Hiking Finch Ridge near Pemberton
Contents
Finch Ridge Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 5.00Km
Elevation Gain: 600m
Highest Elevation: 2,273m
Average Gradient: 24.00%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 3.5 – 4 Hours
– Moderate: 2.5 – 3.5 Hours
– Fast: 2 – 2.5 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: No
Season: ~July to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No – But it would make it easier
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Finch Trail
Note: The above GPX includes both Finch Ridge and Tenquille Mountain. While Finch Ridge (unnamed on the map) is mostly just hiking, Tenquille Mountain is a Class 3 scramble from this route, and should only be attempted by capable parties.
The below coordinates go to the start of Branch 12 on the Hurley River Road. If you have a capable vehicle you can drive Branch 12 to the end, where the parking lot is. If not, park at the start of Branch 12 and hike from there.
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°33’23.8″N 123°01’16.0″W
Finch Ridge Overview
Finch Ridge is an officially named summit typically accessed from Tenquille Lake, and it’s one of the easiest summits to ascend from the lake, particularly on the northern side. While it is officially a peak, most people would really just consider this a part of the eastern ridge of the nearby Tenquille Mountain. Still, given its official status, combined with the fact it features in Scrambles in SWBC, Finch Ridge has become a relatively common hike.
The stats above assume starting and finishing at the lake, so if you plan to complete this as a day hike from the trailhead, you will need to add on the stats for hiking to Tenquille Lake also.
The route to Finch Ridge begins on an obvious trail heading towards Tenquille Mountain. It soon splits though, after which you will need to easily self-navigate through talus slopes to the top. The views from the summit, and indeed for much of the approach, are very rewarding, with Tenquille Lake below, along with the backdrop of endless mountains.
Some parties hike Finch Ridge as part of a 3 peak traverse on the northern side of Tenquille Lake, also summiting Tenquille Mountain and Goat Mountain before descending back to the lake. This involves significantly more scrambling, route finding and some exposure, so it should only be attempted by confident and capable parties. Finch Ridge alone is mostly just steep hiking with little need to scramble.
The linked route above includes both Finch Ridge and Tenquille Mountain, but not Goat Mountain. Connecting Finch Ridge to Tenquille Mountain per the linked route involves some Class 3 scrambling and moderate exposure, so if you only plan to summit Finch Ridge, you should simply descend back down the way you came once you reach the ridge.
In terms of seasonality, Finch Ridge is best saved for mid-summer onwards, typically July to October. The mosquitos can be horrific in the Pemberton Valley in early summer (July), so if you want to avoid this I would suggest going between mid-August to the end of September for the best conditions. Snow will likely still be around in June, and while the lake may be accessible, reaching Finch Ridge could come with some navigational complexities if the trail is still snow covered. The terrain is steep, so you would likely want traction and an ice axe if going in snow.
Dogs are not welcome at Tenquille Lake and thus the same goes for Finch Ridge.
Maintaining this website requires a significant investment of both time and money, if you find this website a useful resource, please consider making a donation using this button.
Is Finch Ridge worthwhile?
Finch Ridge is the easiest peak to hike to on the northern side of Tenquille Lake, with an obvious trail leading up to simple talus slopes, which you can easily navigate to the top. The views are nice throughout and particularly from the top.
That being said, this is more of a peakbaggers peak, and given it’s lower than the adjacent Tenquille Mountain, unless you’re planning on ticking boxes or completing the traverse, you’re better off just summiting Tenquille instead. That’s not to say Finch isn’t worthwhile, it’s likely a little easier than Tenquille, but the views aren’t quite as good.
How difficult is the hike to Finch Ridge?
Finch Ridge is a short but steep grind straight up the mountain to the top, as evidenced by the 24% average gradient. Still, it’s such a short hike on its own that you could be on the summit within an hour or slightly more from the lake. Of course, if you’re starting from the trailhead it will increase the challenge quite a bit.
