Hiking Hidden Peak in the Callaghan Conservancy
Contents
Hidden Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 21.30Km
Elevation Gain: 1,235m
Highest Elevation: 2,280m
Average Gradient: 11.60%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 9 – 10 Hours
– Moderate: 8 – 9 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 8 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: No
Season: ~June to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Yes
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Hidden Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°08’11.5″N 123°07’45.1″W
Hidden Peak Overview
Hidden Peak is a mountain located in the Callaghan Conservancy east of Whistler. This isn’t a commonly attained summit and it has no trail leading the way, so anybody looking to reach it will need to navigate themselves to the top. That being said, much of the hike (via the route described here) follows the relatively trafficked Conflict & Ring Lake trail.
There’s more than one way to summit Hidden Peak, with Steven Song opting to attain the SE ridge much earlier before following it along to the summit, and some parties will boat across Callaghan Lake and work their way up from there. All of these routes involve some sort of involved backcountry travel and bushwhacking, but our party felt this route described here minimized any suffering to a short 200m elevation gain in bush, with the remainder of the hike on easy and pleasant terrain.
While summiting Hidden Peak requires self navigation in the backcountry, there aren’t really any technical difficulties beyond that. There isn’t any real scrambling necessary to reach the top, nor is there any exposure. As usual in the Callaghan area, the views are outstanding for much of this hike, with Journeyman Peak offering constantly nice viewpoints along the Conflict Lake trail, then once you’re in the alpine the views of Mount Callaghan, Ring Mountain, Brandywine Mountain and the glaciated Powder Mountain tend to steal the show.
In terms of seasonality, Hidden Peak would be best suited for spring or summer. Accessing the trailhead is not possible in the winter and would add around 17km roundtrip on snowshoes. This is more of a ski destination in the winter. If you can time it perfectly for the road to be open but snow to still be around at elevation, this might work well to reduce any bushwhacking. Otherwise, assuming you’re going in the summer, July to October is the peak season for Hidden Peak. The early summer is usually horrendous for mosquitos around here, so ideal timing would be between mid-August and early October.
Dogs are not allowed anywhere in the Callaghan Conservancy, and neither is camping, so any trip here will need to be a day trip. Access to the trailhead typically requires a vehicle with some ground clearance as the road has multiple cross ditches. An SUV will usually be okay, but a low clearance vehicle will not.
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Is Hidden Peak worthwhile?
The Callaghan Conservancy is always a very rewarding area, with lots of nice lakes, meadows and interesting peaks around. After summiting Mount Callaghan a few years ago I was always looking for a return trip, and while Hidden Peak requires a bit of bushwhacking, the amount of suffering is short lived, with the remainder of the day a pleasant and scenic one with stellar views throughout. After Mount Callaghan (which is a more rewarding peak, though more challenging), Hidden Peak is likely your next best peak in the area. Ring Mountain is also attainable, but involves some horrendous scree and scrambling, likely making it a much bigger sufferfest than Hidden Peak.
How difficult is the hike to Hidden Peak?
With an average gradient of 11.60% this might seem like a fairly moderate outing, however the vast majority of the climb comes over just 3km, with 850m of elevation gain (average gradient of 28%). Obviously this is steep, and the first 200m of that gain is bushwhacking, but the remainder is very simple travel on meadows and talus, with ever improving views as you gain elevation. It doesn’t feel that difficult when you’re doing it.
Technically this route is quite straightforward, with the only difficulties really being self-navigation in the backcountry, particularly through the bush. The bushwhacking is steep and unpleasant, but fairly short lived. If you go on a day where the shrubbery is damp you can fully expect to be soaked after the bushwhacking section. Beyond that the route is very straightforward, and the final climb up, while steep, doesn’t really require any scrambling, nor is it exposed.
Hidden Peak Route Information
The Hidden Peak hike begins at the Callaghan Lake Provincial Park campsite, at the end of Callaghan Lake FSR. This FSR has multiple cross ditches that should be manageable in an SUV but not likely in a low clearance vehicle.
