Hiking Pinecone Peak near Squamish
Contents
Pinecone Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Very Difficult
Distance: 19.50Km
Elevation Gain: 1,700m
Highest Elevation: 2,027m
Average Gradient: 17.44%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Very High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 12+ Hours
– Moderate: 10 – 12 Hours
– Fast: 9 – 10 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: June – October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No – but it would make it easier
Scrambling / Exposure: Frequent use of hands throughout with various steep sections. Mostly scrambling on steep heather slopes with little exposure.
Pinecone Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°43’07.7″N 122°59’34.2″W
Note: The above coordinates go as far as Google Maps allows along Mamquam FSR. At this point, use your AllTrails map to continue navigating to the end of Mamquam FSR, then drive up the E100 then E110 spur to the very end, around 1,400m.
Pinecone Peak Overview
Pinecone Peak is the highest summit surrounding the difficult to access, but very picturesque Pinecone Lake, in Pinecone Burke Provincial Park.
This route to Pinecone Peak begins by first ascending Seed Peak, which is a lightly trafficked trail, before self-navigating a ridge between Seed Peak and Pinecone Peak. There is a significant amount of route finding through technical, slow terrain, and while the stats for this hike may not appear to be significant, this is a very challenging and slow day even for the most experienced of hikers. Many parties will want to complete this as an overnight hike, camping somewhere along the way, potentially on the summit of Seed Peak.
There is another, perhaps more direct route to Pinecone Peak from a different FSR branch, hiking via Knothole Lake. This avoids having to go up and over Seed Peak but it’s also unmarked and might include a significant amount of bushwhacking when snow doesn’t cover the terrain.
Due to the requirement of driving to the end of Mamquam FSR, Pinecone Peak is a late spring or summer only option when the snowline has risen above the FSR. In the summer, when the snowline is high, you should be able to drive high up the E100 / E110 FSR which branches off of Mamquam FSR, to an elevation of 1,400m or so. This would require an SUV with good ground clearance. A 2WD can certainly drive the entire Mamquam FSR, it is typically in great shape, and it might even make it part way up the E100 spur. The stats above assume you are able to park at the very end of the E110 spur at 1,400m elevation, if you park lower you will have a greater distance and elevation gain, making this hike even harder.
The hike in general is very technical, especially beyond Seed Peak. You will be scrambling at times, though there is rarely significant exposure, even if the ridgeline between Seed Peak and Pinecone Peak looks ominous. The views throughout this hike are breathtaking, it has a very remote feeling to it and you are not likely to see many people throughout the day. You almost certainly won’t see anyone beyond Seed Peak.
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Is Pinecone Peak worthwhile?
There’s no doubt this is a massive, exhausting hike, with endless ups and downs both outbound and inbound. Even experienced parties will find this challenging and might want to consider overnight options along the route (Seed Peak is a good one), potentially adding Mount Gillespie to make this a trio of peaks over two days.
The views throughout the hike are exceptional, and the ability to park at 1,400m allows you to reach the alpine within a couple of kilometers of leaving the car, a rarity in BC. From the summit of Pinecone Peak you get truly breathtaking views, however you will have had similar views from the easier to reach Seed Peak. Is it worth continuing to Pinecone Peak, given the significant challenge? Well, that’s for you to decide. Most who go to Pinecone Peak are seeking a challenge or to add another peak to their peak bagging list. If you are happy for an easier outing with great views, stick to Seed Peak, if you want a real backcountry adventure and a test of your stamina, Pinecone Peak is a worthy addition.
The views from this hike are clearly 5 stars, but the significant effort to get there, and the fact you can get similar views from the much easier to reach Seed Peak, means this is being docked a star.
How difficult is the hike to Pinecone Peak?
Pinecone Peak is an incredibly challenging hike, both physically and mentally. While the stats aren’t the most difficult, the terrain is very challenging, and the endless ups and downs for the entire hike are incessantly draining. There is little to no shade basically the entire day, so if you are going on a sunny summer day, this makes for a slow and exhausting effort. Water sources will also prove challenging, especially later in the season when snow will likely have disappeared. Between spring and mid-summer water should be sufficient, though you may have to melt snow at times to get it.