Technically speaking Finch Ridge alone is mostly just steep hiking with some fairly simple route finding. You shouldn’t really need to scramble at any point, nor is there any exposure. If you plan to connect Finch Ridge to Tenquille Mountain, however, you can easily find yourself on a Class 3 scramble with some exposure, and the linked GPX will do just that. If you plan to keep things simple, stick to Finch Ridge alone.
Finch Ridge Route Information
From the Tenquille Lake cabin, you’ll want to cross the creek immediately outside, and hike along the trail leading past the washroom. You’ll find yourself on an easy to follow trail winding its way through the scenic Tenquille meadows.
The first few hundred meters are easy, but the climb soon starts, and once it does it never really stops. The trail connects to a small moraine through the middle of the meadows, before reaching a steep climb next to a creek. You’ll follow this creek briefly, at which point you’ll reach a split in the trail. There may be a sign here indicating going left or right. Going left will begin the ascent of Tenquille Mountain, going right will begin the ascent of Finch Ridge.
Obviously you’ll want to go right, which involves hopping over a few boulders across this creek, before following several switchbacks through the meadows. The views begin to open up now as you gain elevation, with the lake down below coming more into view.
Shortly ahead the trail begins to fade away as the meadows turn into talus. All that lies ahead now are simple talus slopes leading the rest of the way to the ridge. You can really navigate your own way through this, with plenty of cairns dotted around and most parties just figuring out their own route to the top. The terrain is pretty forgiving and it’s difficult to go wrong here.
Between ~2,100 and 2,200m the route steepens and you’ll likely need to (easily) navigate a couple of cliffs to find the easiest route. There shouldn’t be any need for scrambling though, assuming you pick a favorable route.
In short order you’ll reach the ridge crest, which is broad. You may need to wander round a bit to appreciate the views in each direction, with Tenquille Lake and the peaks surrounding it (Barbour, Mcleod, Copper) to the south, Tenquille Mountain to the west, Chipmunk Mountain to the north, and Sun God/Seven O’Clock to the east.
After exploring as much of the ridge as you see necessary, you can simply head back down to the lake the same way you came.
Adding the Traverse to Tenquille Mountain
The linked GPX includes the addition of Tenquille Mountain. From the lake, Tenquille Mountain is mostly just a very steep hike, but connecting it with Finch Ridge typically involves scrambling. This isn’t absolutely required, as you can theoretically drop down to the Tenquille Mountain hiking route, but most parties end up scrambling up instead.
Either way, you’d now drop off Finch Ridge and begin descending the slopes between Finch and Tenquille. A direct attack on Tenquille would be very steep and loose, so most parties drop down ~150m – 200m before deciding to begin climbing up Tenquille on easier terrain.
The linked GPX drops around 150m before scrambling up Tenquille. This begins as a Class 3 scramble with some exposure, but quickly turns into easier Class 2 terrain. As noted, if you’d rather just hike up Tenquille, you can drop even further and simply connect with the descenders route, which more or less follows the hiking route up Tenquille. There may be some easy scrambling on this route, but nothing too challenging.
Adding Goat Mountain
The linked GPX does not include Goat Mountain as we decided not to bother with it. From Tenquille Mountain you can continue west in the direction of Goat. There is a notch between these peaks and some route finding and Class 3 scrambling with exposure to reach Goat (supposedly, I never went). To return from Goat to the lake, most parties will descend a very steep Class 2/3 gully between Goat and Tenquille.
When should I hike Finch Ridge?
July to October is the peak season for the Tenquille Lake area, however I would suggest avoiding July and early August if you want to avoid mosquitos. As such, mid-August to early October is the best time to visit. Unfortunately this can coincide with forest fire smoke, so do check the smoke forecast if this is an issue.
Top Tip
Tenquille Lake is commonly frequented by grizzly bears, so prepare accordingly and preferably travel in groups.
If you want to add on Tenquille Mountain but don’t fancy a Class 3 scramble, you can continue dropping down to the hikers route, which is mostly steep hiking.
