Hiking Rose Peak near Mission
Contents
Rose Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 17.90Km
Elevation Gain: 1,230m
Highest Elevation: 1,286m
Average Gradient: 13.74%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 8 – 9 Hours
– Moderate: 6 – 8 Hours
– Fast: 5 – 6 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round (Winter Preferred)
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Rose Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°16’26.8″N 122°12’56.3″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.
Rose Peak Overview
Rose Peak, also known as Rose NW3, is an unofficially named summit situated slightly east of Stave Lake and Mount Saint Benedict near Mission. Despite its unofficial status, Rose Peak is actually marginally higher than Mount Saint Benedict, however unlike the former there is no official trail to the summit, with a degree of bushwhacking involved year-round.
As such this hike is generally preferred when there is a decent snowpack covering the bush once hikers depart the FSR at around 960m elevation. Late winter and early spring tend to be the ideal time to go, when the snowpack will be at its deepest at these low elevations. That being said, anytime of year works, just expect a little more bushwhacking without any snow cover.
The hike begins at the popular Cascade Falls Regional Park, immediately passing by the falls themselves before continuing up an adjacent FSR. Unfortunately this FSR is gated year-round, without it you’d actually be able to drive the entire FSR as it’s kept in excellent condition thanks to the maintenance of power lines that run through this valley. Unfortunately hikers will need to hike the entire FSR (7.3km each way) up to the point you self-navigate to the summit. Those with e-bikes or mountain bikes very well may want to consider using them as this would save a significant amount of time and tedious hiking.
While the FSR portion of the hike is quite boring, it does get you quite high up with relative ease. The bushwhack is mostly short lived, quickly giving way to mostly open forest travel, especially when snow covers the ground.
This is a dog friendly trail.
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Is Rose Peak worthwhile?
Rose Peak may not be the highest summit or the most exciting hike, but the views from the top are actually quite rewarding, with excellent views of Mount Judge Howay and Mount Robie Reid in particular. The summit views aren’t quite 360 degrees, perhaps around 300 degrees since the views to the W/SW are mostly forested, however the remaining views are unobstructed and varied. Overall this is a reasonably decent, fast paced hike in the right conditions.
How difficult is the hike to Rose Peak?
At almost 18km and over 1,200m gain this is a decently sized hike in terms of stats. The majority of the hike follows an FSR of moderate gradient, so travel is manageable and fairly fast up to the point you depart the FSR. From that point on you will be self navigating through some steep bushy terrain, at which point your speed will slow dramatically.
Technically the hike is mostly straightforward. The whole FSR is obviously very simple. Once you enter the treeline the initial bushwhack is somewhat involved but it quickly thins out into more open forest. With a snowpack travel is fairly unimpeded, and the higher you get the easier it becomes. There are a few rolls lower down the ridge that are quite steep, albeit short. Most people will manage just fine without an ice axe, though some might want to bring one just in case. There are several bluffs along the ridge that you need to navigate around, and the ridge has a few false summits, making it feel like it goes on and on.
Rose Peak Route Information
The trailhead for Rose Peak is from the Cascade Falls Regional Park parking lot. This parking lot has gate hours that are typically 7am to sunset, but you should verify this beforehand. In the winter, sunset can easily be 4 – 5pm, so keep this in mind to ensure you don’t end up with your vehicle stuck behind a locked gate. If this is a concern you should park in front of the gate and walk into the regional park, this won’t add distance much at all.
From the northern end of the parking lot you immediately reach a junction where the trail to Cascade Falls enters the forest, while the FSR loops off to the left. You should follow the FSR as it climbs up at a moderate gradient. In no time you will pass by Cascade Falls, which is a minor detour from the FSR, so if you’ve not already seen it you may as well stop for a quick look as it’s quite a nice waterfall.
Back on the FSR there isn’t really a lot to note, so just trudge along. After around 1.5 kilometers of hiking you’ll reach a junction where the Benny’s Trail will curve around to the left, but you will want to keep straight. Shortly ahead you’ll find yourself beneath the power lines that cut through the valley. Thanks to these the FSR is wide gravel to allow for maintenance vehicles to access the area. You’ll have fairly unobstructed views of the valley that you’re hiking through, with the eastern slopes of Mount Saint Benedict on your left and other unnamed hills to your right.
The gradient eases off a little as you meander through the valley staying directly below the powerlines. After around 4km of hiking you’ll begin a slight descent and shortly ahead you’ll cross a bridge over Cascade Creek (which is what feeds Cascade Falls). On the other side of the bridge the gradient picks up once again, but travel should remain quite fast thanks to the simple terrain. You’ll now climb a further 2.5km, all the while quickly gaining elevation. You should see the northeast slopes of Rose Peak ahead. After a total of ~7km you’ll reach a sharp switchback on the FSR, and a couple of hundred meters ahead, at around 960m elevation you’ll want to stop following the FSR and refer to your map. This is where you will now begin your bushwhack up to the summit of Rose Peak. If you haven’t had to put on snowshoes yet, I’d put them on now.
The initial bushwhack is somewhat flat, dense forest, just know it should be fairly short lived. In no time you’ll begin climbing steeply up, and soon enough the dense forest gives way to more open forest. In snow it should be fairly straightforward to avoid any ugly bushwhacking, though at times there might be some tight maneuvers, particularly around some of the steeper, bluffy terrain.
The section between 1,000m and 1,100m is the steepest section, but if you refer to your map you shouldn’t find it too challenging. At around 1,100m you’ll reach a large bluff that you need to work around, now entering sparse forest that makes for far more pleasant, nay enjoyable, travel.
After traversing this bluff and working up through the mellow forest you’ll find yourself atop it, now with some excellent views. This isn’t the summit though, but since you’ve had basically no views yet you may want to break here momentarily.
The remainder of the route is mostly straightforward, navigating around a couple more bluffs as you continue along the ridge. There may be a few moments that you think you’re at the top, only to find another bump shortly ahead. Still, it’s not far now and soon enough you’ll be on the broad summit.
The views from the summit are very nice, with excellent views of Mount Judge Howay and Robie Reid, as well as distant views of the Old Settler, Stonerabbit, Viennese, Recourse, Clarke, Urquhart, Baker, the Border Peaks, Slesse, Cheam and countless more.
After resting up at the top and soaking in the views, you simply return to the trailhead the same way you came.
When should I hike Rose Peak?
The ideal timing for Rose Peak is when the snowpack is deep enough to cover the bushes on the bushwack, but the snowline isn’t so low that you’ll be suffering in snow on the long approach. Ideally you can time it for when the snowline might be in the 500 – 800m range as this will allow you to cover most of the hike without snow, but the bushwhack will be readily covered.
Typically early spring is the best time to go, but mid to late winter may also work if you time it well. Generally speaking January to April will usually be the best timing if you want snow to cover the bush.
Of course, this is a year-round option if you don’t mind some more involved bushwhacking or if you want to avoid snow altogether.
Top Tip
As noted if you have an e-bike or mountain bike this is the ideal time to use it. The entire FSR is bikeable to 960m where the bushwhack begins. This will save a ton of time on the descent, and will no doubt be way more fun. Unfortunately the road is not accessible to vehicles or ATV’s.
I would avoid doing this hike if the snowline is below 500m, especially if the snow is fresh, as that will result in an unnecessarily long and tiring hike. Ideally you want the FSR to be mostly snow free, but a good snowpack at higher elevations to cover the bushwhack. Spring is usually your best bet for this.
Some parties may want to bring an ice axe for the steeper part of the bushwhack, but any steep rolls are quite short lived and it’s not really necessary as long as you have good traction on your feet.
