Hiking Round Mountain in Garibaldi Provincial Park
Contents
Round Mountain Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 12Km
Elevation Gain: 660m
Highest Elevation: 1,646m
Average Gradient: 11.00%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 5 – 6 Hours
– Moderate: 4 – 5 Hours
– Fast: 3 – 4 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: No
Season: Year-Round (Winter Preferred)
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Round Mountain Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°45’00.8″N 123°03’13.1″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.
Round Mountain Overview
Round Mountain is a summit located in Garibaldi Provincial Park that many people hike past on the way to Elfin Lakes. The summit is only around 100m higher than the Elfin Lakes trail, however not many people bother to take the detour up, at least in the summer, as there isn’t really a well defined trail to the top.
In the winter, however, Round Mountain is actually quite a popular summit as it is the highest point along Paul Ridge, a very popular ski touring destination. For that reason Round Mountain makes a good choice for snowshoeing as the trip is short, well trafficked by skiers and the views in the winter are actually very rewarding.
The majority of the hike follows a well defined trail all the way to Red Heather Hut, about 4.5km into the trail. From here most ski tourers will head up Paul Ridge in one direction or another, so it’s mostly just a case of following ski tracks in the general direction of the summit and making your own way. Most people will head up via the southwest ridge and while there isn’t any specifically defined route, the below map will offer reasonable guidance.
Parking at the Diamond Head Trailhead requires tire chains in the winter, without them vehicles will have to park at the lower parking lot, 2km and 200m lower down the road. This will add 4km to the stats, around an hour in total. In the summer most vehicles should be able to reach the trailhead with some careful driving.
As Round Mountain is in Garibaldi Provincial Park it is not a dog friendly trail.
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Is Round Mountain worthwhile?
If you are looking for a quick, straightforward snowshoeing trip in low risk avalanche terrain with some good views, Round Mountain via the southwest ridge is actually a decent option. I probably wouldn’t suggest this hike at any other time of year unless you combine it with something else, such as Elfin Lakes and one of the peaks around it, like the Gargoyles. Outside of the winter you will likely have some bushwhacking to get to the summit.
How difficult is the hike to Round Mountain?
At just 12km and an average gradient of 11% this is a fairly moderate outing. At no point does the route get particularly steep, it’s mostly just a consistently moderate climb to the summit.
Technically it’s a simple hike, at least in the winter when snow covers any foliage and there are an abundance of ski tracks along Paul Ridge. In the summer you may have some bushwhacking / route finding as there isn’t much of a trail to the summit once you reach the Red Heather Hut.
Round Mountain Route Information
The hike begins from the Diamond Head parking lot at the end of Garibaldi Park Road. As noted, in the winter tire chains are required to reach the upper lot, without them you will need to park 2km and 200m lower down at the lower parking lot, adding 4km total to your hike. In the summer all vehicles should manage to reach the upper lot.
From the upper parking lot you will immediately pass by some washrooms before beginning the plod up the Elfin Lakes trail. There are no junctions or decision points anywhere along this trail until you reach the Red Heather Hut, so put away any maps and just focus on getting this part over with as it’s not particularly interesting.
In the summer this section of the trail is incredibly dull with tall trees either side of the trail and nothing to see. The winter is a little bit more interesting simply because the snow makes the general scenery far more scenic, with snow covered trees making for a bit of a winter wonderland at times. Still, that wears off eventually and you’ll no doubt be pleading to see the Red Heather Hut towards the end.
It’s around 4.5km of hiking until you reach the hut. One point of interest on the way is Brandvold Falls, which is about 2.5km into the trail and is a good place to refill water if going in the summer, otherwise you may not even notice it in winter as it’ll be covered in snow.
Once reaching the Red Heather Hut this is a good place for a rest if one is needed, with the ability to take refuge inside, grab a bite to eat and potentially warm up a little, if necessary. There is also a washroom next to the hut.
If you’re going in winter and your snowshoes aren’t on yet, now is perhaps a good time to throw them on as this is where many people separate, with tracks going in a number of directions. You do not want to follow the Elfin Lakes trail at this point as the route now begins ascending the southwest slopes of Round Mountain.
Referring to your map, and ideally following an established set of tracks, you’ll now begin heading up the slopes of Paul Ridge in the general direction of the summit. All of the slopes are fairly benign and in the snow you can really go whatever way you prefer as long as you stick to the southwest ridge. Obviously in the summer there will be no tracks to follow, and once you depart the Elfin Lakes trail there won’t be much of a trail either. This is why it’s not often summited in the summer.
The southwest ridge is moderately steep, certainly steeper than the plod up to the Red Heather Hut, but at no point should you really get into any risky terrain. You will likely need to weave around some trees, but usually there are well laid tracks from the skiers in every which way possible to the summit. It’s mostly just a case of picking a track that goes the way you want to go. At times you may find yourself without any tracks to follow, in which case just make your own.
The summit of Round Mountain is less than 1.5km from the hut, so it shouldn’t be long until you’re on the summit. You might think along the way that there won’t be much in the way of views as a lot of the ridge is treed, however once you reach the summit plateau you’ll find yourself with a fairly stunning 180 degree (or slightly more) view of Atwell Peak, along with many more summits on the horizon like Mamquam Mountain, Pyramid Mountain, Parapet Peak and the entire Tantalus range.
The summit is spacious enough for a decent sized group to hang out, have some food and enjoy the views. Note the steep northern slope of the peak and take care around the cliff edges. Some skiers will ski down this in favorable conditions but there’s no reason to go up or down that route on foot given the avalanche risk. You simply return to the trailhead the same way you came. Be aware on the hike down from the hut as skiers will frequently zip past. It’s best to keep to the right and give them space.
When should I hike Round Mountain?
While you can feasibly hike Round Mountain year-round it makes the most sense to do it with snow on the ground to prevent any need for bushwhacking. It’s also a lot more scenic in the snow than it would be in the summer. As such I would suggest saving this hike for mid-November to mid-April or so for prime conditions. You want to try and avoid a thin snowpack as well as post-holing to the summit is no fun.
Top Tip
If you want to make life easy for yourself try and go after a period of little to no snowfall to ensure skiers have created tracks for you to follow to the summit. Thankfully this is such a popular area with skiers that even one day after heavy snowfall you can expect there to be some tracks around.