Begin your day by quickly checking out Callaghan Lake as that in itself is a beautiful lake. The trail is just south of this lake and should be well signposted as it delves into the forest. The first few kilometers don’t offer much in the way of difficulty or views, so just plod along making good progress.
After 4.5km or so of mostly flat hiking you will break out of the forest and into the scenic alpine meadows, scattered with ponds and mountain backdrops, with Journeyman Peak offering constantly rewarding views. Shortly ahead you will reach the Journeyman Lodge, which isn’t of much interest so carry on along the trail to Conflict Lake, which won’t be much further now.
Conflict Lake is another beautiful lake but there isn’t much of a shore to enjoy, and you’re not allowed to swim in it (it supplies the water to Journeyman Lodge) so stop for a few photos and maybe a snack before continuing along the trail. The trail will now start to climb and shortly ahead you will reach a large valley opening. The terrain here is pretty rough and very muddy, with some makeshift wooden platforms to navigate as you continue along the trail to the right of this valley.
Around 2km after leaving Journeyman Lodge, refer to your map as you will need to decide when to enter the forest. The GPX linked provides a reasonable route, but as with any bushwhacking you kind of just have to figure it out on the fly. We found stretches of open forest, some alder, some marshy areas and everything in between, but it was never particularly difficult. There are certainly some steep sections that you want to take your time with, but at no point would it be considered bushwhack scrambling. All in, it’s around 200m of gain of ugly stuff, and it should only take 30 minutes or so before you break out of the forest, at around 1,660m of elevation.
The change in terrain is immediate, and you’ll now be able to see the majority of the route to the summit ahead. Immediately ahead will be a steep heather slope covered in long, dry (for us) grass. At the top of this short slope you’ll be at the beginning of the scenic alpine meadows. This is a nice place to rest and recovery from the nasty bushwhack you just dealt with while enjoying the views ahead.
The route now is obvious as you can see Hidden Peak off in the distance. You’ll now ascend through the meadows towards a random rocky bluff at the base of the talus slopes, just west of a broad cliff. You can either go left or right of this bluff, we went right, between the bluff and the cliffs as the terrain seemed a bit easier.
From here on out it’s merely a case of grinding up through the steep but simple talus slopes towards the southern cliffs of Hidden Peak. You’ll ascend around 400m from the point you leave the bush, before trending right (east) to easily gain the southeast ridge of the peak.
At this point it’s merely a matter of working your way up the southeast ridge to the summit. The route finding is very straightforward and there shouldn’t be much need for using hands, but it’s certainly steep terrain. In short order you’ll crest the top and be greeted by a large summit cairn.
The views now will be outstanding, with Cirque and Callaghan Lake to the east (along with the Rainbow Mountain area), Mount Callaghan, Ring Mountain and Ring Lake to the west, Longspur Peak and the massive Pemberton Icefields to the north, and Powder Mountain and Brandywine Mountain to the south.
You’ll want to wander around the summit a little bit to soak in the views as it’s a broad summit. We also dropped onto the ridge overlooking Cirque Lake to try and get a better look, before returning back to the trailhead the same way we came. The bushwhack on the descent is a bit quicker, but you do need to take care with some steeper sections to ensure you don’t slip. Once back on the Ring Lake trail it’s smooth sailing.
When should I hike Hidden Peak?
Assuming you don’t want to aim for a snowy ascent in the spring, peak summer is the best time for the Callaghan Conservancy, ideally later in the summer to avoid mosquito hell. July to October will work, but the best period will be after mid-August to early October.
Top Tip
The Callaghan Conservancy frequently has grizzly sightings, likely thanks to the abundance of berries along the trail, especially around the lodge and Conflict Lake. Ideally travel in groups, and for sure you’ll want bear spray.
It might be worthwhile wearing waterproof boots and possibly even pants, or perhaps bringing gaiters. If the bushes are damp you can guarantee you will be drenched from the knees down during the bushwhack.
