Hiking Mount Mulligan near Squamish
Contents
Mount Mulligan Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 16.50Km
Elevation Gain: 1,185m
Highest Elevation: 1,534m
Average Gradient: 14.36%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 8 – 10 Hours
– Moderate: 6 – 8 Hours
– Fast: 4 – 6 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round (Winter Preferred)
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No – But it would help
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Mount Mulligan Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°42’50.8″N 123°04’03.2″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 Mulligan Overview
Mount Mulligan is one of several summits located slightly east of Squamish, accessed via Mamquam Forest Service road. At 1,534m this is one of the lower peaks in the area, but it’s also one of the easier hikes, with most of the hike being a plod up a forest service road, before a simple, non-technical ascent to the summit.
Mount Mulligan is a popular destination for ski tourers in the winter, providing some simple turns in mellow terrain. It has never been all that popular with snowshoers, likely because the elevation gain for this hike is fairly significant. Still, travel is very straightforward and despite the sizable stats on paper, this hike isn’t as hard as you might think and the hike is entirely in mellow, low risk terrain.
In the summer you can drive a significant way up the forest service road that you otherwise have to hike in winter, but the trail is unmarked, poorly defined and overgrown without a snowpack, so winter travel is strongly preferred, even if it means starting significantly lower down the mountain. Spring might actually be the best time to hike Mount Mulligan, providing the best of both worlds with the ability to drive part way up the spur road (only in a high clearance vehicle) and reducing the hike stats, while still benefiting from a snowpack on the summit push. Mount Mulligan is also a pet friendly hike and is a great option for anyone looking to take their dog off leash in the backcountry.
The views from the summit are very nice but largely one direction, looking west. Still, the views of some of the Sea to Sky icons are plentiful, with clear sightlines to Sky Pilot Mountain, Mount Habrich, the entire Tantalus range, Mount Garibaldi, the Black Tusk, the Chief and plenty more.
More adventurous parties might want to check out Anif Peak, an adjacent summit in the area offering even better views, but this is a much more demanding climb with some particularly steep terrain at the end. It’s perfectly possible to combine both Anif Peak and Mount Mulligan into one outing by instead hiking to the saddle between each peak, climbing Anif first, returning to the saddle, then climbing Mulligan before hiking out. This would add perhaps ~250m elevation gain and a couple of kilometers to the stats above.
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Is Mount Mulligan worthwhile?
If you are looking for a straightforward snowshoe trip near to Vancouver with some great views, Mount Mulligan is a no brainer. 80% of the hike is a straightforward plod up an FSR, before a pretty simple ascent up to the summit following an open cut block and short forested section. If you’re lucky you might even have ski tracks to follow for most of the hike.
I haven’t heard great things about this region in the summer, so I would suggest either a winter or spring timing for Mulligan.
How difficult is the hike to Mount Mulligan?
The stats for this hike might seem pretty demanding, and there’s no doubt the ascent is pretty much relentless, but at the same time it’s a very gradual climb the whole way to the summit, never too steep but never really flat. You will be able to move quite quickly and in likelihood you might be surprised at how quickly you do this. Obviously this is all snow dependent, if you have deep snow it’ll be a hell of a day, but if you have hard packed snow it shouldn’t be too tricky. As this area is popular with ski tourers there is a high probability that there will be tracks to follow for the majority of the hike, making things much easier.
Technically the hike is pretty simple too, most of it is just a simple FSR grind before you reach the end and continue on up through a cutblock and a forest to the summit. There are one or two steep rolls towards the end, but they’re very brief and won’t cause any issues.
Mount Mulligan Route Information
Where you begin this hike will depend on what vehicle you have and where the snow level is. Those with a 2WD will have to start at the bottom, where Mamquam FSR connects with the spur road leading up Mount Mulligan. While Mamquam FSR is perfectly driveable in a 2WD, the spur road requires a high clearance vehicle. In a high clearance vehicle you can drive up the spur road until you reach the snowline, wherever that is, and find a parking spot along the way. Obviously chains are recommended if you intend to drive on the snow/ice, this is a steep drive. The stats above are based on starting at the very bottom, which many do in winter as the snowline is often right down to Mamquam FSR anyway. In the spring though you can likely drive a good way up in a capable vehicle.
Wherever you park you will immediately be faced with a slog up the spur road, it’ll either be a long one or a shorter one. There isn’t a huge amount to say about this road, it’s your typical forest service road with no views but a pleasantly mellow gradient making for a fast pace. It’s fairly easy to maintain a consistent pace here, and with nothing to see it’s just a case of grinding it out as fast as you can. If you’re lucky you will have some well worn ski tracks in the snow to reduce any trail breaking.
The FSR ends at around 1,170m elevation, which is about 6km of hiking from the very bottom. There won’t be many views up until this point, with the odd peek-a-boo view of the Garibaldi massif being your only scraps. From here on out though, the views are good and only improve as you continue to climb.
Once you reach the end of the FSR you will see a wide open cutblock on your left, which is where you will begin your final climb up to Mount Mulligan. This is where the skiers have come for some simple turns, so take care and keep an eye out to ensure you don’t collide with any. You’ll now climb up this open cutblock, which will immediately be steeper than the FSR you just departed from, but still nothing extreme. The views behind you will open up more and more, and soon you’ll have some great views above Squamish. The Chief will look tiny from up here and the Tantalus backdrop will be stunning as always. You should also get some pretty great views of Mount Garibaldi as you climb up this cutblock, soak them in as you can’t really see it from the summit.
At the top of the cutblock you will enter a forest, and this is the section that can be a little confusing if you don’t have any tracks to follow. Generally as long as you climb going uphill you should be fine, but just in case you might want to refer to your map. There’s a decent chance you will have ski tracks even in the forest as the tourers often go all the way to the summit, but you can’t rely on having these so a map would be useful.
Just before you reach the summit you will come to a flat opening in the forest. Reaching the summit involves some steep travel that might require kick stepping into the snow and some simple use of hands, though it’s very brief and even if you fell there would be no consequence. I’m sure if you look around a little there is an easier way up though.
From the summit there are plenty of views but you do have to walk around a little bit to see them all. The peak is partially forested, with most views to the north and east blocked by trees. You will, however, have fantastic views of Sky Pilot Mountain and Mount Habrich, as well as panoramic views to the west looking towards the Tantalus range. If you walk around a little you will also find some peek-a-boo views of Mount Garibaldi, Mamquam Mountain and even Meslilloet Mountain way off in the distance. You should also see Anif Peak to the south, and if your intention is to also hike that you can actually descend to the col directly from Mount Mulligan before climbing up Anif Peak, but again this is a much more challenging climb than Mount Mulligan.
After you’ve finished up at the top you can simply head back to the trailhead the same way you came.
When should I hike Mount Mulligan?
Mount Mulligan is a year-round option but most feedback I’ve seen is that it’s not a very pleasant hike in the summer as there is no real trail and it’s generally overgrown. With that said you want to go when the summit still has a decent snow pack, so winter and spring are the best times to go. The full window is likely between November and May, but prime time is probably December to April.
Top Tip
I wouldn’t suggest this hike after recent snowfall as it’s a long hike and in deep powder it might prove extremely tiring. This is an ideal hike to save for when the snow is well packed down, after a period of little snow in the mountains. Spring is a good time to ensure this but it can happen in winter if the weather has been warmer / drier for a period.
