Hiking Frosty Mountain (True Summit) in Manning Park
Contents
Frosty Mountain (True Summit) Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 14.90Km
Elevation Gain: 1,200m
Highest Elevation: 2,426m
Average Gradient: 16.11%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 10 – 12 Hours
– Moderate: 8 – 10 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 8 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Winter
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: No scrambling, small amount of exposure when traversing the ridge
Frosty Mountain (True Summit) Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°03’47.2″N 120°49’39.5″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.
Frosty Mountain (True Summit) Overview
Not to be confused with the incredibly popular (and marginally lower) eastern summit of Frosty Mountain that sees masses of hikers in the summer, the true western summit of Frosty Mountain sits a full 17m higher and is a far, far less frequented peak than its eastern neighbor.
As the highest point in Manning Park, the true western summit of Frosty Mountain either requires an exposed, class 3 ridgeline scramble from the eastern peak in the summer (that very few people opt to tackle), or hikers can instead reach this summit in the winter via the northwest ridge following a steep but straightforward forest climb. This is a technically much simpler endeavor with little to no scrambling, though it’s a physically demanding hike and requires a considerable amount of self navigation in the backcountry in winter conditions. While the route doesn’t go through any significant avalanche terrain, as always avalanche preparedness and experience are essential for a hike like this.
Access to this hike is the same as the lower, eastern summit of Frosty Mountain, from the Lightning Lakes Day Use Area, and as such is suitable for all vehicles. Hikers will first need to cross Lightning Lake, either by walking directly across the frozen lake or by following the Lightning Lake Loop. Once at the northern end of Lightning Lake hikers will depart any semblance of trails and steeply ascend through the forest before gaining the northwest ridge and following it to the summit. The northwest ridge is typically heavily wind scoured, and is often snow free even in the depths of winter, though you should be prepared with the necessary equipment (snowshoes, crampons, ice axe) either way.
This route is really a winter only option as there is no trail, and without a healthy snowpack the bushwhacking up through the forest would be truly heinous. The best time of year to go will be in mid-winter to early spring when the snowpack is its deepest. Usually this means January to April, but this will vary year to year.
Dogs are allowed but may find it challenging as it’s a long day in typically frigid temperatures, with a rocky ridgeline that may cause issues to their paws.
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Is Frosty Mountain (True Summit) worthwhile?
The true summit of Frosty Mountain offers the finest views of anywhere in Manning Park, especially in the winter. This is a completely different experience than summiting the eastern peak in the summer and is arguably a better hike for those up to the task. That being said this hike is considerably more involved than the eastern peak as there is no trail to follow, you’re entirely on your own navigating in the backcountry.
How difficult is the hike to Frosty Mountain (True Summit)?
Physically speaking this is a demanding hike. While the stats are difficult enough (in snow), they’re made more challenging by the fact ~6km of it is a completely flat walk across Lightning Lake. That means the entire elevation gain is in the remaining 9km of the hike, for an average gradient of around 27%. Once you depart from Lightning Lake there is almost no respite to your ascent, and the majority of it is a steep forest slog.
Technically the hike isn’t super challenging, the difficulty is largely in the fact that you’re self navigating through dense forest in challenging conditions. After crossing the lake you simply climb steeply through the forest before reaching the northwest ridge. As noted the ridge is usually so heavily wind scoured it is often snow free or with minimal snow, even in late winter. Many times you can take off your snowshoes for the final push and summit in microspikes or even just hiking boots. The ridge traverses a steep, usually rocky slope that may unnerve some people, but the exposure is minimal and a fall wouldn’t be that consequential assuming there isn’t any snow. If for some reason the ridge is snowed you will absolutely want crampons and an ice axe, so it would be wise to take them just in case. Take care with cornices on the eastern side of the ridge as they can be large, especially in spring.
Frosty Mountain (True Summit) Route Information
The trailhead for Frosty Mountain begins from the Lightning Lakes Day Use Area and is accessible for all vehicles. In the winter you require winter tires to drive Highway 3 through Manning Park.
From the parking lot you can either directly cross the frozen lake or you can follow the Lightning Lake Loop, which is usually so well trafficked you won’t be breaking trail in deep snow. If you’re confident the lake is frozen, crossing the lake directly is a significantly faster and more direct approach.