Technically speaking Pinecone Peak has some challenges as well. The terrain throughout is very slow going, with a lot of unmarked route finding, boulder hopping, scrambling up/down steep heather slopes and some bushwhacking. The terrain between Seed Peak and Pinecone Peak looks daunting from afar but is manageable even for those fearful of exposure.
Pinecone Peak Route Information
The trail begins at the very end of the E110 spur road off of Mamquam FSR and should be accessible for all 4×4’s and most SUV’s with good ground clearance. The final few hundred meters of the E110 spur is pretty rough, so you may want to park a little before the trailhead. Mamquam FSR is likely 2WD accessible to the very end, before the branch up to E100. Even the branch could likely be driveable for a portion in a 2WD, but eventually you would have to park, likely well before the trailhead and thus reducing this hike to an overnight option only.
As of the time of writing, the beginning of this trail is a mess, with logging operations leaving fallen trees strewn across the trail, combined with deadfall, meaning you will have to clamber up and around all of this to find the actual trail. It will only take 5 minutes or so, just make sure to have a map downloaded to ensure you’re going the right way. Once you find the trail it’s smooth sailing from there, it’s only the first couple of hundred meters that is bad.
In under 1km from the start of the hike you will already be out of the treeline and into the subalpine, with views practically immediately. This is also essentially the end of any shade for the entire day, so prepare accordingly.
After following the trail for a kilometer or so you will reach a boulder field. The actual trail ascends the ridgeline through a very unobvious junction. We missed this junction and the trail on the route linked will show us off trail from the 1,550m mark. I believe many people miss the junction as we saw cairns on the off-route trail we took, but it wasn’t ideal. Try not to miss this junction as we ultimately ended up climbing a very steep heather gully to regain the ridge. This worked out fine and the exposure wasn’t that bad, but if you stick to the trail it is a lot easier.
After following the ridge for a few hundred meters you will reach a rope climb, which is straightforward and has little exposure. The trail will continue at a moderate gradient and soon enough you will reach the first peak of the day, November Peak, marked by an obvious summit cairn. From here you can see your objectives for the day, the nearby Seed Peak and the much further Pinecone Peak off in the distance. You’ll also have nice views of Mount Garibaldi and Mamquam Mountain.
From November Peak you will note an undulating ridge to the east, ultimately connecting to Seed Peak. This is the route you will be following, which unfortunately means a fairly sizable descent, before climbing back up.
After leaving November Peak you will descend around 70m, before climbing back up a small bump along the ridge. You’ll then descend a further 120m to a notch. This descent will involve some pretty steep terrain which might require you to use hands at times.
From the notch you’ll have around a 200m climb back up to the other side of the ridge, which is mostly simple but very steep. You’ll soon have some peek-a-boo views of the beautiful November Lake down below, but now’s the time to just grind it to the top.
Eventually you will top out at a bench on the ridge, where there should be a tarn at around 1,775m where you will almost certainly want to refill your water, take a break and potentially cool off with a swim. Depending on the time of year water might be limited for the remainder of the hike, though you might run into snow patches.
From this tarn you should now see Seed Peak, which is only a couple of hundred meters higher. You’ll note a fairly obvious ridgeline leading up to Seed Peak, which is what you will want to follow. Beyond the tarn the terrain becomes more challenging, and the route finding more complex. The general route is obvious though and you should have no problem figuring out a safe way.
Continuing along the ridge you’ll note the sheer scale of this region, with some daunting terrain all around. You’ll pass by a huge snow filled bowl with tarns in the middle (good water source in a pinch, but a bit of a descent to reach), and Mount Gillespie will loom large for the remainder of the day to the south east.
Continuing along the ridge, the remainder of the hike to Seed Peak will be across a combination of talus slopes, loose dirt and heather. There will be a faint trail at times leading to the peak, but for the most part you can just decide whatever route you prefer. There is no real exposure anywhere up to Seed Peak, it’s just a broad ridge. Still, it’s fairly draining so just grind it out.
