Hiking Mount Henning near the Coquihalla Recreation Area
Contents
Mount Henning Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 7.50Km
Elevation Gain: 551m
Highest Elevation: 1,827m
Average Gradient: 14.70%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Low / Low
Time Needed:
– Slow: 4 – 5 Hours
– Moderate: 3 – 4 Hours
– Fast: 2 – 3 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~Year-Round
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Mount Henning Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°38’43.7″N 120°59’48.5″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 Henning Overview
Mount Henning is a lesser known peak at the top of the Coquihalla, slightly north of the far more popular peaks like Needle, Yak and Coquihalla itself. At a little over 1,800m, it’s also one of the lower peaks in the region, with the summit partially forested. The area is a popular sledding zone in the winter, with the majority of the hike following a sledding road, passing by a warming hut half way up.
Henning sees little interest in the general hiking community, however since it’s an official peak it does garner some interest from the keener peakbagging community. Most parties will ascend in the winter or spring when snow covers the route. If going in the winter you will need to begin at the bottom of a spur road at the beginning of Tulameen FSR. Any vehicle can make it to the beginning of the spur.
Going in the winter will make this hike approximately 12km and 800m of gain, all of which will be in an active snowmobiling region. If you delay until the spring or even summer, this spur road is entirely driveable in a suitable vehicle with some clearance, reducing the stats of the hike considerably. The stats noted above are from where I began the hike after driving a portion of the spur road before reaching the snowline. Without snow blocking you I’m sure you could drive much further, likely all the way to the cabins at 1,630m and potentially even further than that.
In terms of seasonality, you could do this hike at any point in the year. Most parties go in winter or spring as frankly this is not a worthwhile hike in the summer. Many parties will opt to do this when the weather is poor or avalanche conditions are unfavorable given this is a benign route to a rather uninspiring peak.
Dogs are welcome in the area.
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Is Mount Henning worthwhile?
Mount Henning is not a particularly inspiring trip, especially if you are coming from the Lower Mainland and driving 2.5 hours or so each way. The whole hike follows a road, with little to see until the end. Even then, the views at the top are partially forested, with most of the views to the barren north. You do get some peek-a-boo views towards the more dramatic Coquihalla peaks, but they’re fairly distant. Overall, this is why most parties save Henning for a crappy weather or poor avalanche conditions day in the winter or spring. The only reason I ended up going on a sunny spring day was because my original plan fell through and this became a last minute backup when I was already in the area.
How difficult is the hike to Mount Henning?
The difficulty of Henning will depend entirely on the conditions of when you go. If you go in the winter and start at the bottom it’s a reasonably steep day. You’ll likely benefit from a well worn route thanks to the sledders though. Spring and summer ascents will be easier, assuming you can drive up some of the road. Technically speaking this hike is straightforward, you just follow the road to the top, though you may need to self-navigate the final push when the tracks end.
Mount Henning Route Information
As noted, this hike begins from the bottom of a spur road near the beginning of Tulameen FSR, with 2WD friendly access. There is a massive parking area here for all the sledders, which should be fine to use in winter. If going in spring/summer you can drive up this spur in an appropriate vehicle. There are some steep sections on the spur, but any vehicle with some ground clearance can likely give it a shot. I got to a little over 1,300m before reaching the snowline, but you could no doubt go considerably further without.
From wherever you park, the first task is to just hike up the spur road. In the winter this is a well trafficked sledding zone and you will no doubt encounter a few if you go on a weekend. The road is wide and spacious, so just stick to the sides out of their way if they do come.
There’s nothing to say about the road, so just follow it along until you reach the warming huts at 1,630m. These are actually quite nice huts, and there are even washrooms there should you need them.
From the warming huts the standard route is to just continue following the road as it contours around the steep southern slopes of Henning. You will actually lose a little bit of elevation here (~50m), and in the conditions I had (firm spring snowpack) I didn’t see the point in following the road while losing elevation, so I just made a direct ascent up the steep southern slopes. This worked well with a spring snowpack, however in winter or summer you likely just want to follow the road.
The steep gradient eased off after around 150m of climbing, where I gained the south ridge. From here, it’s merely a case of following the ridge to the summit. You’ll get some views along this ridge, but nothing dramatic to say the least. The summit is broad and mundane, with little to stick around for. After a quick stop for a bite to eat, you’ll probably want to head back down the same way you came up. For me that meant a steep, direct descent through the trees to the hut, but most parties will want to return via the road.
When should I hike Mount Henning?
Most efficient peakbaggers will hike Henning in poor weather or poor avalanche conditions (given the largely benign approach) during the winter, simply as a way to get out exploring. Henning is really not worth a prime sunny day out, there are far better hikes to be had than this. That being said, you can realistically go whenever you please.
Top Tip
The nearby Britton Creek rest stop is an excellent way to end the day, assuming the snack shop is operating. In the spring and summer you will find plenty of gophers around as well.