Assuming you’re crossing the lake, after around 800m you’ll reach the famous Rainbow Bridge, where you’ll likely have to join the trail momentarily as this section of the lake isn’t always frozen. On the other side of the bridge you get back on the lake and continue to the end of the second, larger stretch of Lightning Lake. You’ll now work your way into the forest where you’ll briefly join the Lightning Lake Loop trail, which will usually be well packed down.
If you haven’t yet, you will want to put your snowshoes on as you’ll now be departing any trails and beginning your work up through the forest.
Referring to your map, depart from the Lightning Lake Loop trail and begin working through the forest in the general direction of the northern slopes of Frosty Mountain. You’ll likely need to keep referring to your map to ensure you’re heading in the direction, but either way it’s a steep forest grunt.
In the depths of winter most of the bushes should be well covered in snow, but if you go early or late in the season, or if the snowpack is shallow for whatever reason, you may have to contend with some light brush lower down the mountain. Things improve as you climb up though so any suffering should hopefully be short lived.
There’s not much to the forest section of the hike, you’ll just want to get it over with. From around 1,300m elevation to 2,100m elevation there will be nothing to see and the climb might feel endless. Eventually the trees will begin to thin out (and the snow will deepen) as you break out of the treeline and find yourself on the northwest ridge.
Between 2,100m – 2,200m elevation the ascent actually mellows out and you’ll get your first view of Frosty Mountain, which may look a little imposing from here. The views from here on out are fantastic. As you continue working along the ridge you should reach a bit of a plateau where you should be able to view the conditions of the remaining ridgeline ascent. Usually it is very clear that the ridge is snow free, in which case parties opt to take off their snowshoes and leave them there while continuing either in microspikes or in hiking boots alone. Should the ridge be snowed over entirely you will almost certainly need crampons and an ice axe. Often the ridge is extremely windy (hence the scoured slopes), so you may want to layer up here if so, as doing so on the ridge might be trickier.
From 2,200m onwards you will now simply follow the ridgeline up to the summit. The eastern side of the ridge will often be heavily corniced with a sheer drop, while the western side of the ridge will be a steep rocky slope. In rocky conditions traversing the ridge is quite straightforward and the exposure is fairly minimal to the west. A fall wouldn’t even really be that consequential as you’d easily stop. However, if the ridge is snowed this traverse will be far more involved and an ice axe would be mandatory to self-arrest any falls.
Between ~2,250m and ~2,350m you’ll climb steeply up rather than across the ridge, at times putting your hands down for balance, but mostly it’s just hiking. It’s a stretch to call this even a class 2 scramble as the use of hands is almost entirely unnecessary.
At around 2,370m you’ll reach a point along the ridge that you might think is the high point, however you’ll see that slightly further along the ridge is another high point that you need to continue to. It’s only 5 minutes of mostly flat hiking away. In short order you’ll reach the (true!) summit of Frosty Mountain.
The views will be stunning here in the winter, with the nearby Castle Peak and Hozomeen Mountain stealing the show. The eastern peak of Frosty (and the connecting ridge) will also be a worthy view, and you’ll also see Silvertip Mountain, Mount Outram, the Spickard Range and countless more in an ocean of peaks in every direction.
Assuming the wind/cold isn’t unmanageable you might enjoy a long stay at the summit. Once you’re done you simply return the same way you came. Getting back down the ridge is simple enough but the steep forest descent might feel never ending. Once back at the lake it’s a bit of a tedious plod back to the car, but it was all worth it no doubt!
When should I hike Frosty Mountain (True Summit)?
The route to Frosty Mountain’s true summit really requires a decent snowpack, so usually January – April will be your best bet. Outside of those months you might be risking a thinner snowpack low down, which might cause some issues in the forest. It really all depends on snow conditions in the year you go though.
Top Tip
If you’re not sure whether the ridge is snow free I would advise taking an ice axe and crampons. You can always leave them at the plateau before the ridge if you can see that it’s clearly rocks when you get there. If you have beta to confirm it is snow free, neither are really necessary. Snowshoes and microspikes as a minimum will be needed.
If you’re uncertain about how frozen the lake is you might want to follow the Lightning Lakes Loop to reach the forest climb. This will certainly add some distance to the day, but nothing too significant.
