Hiking Hynes & Alert Peak in the Squamish River Valley
Contents
Hynes & Alert Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 14.10Km
Elevation Gain: 1,423m
Highest Elevation: 1,897m
Average Gradient: 20.18%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 9 – 10 Hours
– Moderate: 8 – 9 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 8 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~June to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Yes
Scrambling / Exposure: Minimal
Hynes & Alert Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°57’34.8″N 123°17’33.6″W
Hynes & Alert Peak Overview
Hynes and Alert Peak are a pair of unofficially named summits situated between Squamish and Whistler, typically accessed from Squamish Valley, either from the Tricouni Peak trailhead at the end of Branch 200 FSR or from the end of Branch 223 FSR. These peaks are situated in a stunning region filled with countless lakes, with the nearby Seagram Lake stealing the show.
The route described here accesses the region via Branch 223, which is a rough road only suited to 4×4 vehicles with all-terrain tires. Branch 200 is also a deteriorating road that generally necessitates 4×4 vehicles as well, so reaching this region is often left to those with capable vehicles. For that reason this stunning zone is rarely ever “busy”, even on a summer weekend. Branch 223 is preferred for accessing these particular peaks as it provides a much more direct approach to these summits compared to the Branch 200 route. If you prefer to access via Branch 200, you can follow the Seagram Lake approach to the region.
While the route described here is vague at times, there is generally an obvious path up to Pykett and Pear Lake, at which point you are more or less on your own in terms of reaching these peaks. There are no markers or cairns for the most part, with parties making their own way up however they please. Thankfully each of these summits are largely straightforward, with plenty of options for attaining each peak, so finding a non-technical way up shouldn’t be an issue.
This zone is generally a summer option when the snowline has risen sufficiently to allow access. Spring may work as well, but most parties will likely ascend between June and October. Some parties opt to camp in the area, though this tends to be more common at the lakes below Tricouni Peak than these peaks.
Dogs are welcome in the area, and it should be noted that bear activity can often be high in this region, including grizzly bears, so all precautions should be taken, especially if camping.
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.
Are Hynes & Alert Peak worthwhile?
This whole basin between Tricouni Peak and Cypress Peak is a stunning area dotted with beautiful turquoise lakes. Given the moderate effort it takes to get here, this is a high bang for your buck hike. The non-technical nature also means it’s suitable for most parties. The only real issue is accessing the trailhead, as you do need an appropriate vehicle to do so.
Hynes Peak offers far better views than Alert, which is mostly an optional addition for parties wanting a longer day. As such, if you prefer to keep it short and sweet, stick to Hynes.
How difficult is the hike to Hynes & Alert Peak?
The difficulty of this hike somewhat depends on where you begin. The road here is always changing, and we had to begin the hike ~1.5km earlier than previous parties as the road was washed out at that point. Even so, the hike was still quite manageable as a reasonable length day trip, and you can always skip Alert Peak if you decide you’re happy on top of Hynes. Hynes alone would be around 10km, 1,000m gain from where we began.
Technically speaking there isn’t too much difficulty for either of these peaks. As long as you are confident at route finding you should always be able to keep it mellow, with little in the way of scrambling and no real exposure anywhere along the hike. We took a different way up and down Hynes Peak, and while both had their pros/cons, we were happy with this. Our descent from Hynes was more direct than some other parties and may not be the ideal route up for all parties. Overall, any experienced party should be able to figure it all out easy enough.
One other thing to note is that reaching Alert Peak requires wading through the outflow of Seagram Lake. This was easy by taking off boots.
Hynes & Alert Peak Route Information
As noted, Branch 223 is a rough road that is only suitable for capable 4×4 vehicles with all-terrain tires. Much of the road is rocky and there are several cross ditches along the way, so an SUV on city tires would certainly struggle. Back in the day you used to be able to drive all the way to roads end at around 1,150m, but the road was washed out the winter before we went, which meant parking at 975m and adding 2km or so each way to the trip.
