Hiking Mount Weart in Garibaldi Provincial Park
Contents
Mount Weart Hike Information
Difficulty: Very Difficult
Distance: 20Km
Elevation Gain: 2,150m
Highest Elevation: 2,835m
Average Gradient: 21.50%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Very High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 12 Hours – Overnight
– Moderate: 10 – 12 Hours
– Fast: 9 – 10 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: No
Season: Summer
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Class 2 scrambling with little exposure.
Mount Weart Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°10’16.5″N 122°52’00.1″W
Mount Weart Overview
Mount Weart is the second highest peak in Garibaldi Provincial Park, behind Wedge Mountain, and the 11th highest summit in all of SWBC. Featured prominently in Scrambles in SWBC, Weart is a significant outing with over 2,000m elevation gain from the trailhead.
Parties can choose to either tackle Mount Weart in one long, challenging day, or they can overnight at Wedgemount Lake before continuing on to summit the next day. The stats above are from the trailhead, assuming hikers will complete this as a day trip. If going from Wedgemount Lake it will be around 10km and 950m elevation gain roundtrip back to the lake. While splitting this over two days might seem the obvious choice, it does mean lugging up overnight backpacks to Wedgemount Lake, which is a 1,200m elevation gain hike in itself. Some people prefer to go fast and light and tackle Weart in one long day.
The trail to the lake is very straightforward, albeit steep, thanks to being an official trail in a provincial park. Beyond Tupper Lake there is no maintained trail, with self navigation through some intimidating backcountry terrain a requirement. Most of the hike is quite straightforward, albeit steep and loose, with plenty of travel on scree and rocks. If going earlier in the summer snow might be on the trail, in which case microspikes/crampons and an ice axe may be worthwhile. Many people opt to take a helmet due to the loose rocks throughout the hike. The final scramble up to the summit is mostly hiking with some class 2, unexposed scrambling at times. At no point on the hike should you ever be exposed to a significant fall.
The season for Mount Weart is generally mid to late summer once the snowline has receded from these elevations. Peak season is typically late July to the end of September, with a few weeks either side potentially fine as well, weather depending. Since Weart is such a high summit it typically receives snow much earlier in the year than other summits, so October could very well be hit and miss, and could early July.
Camping at Wedgemount Lake requires a reservation through BC Parks and, as with any hike in Garibaldi, dogs are not allowed. This hike is accessible to all vehicles, though does require a 2km bumpy ride up a logging road.
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Is Mount Weart worthwhile?
As with most hikes the level of effort you put in generally matches the reward you get out of it. Mount Weart is a massive hike whether you break it up over two days or not. That being said, these are some of the most incredible views you will see from any hike and this is probably one of the best 2WD accessible hikes in British Columbia.
This hike truly has it all, from stunning turquoise lakes, glaciers as far as the eye can see and summit views that are simply unrivaled, Mount Weart should be very high on your to-do list.
How difficult is the hike to Mount Weart?
With 2,150m elevation gain Mount Weart is likely one of the most physically demanding hikes this website will ever cover. That being said it benefits greatly from following an established trail all the way to Wedgemount Lake, which fit parties can get up to in ~2 hours. Beyond the lake the terrain becomes far more technical, with the remainder of the hike considerably slower. If you do not consider yourself a fast and confident hiker through technical terrain I would advise splitting Weart up over two days and overnighting at Wedgemount Lake to prevent the possibility of running into timing issues.
Technically speaking the hike to Tupper Lake is very simple and follows an established trail. Beyond Tupper Lake you will climb up steep scree / boulder slopes, at times requiring you to use your hands to prevent sliding back down the slope. Some sections look intimidating from afar, but as you get closer it’s not as bad as it looks. You’ll eventually reach an upper basin with an unnamed lake below the summit of Weart. From here you’ll have to scramble up to the southeast ridge, with a couple of routes available. The easiest route is linked above, avoids any travel on glaciers and is mostly just boulder hopping up to the ridge. Once on the ridge you simply follow it along to the base of the scramble up to the summit. The scramble up is steep but mostly hiking, with sporadic use of hands. It’s all boulders here and you should never be exposed to any significant fall.
Mount Weart Route Information
The trailhead for Mount Weart is the same as that for Wedgemount Lake. It’s around 2km down a logging road that is bumpy but fine for any vehicle. There is a huge amount of parking available, though it certainly might get busy on a sunny summer weekend.
The trail immediately crosses a bridge over Wedgemount Creek before turning right into the forest. Be careful not to go straight here as it can be easy to miss the turning point. There isn’t a lot to note about the trail up to Wedgemount Lake, you’ll want to get it over with as fast as possible as this is the easy part of the day. The vast majority of the hike up to the lake is forested, which is especially nice on a hot summer day. While the trail is steep overall, the climb is gradual and the trail well maintained, so it’s easy to keep a good pace. After ascending almost 1,000m in the forest, at around the 1,750m elevation mark you’ll break out of the forest to an opening below Rethel Mountain. Continuing on the trail it will now be steep and dusty, with the occasional use of hands to prevent slipping back down. After ascending about 150m of this you’ll reach the Wedgemount Lake Hut where most people will probably want to stop for a quick break.