Eventually you will reach Seed Peak, where the views will be stunning, especially towards Pinecone Lake and Mount Gillespie. Take another rest here and if you are overnighting there are a few flat spots you can set up a tent. Alternatively there’s plenty of camping spots along the ridgeline between Seed Peak and Mount Gillespie. Hopefully there is snow at the summit still, otherwise water might be a challenge.
From the summit of Seed Peak the route will now continue up and over the peak to the northwest. You will see Pinecone Peak off in the distance in front of Mamquam Mountain, and the obvious, if not daunting, ridgeline leading to it. Unfortunately accessing this ridgeline involves a 220m descent, which seems to be the theme of this area.
You will note a jagged, seemingly vertical wall at the start to gain the first sub-summit after beginning the descent from Seed Peak, and you might wonder how on earth you are going to get up this, but don’t fret, it’s more manageable than it appears. Descending from Seed Peak will be a steep bouldery affair down. You’ll want to work your way to the west side of the jagged ridge, traversing the base of it to a somewhat obvious heather gully. Ascending this gully will be very steep, requiring frequent use of hands, but the exposure is never too bad. After almost 100m of climbing the gully you’ll top out on the ridge, which you’ll continue to follow towards the very obvious Pinecone Peak.
There will be a brief drop along the ridge before climbing to an unnamed bump, which will be marked with some cairns, although from what I can tell it’s not got any official name. By now we thought this might be Pinecone Peak, but that was always being hopeful, the actual peak is a way to go yet.
The views along this ridge will be breathtaking, but unfortunately you will now (again have to drop down around 150m to a saddle between Pinecone Peak and the unnamed bump you are on. You’ll soon have some great views of Knuthole Lake as well, which you can descend to if you need to replenish water at this stage (that will add another 100m gain to get back).
From this saddle the remainder of the hike is self navigated, there are a couple of options to get up to the summit, but we simply continued along the ridge. It’s mostly a steep bouldery climb, but there are some parts where you will either face a simple exposed move, or alternatively you can avoid this by diving into some dense bushes and whack your way through. It’s only brief but it’s tough going.
Once you’re past this step the remainder of the trail is just following the ridge to the summit. The views from the summit are obviously breathtaking, as they have been for most of the hike. You’ll have incredible views of Pinecone Lake, Knuthole Lake, Mamquam Mountain, Mount Garibaldi, Sky Pilot, Seed Peak, Mount Gillespie, Alpen Mountain, Anif Peak, all of the guitar themed peaks around Watersprite Lake and countless more.
By now you will no doubt be exhausted, so depending on your plans you’ll now have to face the same undulating ridge walk back to the top of Seed Peak, which, believe me, will be tiring. We camped on Seed Peak and we were totally spent when we got back there, so I can only imagine how tiring it would be to hike all the way out in the same day.
When should I hike Pinecone Peak?
As noted this whole area is really only accessible in spring and summer when the snowline has risen above the FSR, allowing you to drive as high as possible. In spring you may be stopped further down the FSR by snow, but in summer you should be able to drive to 1,400m or so in a capable vehicle.
While many people like to hike Seed Peak in spring I imagine continuing beyond to Pinecone Peak adds some difficulties that most people would want to avoid. Personally I enjoyed this area in early-mid summer when the trail is mostly snow free, but the water sources are still available. In late summer, if the snow has fully melted, water management will be key, especially on a hot day.
Top Tip
Bring lots of water, and especially the ability to carry a lot of water. I lost count of the amount of water I drank on this hike but in total it must have been over 5L.
The mosquitoes when we went were absolutely relentless, especially in the evening, so prepare accordingly.
As noted there is little to no shade anywhere along the hike, so be prepared for constant sun exposure for a long period of time.
Budget for a long, long day, even if the stats of this hike aren’t the longest. The terrain is technical and slow throughout.
If you are overnighting and want to add another peak to your trip, the nearby Mount Gillespie is a good option. There is a ridge leading directly from Seed Peak to the base of Mount Gillespie, which is a scramble to the top. Since I have not completed this hike I can’t comment on the route.
