Hiking Nordheim Peak in Manning Park
Contents
Nordheim Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 21.20Km
Elevation Gain: 1,370m
Highest Elevation: 2,041m
Average Gradient: 12.92%%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 10 – 12 Hours
– Moderate: 8 – 10 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 8 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round (Winter Preferred)
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Nordheim Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°06’58.4″N 120°52’03.4″W
Nordheim Peak Overview
Nordheim Peak is a summit located in Manning Park, typically accessed by following a long and broad ridge from Mount Kelly. Hikers must first climb up Mount Kelly from Allison Pass on Highway 3 before traversing across the long ridge towards Nordheim Peak. The ridge involves several ups and downs along the way, climbing over multiple smaller sub summits on route to the final summit, which is the highest point. Unfortunately this means re-climbing all of these sub summits on the return leg, which makes any outing to Nordheim Peak a physically and mentally draining day.
Nordheim Peak is usually hiked in the winter or spring when snowpack covers the ridge, making for a smoother and less bushy approach. That being said, a hike of this distance and elevation in snow is a demanding day, and timing it for good conditions is important. Many hikers set out to summit Nordheim Peak, get halfway along the ridge and call it quits, either because they are running out of daylight, or the snow conditions are more challenging than they anticipated. Ideally hikers are able to time it for when the snowpack is compact to reduce trailbreaking and allow faster travel.
The views along Nordheim ridge are very nice, significantly better than Mount Kelly and well worth the additional effort. Even if you do not summit Nordheim Peak itself, all of the bumps along the ridge offer excellent views of the surrounding area. There is no trail along the ridge, you will be required to navigate yourself, but it is very straightforward and the terrain is mostly simple. The trail is never that steep and you are not likely to need an ice axe or mountaineering crampons. An offline map is of course recommended.
Nordheim Peak may also be a summer option, but you will likely be traveling through much bushier terrain. Snow is simpler to travel on as it covers the rough underbrush, hence this is more popular with snow on the ground. Spring is an excellent time to hike Nordheim Peak, when snow covers the ground but is supportive enough to make travel easier.
This is a 2WD accessible hike thanks to starting on the side of the highway, though winter tires are required in the winter due to Highway 3’s elevation. Allison Pass (the start point) is at 1,342m. This is also a pet friendly hike.
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Is Nordheim Peak worthwhile?
Nordheim Peak is a pretty grueling hike, simply because of the seemingly endless ups and downs along the ridge from Mount Kelly. Thankfully the views along the ridge are very good, with panoramic views of all the iconic summits in and around Manning Park. Personally I think most hikers can stop at one of the lower sub summits along the ridge and enjoy much of the same views as you would get from Nordheim Peak itself. This would reduce the distance and elevation gain of the hike, and also the monotony of traveling for almost 14km (7km each way) along the same ridgeline. Overall I’d say it’s definitely a worthwhile outing, especially if you can time it for good conditions, just be prepared for a tiring day if you go all the way to the summit.
How difficult is the hike to Nordheim Peak?
The average gradient of this hike is somewhat steep at just below 13%, though at no point is the gradient exceedingly steep. 21.20km and 1,370m elevation gain is a big hike, especially if you are doing this in snow. You’ll likely have heavy packs and be using snowshoes for much of the day. The seemingly endless ups and downs on Nordheim ridge will be mentally and physically draining, especially on the return journey along the ridge, which is almost as difficult as the outbound journey. Be prepared for a long and tiring day.
Technically speaking Nordheim Peak is a pretty simple outing. The hike up to Mount Kelly is usually well trafficked and you’re likely to have a set of tracks to follow the whole way. From Mount Kelly to Nordheim Peak there is a high chance you will be breaking trail the entire time. The ridge is broad and easy to navigate with little in the way of technical steps though. Towards Nordheim Peak there are usually a lot of massive cornices, but these are all easily avoided.
Nordheim Peak Route Information
The trailhead for Nordheim Peak is at the summit of Allison Pass on Highway 3 through Manning Park. Hikers can park their vehicle inside the Allison Pass work yard off to the side, away from any operations. Some hikers choose to park on the side of the road by the work yard also.
You’ll have to cross over Highway 3, where immediately on the other side of the road you should see an orange marker and a trail leading into the trees. After following this trail for a couple of hundred meters you’ll reach a spacious forest service road, taking a left to continue climbing.
