Hiking Locomotive Mountain near Pemberton
Contents
Locomotive Mountain Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 14.00Km
Elevation Gain: 1,020m
Highest Elevation: 2,340m
Average Gradient: 14.57%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 8 – 9 Hours
– Moderate: 7 – 8 Hours
– Fast: 6 – 7 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~July to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Lots of route finding in confusing boulder terrain, there shouldn’t be much scrambling if you navigate the terrain sufficiently.
Locomotive Mountain Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°35’26.9″N 123°01’04.2″W
Locomotive Mountain Overview
Featuring prominently in Scrambles in SWBC, Locomotive Mountain is one of the numerous summits accessible from Semaphore Lakes, and is indeed the most popular and easiest summit to reach from the lakes. With the impressive Train Glacier situated directly below, plus an array of other peaks nearby, the views from the top of Locomotive Mountain are very rewarding.
Many parties will opt to camp at Semaphore Lakes over a weekend and summit Locomotive Mountain during their stay, which will make the hike a little easier since it takes 3km and ~350m elevation gain just to reach the lakes. From the lakes you can expect a roundtrip time around 2 hours less than from the trailhead.
Semaphore Lakes is very popular with campers and all campsites are first come, first served. It certainly does get popular on a sunny summer weekend, so an early start is recommended if you intend to camp. This is also a very ecologically sensitive environment, with signage indicating where people should camp. Make sure to respect the flora and fauna, and camp in properly designated spots. There are pit toilets and bear caches at the lakes as well.
While Locomotive Mountain may be the easiest summit to climb from Semaphore Lakes, it’s still quite a demanding one. The initial trail gives way to a significant amount of travel on rock and talus, with scattergun cairns erected all over the place. There are a few routes to summit Locomotive and it seems people have put up cairns based on their personal preferred route, however this has resulted in so many cairns they’re now mostly pointless. Ideally you should travel with a specific route in mind, download a map and follow it. Either way you go, expect a lot of travel on boulders with plenty of confusing navigation. Thankfully it’s all simple and you should rarely be required to scramble, but it may be slower and more tedious than you’d expected, so some patience is key. The GPX linked here is the “standard” AllTrails route, however many people also opt for another route. I’ve included a photo of the two main options in the gallery at the bottom.
Access to Locomotive Mountain and thus the Semaphore Lakes areas is from The Hurley River FSR, which is typically a well groomed FSR suitable for most vehicles, though AWD would be beneficial. You can expect a 3 hour drive from Vancouver to reach the trailhead. This website provides excellent updates on the conditions of the Hurley, as well as whether it’s open or closed. Given the Hurley River FSR closes once the snow has arrived and doesn’t open again until it has melted, the season for Locomotive Mountain is prime summer. July to October is best. In the early summer you can expect snow to still be lingering at higher elevation, which may necessitate bringing an ice axe and crampons.
Dogs are welcome on this hike. Mosquitos can often be apocalyptic in this area in the early summer, so some people prefer waiting until August and September, especially if they’re camping.
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Is Locomotive Mountain worthwhile?
Locomotive Mountain is the easiest summit to climb from Semaphore Lakes, and the views from the top are very rewarding with the Train Glacier below and countless peaks on the horizon. The hike does suffer from a pretty tedious approach, but it’s a small price to pay for some fantastic views.
How difficult is the hike to Locomotive Mountain?
For a peak with an elevation of 2,340m the stats for Locomotive Mountain are actually quite moderate thanks to being able to park high up. The main reason this has been considered difficult is because the terrain is challenging beyond the lakes, with lots of talus, rock and route finding to reach the summit. Camping makes this hike even easier, reducing the stats to something like 8km and 700m elevation gain campsite to campsite.
Technically speaking Locomotive Mountain is mostly hiking, potentially requiring minimal use of hands and little in the way of exposure. You can certainly find scrambling and exposure if you went looking for it, but you should easily be able to avoid it. The most challenging part of the hike is just the route finding through confusing talus slopes.
