling. Deeks Peak is likely the most involved peak, but if you make sure to go around the peak (climbers left) and stick to the trail, it should be largely straightforward. Reaching Oban is mostly just hiking, then dropping off Oban requires some fairly straightforward scrambling to join the Bypass Trail. Once on the Bypass Trail the descent back to the HSCT is somewhat involved route finding, but mostly non-technical (albeit steep) hiking. At no point along the route should there be any real exposure.
Deeks, Ardberg & Oban Peak Route Information
The hike begins at the popular Porteau Cove Road Lookout. Depending on the time of year and when you go, this parking lot might be quite full, even in the early morning, with overnight campers staying at Deeks Lake, or elsewhere along the Howe Sound Crest Trail. As such an early start is recommended if you’re going on a sunny summer weekend.
The trail passes through a locked gate and climbs gradually on a wide gravel road. After a few hundred meters you will cross a bridge over Kallahnee Creek. A few hundred meters further along and you will hit a junction in the trail, where you will want to continue straight. There is really not a lot of note on this plod, so it’s best to keep the pace up. The next kilometer of the trail is now completely flat. At around the 4km mark you’ll enter Cypress Provincial Park. Here the trail begins a steep ascent and changes from a gravel track to a rough forest climb.
As you continue along the trail, the closer you get to Deeks Lake the rougher the terrain becomes. You’ll soon be clambering over roots and rocks and just as you approach the final climb up to the lake you will have a nice view of the falls coming from the lake.
In around 1km you will reach Deeks Lake, at which point I would advise taking a break and going down to the lake for a snack. The Howe Sound Crest Trail continues counter clockwise around the lake, but you will want to follow the Windsor trail going clockwise. This can be pretty overgrown but once you’re on it it’s easy enough to follow.
Soon enough you’ll reach the northern end of the lake where there are some nice photo opportunities, before crossing a small boulder field and continuing the climb, now back in the forest. The trail here should still be fairly easy to follow and it should be well marked.
At ~1,470m the trail now splits between the Windsor and Deeks trail. Sticking to the Deeks trail you’ll continue to climb up to the Deeks / Ardberg col. You’ll want to quickly climb up Ardberg first, which is a simple forest scramble before a short plod to the summit. The views are nice here down to the Howe Sound, and you can see the route to Laphroaig and Lagavulin as well (continue following the ridge if you plan to add them).
After a quick rest, head back to the Deeks / Ardberg col then head towards Deeks Peak. As you approach the cliffy east face you should be able to navigate around the peak (climbers left), following any flags and trail. There’s a short scramble move up a couple of rocks, but otherwise it’s mostly just hiking through some narrow terrain. You should be able to stick to the trail and find an obvious route up to the summit. Deeks is the highest peak of the day and also offers great views in every direction, with all three of the Deeks / Hanover / Brunswick Lakes below. The usual North Shore peaks will be on full display as well.
Once finished on Deeks the route to Oban is straightforward ridge hiking. From Oban you need to scramble down the western face, which might require a bit of finicky scrambling but shouldn’t be too difficult. I don’t think I followed the standard route as it wasn’t obvious where to go, but you should be able to figure it out either way.
After the short initial drop off Oban you will join the Bypass Trail and follow it along. This trail is very rugged and not always obvious to follow, so a GPX is strongly recommended. It is usually quite well flagged, but you can’t always rely on this being the case. There are constant views as you keep descending, with numerous bluffs overlooking the Howe Sound below. Pay attention once you reach a series of small lakes at ~1,450m as there are a couple of different routes here, one going to Lost Lake and the one you want continuing down to the HSCT. I accidentally took the wrong one initially and ended up descending ~125m down the wrong trail, only to have to climb back up.
The remaining descent down to the HSCT is steep and quad burning, but mostly straightforward to follow. Eventually you will reconnect with the HSCT, which you will no doubt be thankful for as the remaining hike out is much gentler, albeit there’s still ~5km back to the trailhead.
When should I hike Deeks, Ardberg & Oban Peak?
It’s not unheard of for Deeks Peak to be climbed in the winter, but this looped trio of peaks should ideally be tackled when there is no snow. There is a fair bit of complex terrain around Deeks and Oban, so snow makes things a lot trickier, even more so if you intend to take the Bypass Trail down. With that said, June to October is the ideal window for this loop.
Top Tip
Some parties do this loop in reverse without issue. This may be preferred if you dislike steep descents, however I preferred the route in this direction as it means you are facing the Howe Sound views on the descent of the Bypass Trail. It also means you get a nice rest at Deeks Lake on the climb.
The summits were pretty buggy in early summer, so take bug spray if you plan to go then. An early start would be advisable given the popularity of the parking lot, with many hikers staying overnight at Deeks Lake or somewhere along the Howe Sound Crest Trail.
