Hiking Iago Peak in the Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area
Contents
Iago Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 12.10Km
Elevation Gain: 690m
Highest Elevation: 1,737m
Average Gradient: 11.40%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 5 – 7 Hours
– Moderate: 4 – 5 Hours
– Fast: 3 – 4 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round (Winter Preferred)
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Iago Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°35’46.1″N 121°07’22.1″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.
Iago Peak Overview
Iago Peak is a summit located in the Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area northeast of Hope, making for a popular ski touring objective in the winter. Recently it has grown increasingly popular with snowshoers thanks to its moderate stats, scenic views and mellow terrain.
Iago Peak is, generally speaking, a winter only hike as there is no trail to follow in the summer once you depart from the Zupjok Peak trail, no doubt involving some ugly bushwhacking. In the winter, snow will cover the underbrush and hikers will be required to self-navigate their way to the summit. Since Iago Peak is fairly popular there will frequently be a well laid track from skiers and snowshoers that can easily be followed to the summit.
Due to its fairly mellow terrain, Iago Peak is a good option for those looking for a low risk avalanche trail. The majority of the hike goes through the forest, with the last 200m of elevation breaking out of the trees and ascending the northeast ridge to the summit. While there are one or two moderately steep rolls, for the most part any avalanche risk is low.
The views from the summit are panoramic and unobstructed, with stunning views of all the iconic mountains in the area.
Access to Iago Peak is from the Zopkios Rest Area on the Coquihalla Highway, is suitable for all vehicles and is a popular spot due to a number of hikes/tours accessible from the same lot. As such it’s recommended to arrive early, especially if it’s a sunny weekend.
Dogs are allowed on the Iago Peak trail and in fact this is likely a great option with a furry friend.
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Is Iago Peak worthwhile?
Iago Peak is a moderate effort and fairly high reward hike. Given the moderate stats, technical simplicity, benign terrain and the rewarding views, Iago Peak is one of the better winter options in the Coquihalla, especially for those beginner to intermediate snowshoers looking for a bit of adventure. It’s certainly preferred over the nearby Zoa Peak.
How difficult is the hike to Iago Peak?
Physically speaking this is a moderately challenging hike through and through. At just over 12km and 690m elevation gain, the average gradient is quite mellow throughout, even up to the summit. Most average fitness parties will be finished in the 4-5 hours mark, so a moderately quick outing
Technically this is also quite a simple hike. The first section follows a well trafficked FSR to the Ottomite / Zupjok trail split. From here you continue towards Zupjok Peak before entering the forest. The forest route tends to vary, with parties going different ways, but ultimately it’s all the same direction and mostly straightforward. Eventually all the tracks will converge onto the northeast ridge, which is easy to follow all the way to the summit. There might be one or two steep rolls, but nothing that should test you too much. You certainly don’t need to be bringing an ice axe or mountaineering crampons for this one.
Iago Peak Route Information
The trailhead for Iago Peak begins from the Zopkios Rest Area, which is 2WD accessible. Note that you will need winter tires to drive this road in the winter. The parking in this area can fill up quickly on a sunny winter weekend, so an early start is recommended at those times.
From the rest area the trail will begin behind the restrooms, where you should see an obvious track running parallel to the highway and into the forest. The trail will drop slightly initially, and shortly ahead you will cross a bridge over Boston Bar Creek. Over the next 3 kilometers or so there is no real decision point, it’s merely a forest stroll with some undulating terrain, climbing to a high point of around 1,375m.
After a sharp double switchback you will find yourself in an opening in the forest with some fairly open views of Zupjok Peak to the northwest and Yak Peak to the northeast. The trail splits here, going south will take you towards Ottomite Mountain and continuing west will begin on the Zupjok Peak trail. Make sure to pay attention as not to follow the Ottomite Mountain trail.
Now departing the FSR, the Zupjok Peak trail climbs somewhat steadily for a few hundred meters, before you reach a brief opening in the forest. From here you may find a few different tracks that you can follow as people tend to vary how they approach the next section. Keeping an eye on your map you can either follow a set of tracks or blaze your own, just make sure you’re generally heading towards the northeast ridge of Iago Peak.
This forested section can be a little ugly at times, depending on the depth of the snowpack. If the snowpack is thin you might find yourself working through some tightly packed forest and potentially breaking through a few tree wells in the process. If the snowpack is deep though it should be fairly straightforward. Thankfully it is only around 1km of this travel before you’re out of the dense forest, with most tracks converging back to one another at the beginning of the ridge, around 1,470m.
Climbing up somewhat steeply, once you reach around 1,550m you’ll break out of the treeline and the views will really begin to open up. The general direction is now very obvious, with or without tracks to follow. It’s now just a case of working along the ridge towards the summit. From around 1,600m onwards the terrain steepens, and you’re likely going to see an abundance of ski tracks coming down from the mountain.
In no time you will crest the summit, where the views are panoramic. Yak Peak will be particularly prominent, but also Needle Peak, the Flatiron, Zupjok/Llama/Alpaca Peak, Gemse Peak, the Anderson River group of peaks and many more will be on full display. You might have to wander around the broad summit a little to get all the views.
Some parties opt to continue along the same ridge to Great Bear Peak, though it involves a steep downclimb before climbing back up. Great Bear Peak is also marginally lower and offers no better views, so generally only peakbaggers will continue to it.
After resting up and enjoying the views you simply retrace your steps back to the trailhead.
When should I hike Iago Peak?
As noted, Iago Peak is generally only accessed in the winter when a healthy snowpack covers the underbrush once you depart from any trails. The prime time to go is generally between December and April, depending on the snowpack of the given year. Once the snow thins out in the forest before the ridge it could get quite ugly again.
Top Tip
Arrive early to the Zopkios Rest Area on sunny weekends as this will fill up fast with skiers and hikers accessing a number of peaks from the same trailhead. There is limited overflow parking.
Peakbaggers can easily add on Ottomite Mountain, adding around 2km of easy hiking to the day. The views from Ottomite are mostly obstructed, however.