Once at the hut the views are already amazing, with all the iconic summits on display, namely Wedge Mountain, Rethel Mountain, Parkhurst Mountain and Mount Weart. You’ll now have to drop down from the hut towards the lake, following the well worn trail. At the lake I would advise refilling your water, though there are plenty of water sources from here on out, so don’t go crazy. Continuing along the lake shore you’ll follow an obvious trail as you climb up slightly to reach Tupper Lake and the base of the Wedgemount Glacier. This glacier used to be significantly larger and back in the day you’d have to hike up right next to it (see the Scrambles book for reference). Nowadays it has receded dramatically, though it’s still a very impressive sight.
The trail now ceases from Tupper Lake and you’ll turn to your left and begin your climb up a boulder/scree slope, keeping left of a creek that is flowing down into the lake itself. The route here is fairly well marked with cairns, but the general direction is obvious nonetheless. The scree, however, can be a bit annoying.
After climbing up from Tupper Lake for around 100m you’ll reach a cliff band that you’ll need to navigate around. This will involve a short, simple scramble, and in no time you’ll reach another turquoise lake at the base of yet another glacier. This is an extremely colorful lake and another nice place for a rest, should you need it.
From this lake you’ll look at the terrain ahead and quite likely be intimidated by it. It appears to be a very steep, dusty and loose boulder slope with exposure, and some parties might be unnerved by it. In the early summer snow might cover it also, hence an ice axe and crampons might be valuable. Despite its appearances it’s actually a lot simpler than you’d expect. While steep and loose, with some simple scrambling you can slowly work your way up the slope without any uncomfortable exposure, and it’s quite easy to avoid any loose terrain that you’d slide back off. Keep an eye out for cairns, but for the most part you can pick your preferred route.
After you climb this slope for around 150m you’ll find yourself at an upper basin, with Mount Weart now clearly visible overhead. There is another (often snow covered) lake here, with a small glacier leading into it. Your goal now is to gain the southeast ridge which is surrounding you in all directions. There are a couple of ways to gain this ridge, a direct way which goes straight over this snow covered lake and crosses a patch of glacier, or a longer winded route which gains the ridge climbers right, avoiding any travel on this lake/glacier. The route linked here goes up the longer route, avoiding the glacier.
You’ll want to focus your attention on the climbers right, where you might see some cairns leading to the base of a cliff band. Once at the cliffs you’ll navigate your way up with some simple scrambling and boulder hopping and no exposure. There isn’t a defined route here, you simply want to pick whichever way you prefer to gain the ridge, with a number of straightforward options available. After climbing for around 100m you’ll top out on the southeast ridge of Mount Weart, with the incredible Weart Glacier now on full display. The remainder of the hike will have absolutely outstanding views in every direction.
You’ll now simply follow the ridge for around 1km towards Mount Weart, which is very simple hiking with endless views. The climb up to the summit might look daunting from afar, but as you get nearer you’ll realize it’s actually quite straightforward. In fact, most of the climb up to the summit follows a fairly obvious trail. The rocks here have been worn down over the years from hikers, so the discolored rocks will guide you all the way to the summit. The scramble is steep and at times you will use your hands, but for the most part you are simply hiking up a steep boulder field. At no point should you be exposed to any fall on the scramble.
Soon enough you’ll be standing on top of Mount Weart with the most mesmerizing views you’ve probably ever had. You’ll have breathtaking views of Wedge Mountain, Lesser Wedge, Parkhurst Mountain, Rethel Mountain, the Owls, Mount Cook, Eureka Mountain, Oasis Mountain, Mount James Turner, Tremor Mountain, the Black Tusk, Whistler Mountain, the Tantalus range and countless more. There will be glaciers in every direction, whether the Weart Glacier, Wedgemount Glacier or Armchair Glacier nearby, or one of the many other glaciers on the horizon.
The summit has space for a few people but it’s not the most spacious. Particularly adventurous parties may be completing the Armchair Traverse, which is a ridge scramble between Mount Cook and Mount Weart named after the glacier it traverses above. Note that this is a Class 3 or 4 scramble with massive exposure that should only be attempted by capable and confident scramblers.
After resting up at the summit and soaking in the views, you simply head back down the way you came. Descending back to Wedgemount Lake is a somewhat slow affair thanks to the loose scree and boulders for much of the descent, especially down to Tupper Lake from the upper basin. The hike from Wedgemount Lake to the trailhead will be a tiresome affair, and your legs will very likely be sore from the significant descent. Thankfully the trail here is well groomed and sections of it are quite joggable, which I’d advise to help take the burden off your quads.
When should I hike Mount Weart?
As noted the peak season for Weart is late July to the end of September, once the snowline has receded enough to make the hike as straightforward as possible, without any requirement for snow gear. Early July can sometimes be okay though you may need an ice axe and crampons as snow usually lingers. Once the snow returns, likely in October, Weart will be out for the season once more. The window for this is very short.
Top Tip
Don’t take lots of water as there are countless places to fill up along the trail. Take however much you’d need to get to Wedgemount Lake (even then you cross a few streams on the way) and from then on just fill up when needed from one of the many lakes or creeks.
A helmet is advised, especially to those hiking in larger groups, as much of the hike is on loose rocks.
If you intend to do this in one day, start very early and keep an eye on the time. Some parties take over 12 hours for this hike and very well might end in the dark (bring a headlamp).
If there’s potential for snow along the route you will want an ice axe and microspikes/crampons.
Extremely competent and confident scramblers can combine Mount Weart with Mount Cook, completing the Armchair Traverse. This is an even longer day.