Locomotive Mountain Route Information
Parking for Semaphore Lakes and thus Locomotive Mountain is just before Railroad Pass on the Hurley River FSR , see coordinates above. The Hurley River FSR is generally quite well groomed and most SUV’s should manage the road fine. Sedans often do make it up there as well, but prepare for a long, slow and bumpy ride on the FSR. There is a small parking area at the trailhead, however there is ample space on the side of the road for overflow parking.
From the trailhead there is an obvious trail leading down into the forest. After a couple of hundred meters you’ll cross a small bridge over a creek, before beginning your forest climb. The trail will remain adjacent to Railroad Creek as you work your way up through the rugged terrain, at times passing over roots, rocks and mud. While not a well manicured trail, it’s easy to follow.
After a few kilometers of hiking in the forest you’ll break out into some open meadows, and within a few hundred meters you’ll reach the lakes. The main lake is the first one that you’ll reach and is one of the more popular spots for camping, but if you continue further along the trails you’ll reach another couple of lakes, each with further camping options.
You’ll now have excellent views of the mountain backdrop, with Locomotive Mountain, Tender Mountain, Caboose Peak, Faceless Mountain and Face Mountain all visible, and the impressive Train Glacier beneath them all.
There is a labyrinth of trails around the lakes and no signage to indicate the way, so at this point you will likely want to refer to an offline map to confirm which way to go. Ultimately you want to keep hiking through the lakes and following the defined trails south, away from the main lakes and towards the eastern flanks of Locomotive.
At this point the trail gradually ceases to exist, with people now self-navigating their preferred route to the summit, and cairns scattered throughout the talus slopes in an attempt to guide the way. Now you really need to follow a map to guide your general direction (see photo in gallery for the two primary routes up), but the goal is to wrap around the back of Locomotive Mountain via its eastern slopes, ascending from the south.
No route is really “correct” and you’ll have to use judgment to decide exactly where to go, but refer to your map for general guidance. There will be plenty of talus and rock to navigate, but at no time should you be exposed to any significant fall and there shouldn’t be much need for scrambling. Most parties will be fine without feeling the need to wear a helmet as the terrain isn’t steep or loose enough for rockfall to be a big risk.
The climb will be slow and tedious, but eventually you will reach a plateau on the southeast ridge of Locomotive Mountain, which you can then easily follow as it continues around to the southern slopes. Once here you will locate an obvious trail once again, and the remainder of the hike to the summit is straightforward.
From the summit you will have stunning views of the Train Glacier below, as well as all of the peaks surrounding the glacier, namely Tender Mountain, Caboose Peak, Faceless Mountain and Face Mountain. You can easily continue along the ridge to both Tender and Caboose if you want to continue hiking, though the view won’t change that much. Experienced parties may complete the Train Glacier Traverse, though this is not a decision to make on the fly as it’s a serious commitment and far more challenging than just hiking Locomotive Mountain. It’s also preferred to finish on Locomotive rather than start there.
After finishing at the summit you return down to the lakes the same way you came (or try a different route if you weren’t keen on the route you chose to ascend). Unfortunately it’s not a lot faster descending as the terrain continues to be slow going. Once back at the lakes you simply follow the established trail back to the trailhead.
When should I hike Locomotive Mountain?
Access to Semaphore Lakes and thus Locomotive Mountain requires the Hurley River FSR to be open, which is only generally in the summer. If you want to avoid snow travel you will likely want to complete this hike somewhere between mid-July and early October. As noted, in the early summer the mosquitoes can be voracious, with many parties saving this region for later in the summer. Mid-August to October is usually pretty fine for bugs and makes for the best time to visit.
Top Tip
You’ll certainly want an offline map to help direct you up to Locomotive Mountain as there is no trail and the cairns only add to the confusion.
Capable and confident parties might want to consider completing the Train Glacier Traverse, beginning with an ascent of Face Mountain and ending on Locomotive Mountain. This is easily a 5* day out but is a lot more involved than Locomotive alone.
