Hiking Mount Fromme in North Vancouver
Contents
Mount Fromme Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 10.3Km
Elevation Gain: 884m
Highest Elevation: 1,185m
Average Gradient: 17.17%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 5 – 7 Hours
– Moderate: 4 – 5 Hours
– Fast: 3 – 4 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Mount Fromme Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°20’55.2″N 123°04’06.5″W
Mount Fromme Overview
Mount Fromme is a much lesser traveled summit on the North Shore just east of Grouse Mountain. Of all the North Shore mountains, this one receives little traffic and is in fact probably better known for mountain biking than it is hiking.
Mount Fromme is unusual in that it’s not located within any of the provincial or regional parks. This whole area is pretty much a labyrinth of trails and you can feasibly start this hike in a variety of spots, and take many different options to reach the summit. People generally tend to follow a specific route though, and that is what we will be covering here. I strongly advise taking a map as there are many different junctions and it’s easy to take the wrong one and end up in the wrong direction.
For the most part a hike to Mount Fromme is just a steep forest grind with no views whatsoever. The views from the summit are decent enough but not out of this world. You’ll mostly get mountain range views to the north, as well as some easterly and westerly views. You will not get any views to the south of the city, these are all blocked by trees.
While Mount Fromme certainly is not the most spectacular of hikes, it’s a worthy option for something close to the city that can be completed quickly. As always, it’s better than the Grouse Grind where you get zero views of any kind.
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Is Mount Fromme worthwhile?
Mount Fromme isn’t going to win any awards for being the best hike or having the best views, but it’s certainly a worthwhile option, especially if you are looking for a challenging workout in the winter or shoulder season. You rarely need snowshoes on this hike as the summit isn’t the highest, but microspikes will be necessary for much of the winter and spring. Overall, this is worth hiking at least once. It’s an especially good hike if you prefer quiet trails as it’s not that popular by any means.
How difficult is the hike to Mount Fromme?
One of the main drawbacks of Mount Fromme is that it’s a surprisingly challenging hike yet the views don’t necessarily repay you for all that effort, hence the high effort and moderate reward ratio. At 17.17% average gradient this is a pretty steep hike in all honesty, and despite it being just 10.30km I’d consider this a physically difficult hike for sure.
There are no technically challenging parts to the hike, it’s just a steep forest grind the entire way.
Mount Fromme Route Information
The hike can start at a variety of different trailheads, but this route is starting from the north end of St. Georges Ave. There isn’t really any dedicated parking here, it’s just a cul-de-sac, but you can park there without restriction.
The trail begins at the north end of the cul-de-sac and soon joins the Powerline Trail after crossing a bridge, where you’ll turn right and then quickly turn left onto St. Georges Trail. From here the trail narrows and quickly becomes quite steep. After a few hundred meters you’ll connect with the Dreamweaver mountain bike trail. Keep an eye out for mountain bikes speeding at you as you’ll have to step aside if that happens.
You’ll only be on the Dreamweaver trail for mere meters before turning right back onto St. Georges Trail. In a few more meters you will cross over the Baden Powell Trail. The trail now becomes pretty steep, generally over 20% gradient.
After around 1km of a steep grind you’ll come out at the old Grouse Mountain Highway, a wide gravel road, where you’ll want to turn left. You’ll follow this gravel road for a couple of hundred meters before reaching a junction with a few trails. You’ll now want to take the Peer Gynt trail, so it’s best to look at your map to make sure you’re going on the correct one, I can’t recall if it’s signposted.
You’ll follow the Peer Gynt trail for around 500m and again the trail will be steep, rocky and rooty. You’ll come back out at the winding Grouse Mountain Highway, this time skipping straight across it and continuing on the Peer Gynt trail. You might have hit snow by now if hiking in the winter/shoulder seasons.
The trail soon eases off for a while, giving you a bit of a respite from what has been a total grind in the forest so far, but it doesn’t take too long before you’re back at it. At around the 4km mark you’ll begin the steep final ascent, where the gradient notches about 25%. Soon enough you’ll reach the summit of Mount Fromme, though the viewpoint is a little further ahead still so keep going to the end of the trail. If you’re here in winter the snow could be pretty deep, but it’s still fine in micro spikes, you just might do a bit of post-holing towards the end.
From the summit you will be able to see Crown, Goat & Grouse Mountain to the west, the Garibaldi range, Mount Burwell, Coliseum Mountain and the Needles to the north, and Mount Seymour to the east. There’ll be a few spots you can see the Fraser River to the east as well.
After resting up at the summit you simply head back the way you came, making sure to be careful if there is snow/ice around on the steep parts.
When should I hike Mount Fromme?
I wouldn’t dedicate a blue bird summer day to Mount Fromme. This is a decent option for the shoulder season or even in the midst of winter. Make sure to time it for a sunny day though, otherwise you will get absolutely no views at the summit and that whole grind will have been for nothing.
Top Tip
You’ll definitely want an offline map to refer to throughout this hike. There are many, many trails you can take and a wrong turn is pretty easy to do without a map.
Poles might be recommended if you like using them, this is a steep hike in parts and they will help with balance.
