Hiking Sisqa Peak near Pemberton
Contents
Sisqa Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 21.70Km
Elevation Gain: 1,380m
Highest Elevation: 2,357m
Average Gradient: 12.72%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Very High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 10 – 12 Hours
– Moderate: 9 – 10 Hours
– Fast: 8 – 9 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Mid to Late Spring
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Yes
Scrambling / Exposure: Steep snow climb.
Sisqa Peak Trail
Below coordinates lead to the Google Maps end of Rutherford FSR, but you can continue driving further to where this hike began.
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°18’44.1″N 123°04’11.0″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.
Sisqa Peak Overview
Sisqa Peak is an officially named summit on the eastern fringes of the elusive Pemberton Icefield. Sisqa is by no means one of the more sought after peaks, however thanks to its close proximity to icecap edge, it is one of the more accessible summits. That being said, timing for Sisqa needs to be spot on, as the approach requires sufficient snow to cover a horrifically alder ridden hike in, while at the same time not so much snow that the FSR is impassable. That being said, the window for Sisqa (and anywhere in the vicinity) is miniscule, usually just a month long in the spring (if not even less).
Accessing Sisqa requires driving to the end of the well manicured Rutherford FSR before following a spur road towards the Rutherford Snowmobile Cabin. This region is very popular with snowmobilers in the depths of winter, with the cabin serving as a warming hut near the alpine. Obviously if you are able to source a snowmobile this hike is entirely feasible (if not preferred!) in the winter, but most parties are not able to do that.
The hike itself begins by following the spur to the cabin, before self navigating the remainder of the route to the summit. There’s plenty of alder and bush to navigate lower down in the valley that in the summer is pretty much impassable. In the spring it will likely be annoying but manageable. You’ll continue to follow Rutherford Creek to the toe of Appa Glacier, before a steep climb up to a hanging glacier slightly north of the peak. From here, you gain the NW ridge before a steep snow climb up to the summit.
As noted, timing is key, and the best window is typically in early to mid-May. You essentially want to go as soon as the road has sufficiently melted out, but before the snow has melted too much in the valley. If you go too late, the alder in the valley will be horrendous and likely impassable. A summer ascent is therefore not likely or at least will be incredibly unpleasant.
Dogs are fine in the area.
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Is Sisqa Peak worthwhile?
Any hike in the Pemberton Icefield is generally a rare one due to the difficulties in access. Sisqa (and other surrounding peaks like Appa) offer some of the easier options in the zone, and even then it’s still not particularly easy. This region is stunning and well worth a visit if you can time it well, but even in good conditions this is still a demanding and at times frustrating hike. Expect it to take longer than you typically would require for a hike of this distance as much of it is slow going.
How difficult is the hike to Sisqa Peak?
At almost 22km and 1,400m gain, Sisqa is a pretty big day, especially given you’ll likely be carrying all the standard winter gear (snowshoes, crampons, ice axe all usually required). The stats are also somewhat understated as the first 6km of the hike only gains around 450m, with the remaining 5km gaining an additional 900m. Our party went on a particularly warm day, and (full disclosure) I actually ended up stopping at around 1,900m elevation due to exhaustion/overheating.
Technically speaking the hike has some challenges, with most parties using crampons/ice axe for the final climb up to the summit, which can often be icy. Obviously there is some glacier travel as well, and the climb up from Appa Glacier to the hanging glacier involves some steep sidehilling over some small cliff bands. All in all, this is a fairly involved outing.
Sisqa Peak Route Information
The hike to Sisqa begins from a spur road (Rut 48-1) at the end of Rutherford FSR. While Rutherford FSR is largely fine for all vehicles, the spur is quite rough and would benefit from 4×4, though an SUV might be okay. The further you can drive along this spur road the better, with the linked GPX likely being as far as most vehicles will get. Specialist off road vehicles might push on further, potentially all the way to Rutherford Snowmobile Cabin, but most won’t get that far due to the deterioration of the road.
From wherever you park, you’ll now hike to the cabin before entering the valley with Rutherford Creek. At no point do you need to cross Rutherford Creek from this route (there are other routes that do cross the creek). Once in the valley travel can become challenging. Some parties opt to stay nearer the creek, but this usually involves lots of weaving around alder and potentially breaking through thin snow layers. Most parties now prefer to stay in the forest, where there is often a loosely flagged route. The forest is definitely quite an ugly bushwhack as well, but it’s arguably better than fighting the alder nearer the creek.
This ugly stretch lasts a couple of kilometers, generally easing off as you approach the large lake-like feature on the map at ~1,400m. In the spring this lake is more like a series of converging creeks. Once at the lake you want to keep north of it, continuing to follow the valley. The views from here are very nice, and you’ll be able to see Sisqa now as well.
Continue working through the valley towards the toe of Appa Glacier, with a short stretch through a narrow canyon shortly beforehand. Once you reach the glacier you’ll want to hug the left hand side of it before reaching the point you switchback for the steep climb up to the hanging glacier. Here you’ll climb around 100m, sidehilling up what must be 35 degree terrain. Most of the climb has little exposure, but a short section passes over some cliffs where you wouldn’t want to slide over.
At the top of this traverse you’ll reach the hanging glacier, which you’ll now cross, aiming for the NW ridge of Sisqa. Around half way across this glacier (at ~1,900m) I stopped and decided to turn back, so any description from here on out is simple based on feedback from others. The approach to the ridge is foreshortened, and what looks quite close is quite a bit further than you imagine. Gaining the ridge at around 2,100m is non-technical, then you’ll turn your attention to climbing the ridge itself. The first section to around 2,200m is simple enough, before reaching the section that most people switch to crampons and an ice axe. The climb has a couple of 45 degree sections, but all in all it only lasts around 60m and the exposure is somewhat minor. From here on out, the remainder of the climb is non-technical, a mere plod to the summit where the views will be panoramic. From the summit you’ll be able to see the Pemberton Icefield, as well as numerous peaks like Longspur, Ipsoot, Rhododendron and even out to Whistler and the Tantalus range.
After resting up at the summit you simply return back the way you came. Most of the return is straightforward enough, but the ugly bushwhack leaves a sour taste to end the day.
When should I hike Sisqa Peak?
Timing for Sisqa is very tricky, with a very narrow window each spring. At most the window is around a month, but in all likelihood it’s just a few weeks. Typically this will be early May, but it depends entirely on the snowpack of the year.
Top Tip
Make sure the road is snow free by reviewing satellite images prior to going (or ideally following someone else that recently went).
Most parties prefer the bushwhack approach up the valley vs. the alder approach nearer to the creek.