You’ll follow this FSR for 500m or so where you’ll hit a couple of switchbacks as the climb steepens somewhat. After these switchbacks you’ll cut back on yourself and continue traversing the slope at a consistently moderate gradient. Continuing along the obvious trail you’ll soon reach an expansive view looking east along the highway cutting through the valley. The trail soon traverses briefly across a somewhat steep slope before sharply turning back into the forest where you’ll continue the climb.
The remainder of the trail to Mount Kelly is now through pretty dense forest as you continue climbing at a moderate grade. There will be sporadic, mostly obstructed views as you climb higher, with the jagged peaks of Hozomeen Mountain poking through on a clear day. It’s mostly a case of plodding along towards the summit.
After a couple of kilometers of working your way through this forest the trees will begin to thin out slightly. Eventually you will reach the broad summit of Mount Kelly, which is mostly forested but does have some viewpoints through the openings in the trees. Most people stop to refuel on Mount Kelly, hopefully warming up in the sunlight.
From Mount Kelly the ridgeline now continues north through an opening in the trees and soon begins descending down the ridge. After just a kilometer or so the views will completely open up, offering a far better perspective than that from Mount Kelly, with great views of Hozomeen Mountain and Silvertip Mountain especially. You’ll also see the entire ridge you’ll have to follow, including the final summit of Nordheim Peak in the distance.
After dropping to the low point on the ridge you’ll travel along a broad bench towards the first bump. Thankfully you can avoid ascending this one, instead keeping west of it and continuing along the ridge. The ridge continues in an undulating manner where quickly you will spot another bump. This one can also be avoided by keeping west, though this time it will involve some travel in the trees on its western slope, though it’s fairly simple stuff.
Unfortunately those are the only avoidable bumps along the ridge, and you will now essentially be climbing up and down every bump along the way. The route finding is very straightforward and the terrain is very simple, but it’s certainly draining stuff. After climbing up and down a couple more bumps along the way (all offering great 360 degree views), you’ll see what you might believe is Nordheim Peak. Unfortunately many people make the mistake of thinking the first “high point” in the distance is Nordheim Peak, when actually it is just another bump that blocks the view of Nordheim Peak itself.
Leading up to this deceiving bump there very well could be numerous large cornices on the northeast facing side of the. Thankfully these are easily avoided by keeping a good distance from the edge. After climbing up the deceptive subsummit you will now see the true summit of Nordheim Peak. To be honest the views from this subsummit are arguably better than that of the true summit, with completely unobstructed views in every direction. On a clear day you’ll be able to see Hozomeen Mountain, Frosty Mountain, Castle Peak, Jack Mountain, Three Brothers Mountain, Mount Outram, Snass Mountain, Silvertip Mountain, Mount Baker and countless more.
Unfortunately you now have to descend once more towards a col, with a little bit of technical maneuvering around some micro terrain to avoid the corniced ridge, before climbing up the final slope to Nordheim Peak. The views from here are much the same, though you now have clearer views to the northwest towards Mount Outram, Snass Mountain, Mount Dewdney and a few more peaks.
After a good long rest to recharge the batteries it’s time to head back. Unfortunately the return journey along the ridge isn’t a whole lot easier. You’ll have to reclimb up and down all the smaller bumps along the ridge before finally climbing back up to Mount Kelly. This is very draining stuff at this stage but you’ve just got to get on with it. Most people take another rest at Mount Kelly before plodding back down the same trail towards the trailhead, which is thankfully now all downhill.
When should I hike Nordheim Peak?
Timing your hike for Nordheim Peak is tricky if you want to avoid an extremely challenging day. Most people hike Nordheim when snow is on the ground, but you don’t want to go when there’s deep powder on the ridge as you will likely burn out in no time. Spring is probably the best time to go, when snow continues to cover the bush but has become firm enough to provide good support underfoot. Winter works fine as well, but it can be difficult to avoid deep snow at this elevation, though not impossible.
Not many people hike Nordheim Peak in the summer, though it’s certainly possible. There will be somewhat of a rugged trail up to Mount Kelly, then you’ll have to self-navigate the ridge to Nordheim. It’ll probably be alpine meadows and bush underfoot for most of the ridge.
Top Tip
Going with a decent sized group of people will be very beneficial so you can all take turns in breaking trail through the snow. This will be especially important if the trailbreaking is heavy.
If you’re going in the spring, start early and finish early. The snow becomes solar affected as the day goes on, which makes it slushy and heavy underfoot. Ideally you want a good firm crust on the snow to provide support, which is usually in the morning before the snow is affected by sun.
If you don’t care about reaching the peak you can stop at one of the lower bumps along the ridge and still be afforded excellent views.
