Hiking Metal Dome near Whistler
Contents
Metal Dome Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 15.10Km
Elevation Gain: 1,230m
Highest Elevation: 2,010m
Average Gradient: 16.29%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 7 – 8 Hours
– Moderate: 5 – 7 Hours
– Fast: 4 – 5 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round (Winter Preferred)
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No – But it would make it easier
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Metal Dome Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°03’39.3″N 123°06’49.4″W
Note: The above coordinates stop at the beginning of the Brandywine FSR where you would park in the winter. When the FSR is open you can drive along it to a parking lot at 800m (2WD) or 1,300m (High Clearance). You will want to switch to your AllTrails/Gaia map to navigate the FSR correctly, it is not mapped on Google.
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.
Metal Dome Overview
Metal Dome is a lightly trafficked hike near Whistler, situated slightly southeast from the much more popular Brandywine Mountain, and accessed via the same Forest Service Road. Metal Dome is not a very popular hike in the summer thanks to some tricky route finding and muddy sections, but in the winter it gains in popularity significantly, though admittedly mostly from ski tourers. That being said it makes for an excellent snowshoe outing for more adventurous parties.
Depending on your vehicle, as well as the snow conditions, there are multiple possible starting points for a hike to Metal Dome. When the snowline is high enough, those with a high clearance vehicle are able to drive to a small parking lot at around 1,300m elevation, resulting in a hike of around 8km and 730m elevation gain. In the depths of winter though, the FSR will close entirely to vehicles, and anybody wanting to hike to Metal Dome will have to park at the Powder Mountain Snowmobile Base at the very beginning of Brandywine FSR. This will increase the stats dramatically, to around 24km and 1,520m elevation gain. The hike stats noted in the hike information above are for a starting point at a parking lot at around 800m elevation where there is another parking lot, and is accessible for all 2WD vehicles. This will be inaccessible in the middle of winter, but in the summer, fall and spring it will usually be fine.
While Metal Dome is a year-round objective, the ideal time to hike it is in fall or spring when the snowline is high enough to cover the rugged alpine without impacting the accessibility on the FSR. Once the FSR closes to vehicles this makes for a very long trip. Not only that, snowmobilers take over much of the trail in winter, meaning you’ll be hiking next to the roaring sounds and smells of snowmobile traffic for much of the day.
One of the perks of hiking Metal Dome while snow is on ground is that you are almost certain to benefit from a well defined set of tracks from ski tourers and snowcats for most of the trip. This makes snowshoeing significantly easier, both in terms of navigation but also effort as you will not have to break trail. That being said, tracks often do not go all the way to the summit, so the last few hundred vertical meters may be self-guided.
The views from Metal Dome, and indeed for much of the ridge, are stunning. You’ll have panoramic views of all the iconic peaks in the region, such as Brandywine Mountain, Mount Fee, Pyroclastic Peak, Mount Garibaldi, the Black Tusk, Whistler/Blackcomb, Mount Callaghan, Tricouni Peak, the Tantalus Range, Mount Weart, Wedge Mountain, Sky Pilot and countless more.
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.
Is Metal Dome worthwhile?
If you time it right Metal Dome is a fantastic, under appreciated hike with absolutely breathtaking views. Despite the challenging stats, even if you are only able to park low down this is not a significantly difficult hike as much of the trail is on moderate gradient FSR’s, allowing for quick travel. Thankfully these FSR’s also have some stunning views, so you shouldn’t be too bored along the way either.
How difficult is the hike to Metal Dome?
This really depends on where you are able to park and what time of year you go. If you begin at the parking lot at 1,300m elevation this is a pretty moderate hike. If you park in the lower lot at 800m, while a difficult hike it’s not as challenging as you might expect as much of the hike will be on a moderate gradient. The only time this will be a particularly challenging day is if you have to park at the very beginning of the Brandywine FSR and snowshoe the full 24km. That would make for a very long and tiring day.
Technically this hike is quite straightforward, with the biggest challenge possibly being navigation once you reach the alpine. If you have a solid set of tracks to follow this will be a non-event, but without tracks you’ll need to be self-competent. Also, the final 50 vertical meters do get quite steep and will prove challenging in snow, potentially requiring kick steps. If conditions are icy you will need an ice axe also.
