Hiking Mount Caspar near Pemberton
Contents
Mount Caspar Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 19.00Km
Elevation Gain: 1,300m
Highest Elevation: 2,402m
Average Gradient: 13.68%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 11 – 13 Hours
– Moderate: 9 – 11 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 9 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round (Winter Preferred)
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Mount Caspar Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°23’10.4″N 122°21’02.2″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.
Mount Caspar Overview
Mount Caspar is a summit located slightly east of the more popular mountaineering giants in the Duffey Lake Road region near Pemberton. While many of the peaks in the region require mountaineering expertise, Mount Caspar bucks that trend, making for a technically straightforward, albeit physically challenging ascent.
Mount Caspar sees very little traffic thanks in large to its long, bushy approach. Very few people ascend Caspar in the summer as the Caspar Creek FSR is typically alder ridden, and the forested climb would be an ugly, bushy affair. In the winter, however, a healthy snowpack covers most of the alder, providing much easier access. The steep forest ascent is also aided by snow, though you can certainly expect some involved route finding through dense forest cover. Once out of the forest the remainder of the hike is a straightforward, incredibly scenic ridge walk, with the odd steep roll here and there, but nothing technical and no exposure at any point. The views from the summit are absolutely breathtaking, with the majestic Joffre group of peaks stealing the show as usual.
Parking for Mount Caspar is at the beginning of the Caspar Creek FSR, which is typically plowed in the winter due to its popularity with ski tourers and sledders. If the lot is full there is another parking lot just before this one that can be used as overflow parking. This is 2WD accessible, though of course in winter you will want the requisite tires.
The GPX linked here involves some nuances that you should familiarize yourself with before going, as this was an exploratory outing with decisions made on the fly depending on conditions. While much of the route is in low risk terrain, the descent from the summit passed through some complex avalanche terrain that should only be attempted by experienced parties in favorable avalanche conditions. Most parties will want to descend the same way they ascended, via the ridge. In general this hike should only be attempted by experienced, fit and confident parties with the necessary avalanche expertise given the significant route finding in complex terrain. It is not uncommon for parties to take over 10 hours for this hike, and given the short winter daylight hours any delays can quickly become troublesome.
Mount Caspar is dog friendly, though only the most competent of canine companions should attempt a hike like this in winter conditions.
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Is Mount Caspar worthwhile?
The views in the Duffey Lake Road region are always breathtaking, and Mount Caspar is no different. While the first half of the hike is quite tedious, as soon as you reach the ridge it will all have been worth it. The nearby Mount Howard, Matier and Joffre Peak provide a stunning backdrop, with other notable peaks like Snowspider Mountain, Mount Marriott, Cayoosh Mountain, Mount Chief Pascall, Mount Duke, Vantage Peak, Mount Rohr and countless more offering endless views. The views from Mount Caspar are as good as it gets.
How difficult is the hike to Mount Caspar?
Physically speaking Mount Caspar is a demanding hike, especially given the fact it will all be in snow. The stats don’t necessarily do it justice as the first 6.5km of the hike are an FSR plod, gaining just 300m in the process. If you’re lucky the FSR will have been traveled by snow sleds and ski tourers, potentially so much so that you won’t need snowshoes. After departing the FSR the last 3km to the summit rises a further 1,000m for an average gradient of 33%. Without any tracks to follow this will all be self-navigated in deep snow, making for a draining and slow ascent.
Technically the hike isn’t actually that difficult. The FSR plod is just that, a long walk. The steep forest climb is the most challenging part of the day, mostly because the forest is dense, navigation is somewhat confusing and the gradient is steep. Still, while slowgoing it’s not that complicated (note: make sure to follow the down track of the GPX through the forest for less technical terrain). Once on the ridge it’s merely a case of following it along to the summit. The ridge is moderately steep throughout, with the odd steeper roll here and there. Again it’s slow going but not particularly technical. At no point should you have any exposure, nor should you need an ice axe / crampons.
Mount Caspar Route Information
As noted the trailhead for Mount Caspar is from the bottom of Caspar Creek FSR on Duffey Lake Road. A small parking lot is usually plowed in the winter, with space for around 10 vehicles. If the lot is full you can usually park a few hundred meters earlier on Duffey Lake Road and walk over to the trailhead.
Caspar Creek FSR is gated, usually year-round, so even in the summer you likely cannot drive it anyway. That being said there is enough space for sleds to get through, and usually many do. This is actually very beneficial for snowshoers, as if the FSR is not well trafficked you will need to break trail for the full 6.5km plod each way, which will be draining.