From wherever you park, you’ll hike to the end of the road, and shortly before reaching the decommissioned bridge over the creek flowing from Seagram Lake, you’ll leave the road and enter a cutblock. While it wasn’t always super clear, there is a relatively well defined route through this cutblock, and as you approach a marsh area it should become clearer. After passing through the marsh you’ll enter the forest, at which point you’ll note our up and down route differs.
On the ascent we followed a rough route to a boulder field which we then climbed basically all the way up to Pykett Lake. When we returned, however, we noticed flagging and cairns leading into the forest, so we descended this way. This forested descent was smooth and strongly preferred for the descent vs. the boulder field, however on the ascent it doesn’t matter much, so take your pick. The boulders were stable and medium sized, so they weren’t too difficult to climb either way. Both routes join together shortly before Pykett Lake, at which point an obvious trail leads towards the lake zone.
From Pykett Lake we ultimately decided to take a direct climb up to Hynes Peak, but most parties would now usually follow our descent/exit route towards Seagram Lake and climb up Hynes via our descent route. To be honest, I liked the way we did it, going up the direct route and descending the ridge. This up route had one steep step where you had to push through a couple of tree branches near the lake, but after that the travel was smooth and seamless, with great views as well. There’s plenty of ways to climb up Hynes and we just linked together whatever looked easiest on the day. Overall, it worked out great and we gained the north ridge of Hynes without issue. Once on the ridge, just follow it along to the cairned summit.
The views from Hynes are exceptional, especially on the descent as you work down the ridge towards Seagram Lake. There must be 10+ lakes visible from Hynes, as well as countless peaks like Tricouni, Cypress, Cayley, Fee, Garibaldi, the Black Tusk, Zig-Zag, Pykett, Icecap, Tantalus and plenty more.
Descending Hynes was largely simple, albeit steep. Again, pick whichever way you want, there are plenty of options and it’s easy to avoid anything technical. At the bottom of Hynes we navigated around a bump and worked our way towards the outflow of Seagram Lake. We didn’t find an easy way to rock hop across, so we just took off our boots and easily waded through.
On the other side of the outflow, approaching Alert Peak is simply a matter of picking the path of least resistance as you climb away from Seagram Lake. This was all pretty intuitive and mostly involved linking up heather patches while avoiding anything that looked bushy. As we neared the top a few different options presented themselves, and on the climb we opted to link up to a ridge that we easily followed to the summit, and on the descent we managed to link up some more heather patches. Either way, it was all straightforward. The summit offers nice views, but nothing compared to Hynes so we didn’t linger for too long.
On the descent, we mostly retracted our steps back towards Seagram Lake, but tried to find a more direct way down to Lesser Seagram Lake. This proved a bit tricky due to bluffs and bushes, but eventually we did find an easy way down without having to cross the immediate outflow of the lake. That said, we still had to cross the outflow once we reached Lesser Seagram Lake, which is also a nice little lake for a swim to end the day.
From then on it’s merely a case of navigating back towards the boulder field, and as noted, you may want to descend via the forest, it’s much easier on the knees!
When should I hike Hynes & Alert Peak?
Most parties will visit this zone in the peak summer, so July to October. That said, it’s entirely possible to do this hike in the spring as well, as long as the snow is thawed enough to access the trailhead. That could mean early June or even mid-May would work. Most people visit this region to see the lakes though, so going when there is still snow around will be pointless if that’s your aim.
Top Tip
Most parties stick to only Hynes Peak, and unless you purposefully want a longer day or you’re a keen peakbagger, I would consider skipping Alert.
Bugs can be quite bad here, so insect repellent is also recommended, especially in the early season. Bears are also not uncommon so prepare accordingly.
Camping is likely simple in this zone, with several lake shores to pick from. Lesser Seagram or Pear Lake would probably have suitable spots.