Metal Dome Route Information
As noted there are multiple starting points for this hike, but they all pass through the same FSR, you just either park lower down or higher up depending on the conditions and your vehicle. The linked route above starts at a parking lot at around 800m, just after the FSR splits in two, with one direction continuing to the Lower Brandywine parking lot, and the other direction to the Upper Brandywine parking lot. If you have a high clearance vehicle and there isn’t any snow, you can continue past this 800m parking lot along the FSR to 1,300m, but be warned, it gets very steep and very rough beyond the 800m lot.
Assuming you park in the 800m lot you’ll now simply continue hiking up the same FSR. The gradient immediately gets quite steep, and after a kilometer or so you’ll reach a very steep switchback as you continue to climb. If you are hiking in winter you may be passed by some snowmobiles as this is a designated snowmobile route.
There isn’t much to say for this section of the hike, you simply continue along the FSR until around 1,300m elevation. You’ll have some great views as you climb higher and higher, thankfully this is not one of those FSR’s that is constantly engulfed by trees. As you approach the 1,300m elevation mark, keep an eye on your map as you will reach a junction with another FSR branch to your right. This junction is where high clearance vehicles can park should they wish to drive up.
After turning onto the narrower trail you’ll leave behind any snowmobiles as Metal Dome is a non-motorized area, they will all be going towards Brandywine Bowl. You’ll now continue along this trail to around 1,400m, where the FSR ends. From here on out you will be self-navigating the rest of the way, but there is a high probability of a defined set of tracks leading up to the alpine. In the summer I believe there is a faint trail, but the route is not marked.
If you have a set of tracks I’d suggest sticking with them while keeping an eye on your map to verify they are generally going in the right direction. If you don’t have tracks or if you’re going in summer, this would be the tricky section for navigation. For the next 1.5km or so you’ll wind your way through the sparse treeline, again with a fairly moderate gradient throughout. At around 1,650m elevation the trees will begin to thin out and you’ll soon be in the alpine, where the views get better and better as you continue to climb.
After you break out of the treeline you should get your first glimpse of Metal Dome, the highest point directly ahead, slightly left of some other sub summits. Once you’re in the alpine it is really up to you what route you take to the summit as there is no defined trail. If you have a set of tracks to follow I would once again advise you to follow them as long as they are going in the general direction of the summit. Ski tourers often have other goals in mind than reaching the summit, so take care not to follow tracks to some other pointless area.
Thankfully the alpine terrain is fairly mellow as well, with a moderate gradient right up until you reach the final 50 vertical meters. The views from here on out are stunning, with exceptional views behind you of Mount Garibaldi and the Black Tusk. As you climb higher and higher the views to the west will open up more.
As noted the final climb to the summit is steep but brief. You’ll likely have to kick step up some steep spots, using your poles to pull your upper body up as you go. Thankfully you can butt slide down this on the descent as the terrain is low risk.
From the summit the views are breathtaking, especially of the nearby Brandywine Mountain and Mount Fee, but also of innumerable surrounding peaks. Metal Dome is a fairly broad summit and you can explore along the ridge to your heart’s content. After finishing up on the summit you simply head back the way you came.
When should I hike Metal Dome?
As noted the ideal time to hike Metal Dome is when there is snow covering the alpine, but not so low that it prevents vehicle access. This means fall, early winter and spring are the best times to go. In the middle of winter you will have to begin your hike very low down, as well as deal with snowmobiles for much of the day.
Summer is also an option and allows easy access to 1,300m parking (with a high clearance vehicle), but the trail may not be particularly pleasant and will likely require some route finding.
Top Tip
Obviously the biggest tip is to time it right for the conditions, this might mean enquiring with others. The South Coast Touring Facebook group is a great place to ask for advice about up to date conditions.
An offline map will definitely be needed once you have left the FSR, especially in the summer if you don’t have any snow tracks to follow.
If you expect to hit ice an ice axe would be nice for the final ascent up the summit block.