Much of the time the FSR will have seen a good amount of sleds and skiers, often to the point you don’t even need snowshoes at this point. The first 2km of the FSR is spacious, climbing gradually away from Duffey Lake Road. After this stretch the main FSR will continue straight, but you will take a branch to the left going into the bushes. Fortunately this is also where most of the other traffic is also going, so hopefully you still have tracks to follow after this turn off.
The FSR now narrows significantly, with bushes on either side of the trail. In the summer this is likely where the alder really becomes an issue, however in the winter snow will typically cover the worst of it. The next 4.5km of the hike simply follows this trail, which mostly undulates and only gains around 200m in the process.
Towards the end of the FSR you’ll want to start paying attention to your map as you will soon be departing from the trail and entering the treeline. If you haven’t already you’ll now be throwing on the snowshoes. Referring to your map you’ll enter the trees and begin working up through dense foliage (make sure to follow the down track of the GPX through the forest for less technical terrain). The beginning of the forest climb will be dense trees but after gaining a hundred meters or so it should start to thin out as you hit more mature forest.
The forested climb is around 300 vertical meters over 900m distance, making for a steep ascent. Once you’re on the ridge you will want to follow it southeast as it continues climbing (DO NOT follow the descent route via the SW bowl, this is not an appropriate ascent route. Connect back to the ascent route in the GPX via the ridge).
Now that you’re out of the treeline the snow typically deepens and the trail breaking becomes much more draining. You should get your first sighting of Mount Caspar and at this stage it’ll likely look quite a long way away. As you work your way along the ridge the views continue to improve, and after a few hundred meters of elevation gain you’ll break out of the trees entirely. The remainder of the hike will offer breathtaking views of the Joffre range in particular.
Continuing along the broad eastern ridge, the gradient remains steep and the trailbreaking will likely be arduous without any tracks to follow. Thankfully the views more than make up for it, and while progress will likely be slow you probably won’t care. You’ll climb up a few steep bumps along the ridge that might require some zig zagging up, but overall the terrain is simple and the route is obvious.
Eventually the ridge will curve around to the south of the summit, and at around 2,275m you’ll reach a bit of a subsummit with stunning views. This is a great place to stop just before summiting if you need a quick rest, and to be honest the views from here are almost as good as the summit itself.
From here the remainder of the ridge to the summit is often a mix of snow and rock as the terrain becomes wind scoured, though usually you’re fine to keep your snowshoes on regardless. You’ll drop slightly to a col after departing from the subsummit, before a quick, moderate climb up to the true summit. The views are now panoramic in every direction, with endless snow capped peaks on display. The summit is quite broad and has plenty of space to move around, enjoy the views and (hopefully) soak in the sun.
To return to the trailhead the safest route is to simply retrace your steps along the ridge and down through the forest, however adventurous parties might want to take a more direct route by dropping into the southwest bowl below the summit. This involves some travel through complex avalanche terrain, so it should only be attempted by experienced parties in favorable conditions. If you take this route you can follow the valley all the way down to where you exited the forest at the start of the ridge. This route is far more direct than retracing your steps along the ridge but does involve some steep travel at times. Again, only attempt this route if you’re confident traveling in avalanche terrain.
Once you’re back at the forest you retrace your steps all the way back to the car. The 6.5km FSR plod will feel much longer this time I assure you.
When should I hike Mount Caspar?
Most people will ascend Mount Caspar in the winter when there is a healthy snowpack covering the alder on the FSR and the bushes on the forest climb. If you go too early/late the snowpack may not be deep enough to cover this terrain, and if you go in the summer you’ll likely be dealing with a significant amount of bushwhacking. The ideal time to go tends to be mid-winter to early spring. February and March are probably the best time to go, with January and April also usually fine depending on the snow pack.
Top Tip
Timing this hike for the right conditions will make it much easier. If you can avoid having to break trail on the FSR plod your day will be much easier. If you can go after a period without fresh precipitation there will usually be a well worn set of tracks from skiers and sledders for the whole FSR.
Going in a larger group to share the trailbreaking will be helpful as this is a long day in potentially deep snow.
Give yourself as much time as possible for this hike as many parties take upwards of 10 hours. Given the short daylight hours in winter this is often a sunrise to sunset hike. Some parties likely begin/end with headlamps, so make sure to bring them.
