Hiking Sugarloaf Mountain near Pemberton
Contents
Sugarloaf Mountain Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 16.80Km
Elevation Gain: 1,240m
Highest Elevation: 2,462m
Average Gradient: 14.76%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 8 – 9 Hours
– Moderate: 6 – 8 Hours
– Fast: 5 – 6 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Summer
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Yes – SUV with reasonable clearance is usually okay.
Scrambling / Exposure: Class 2 scramble, no exposure
Sugarloaf Mountain Trail
Note: The below coordinates go to the start of Miller Bench Road. Once on the FSR you will need to switch to a map (AllTrails/Gaia) with FSR’s and navigate to the end of Miller Bench Road at 1,500m
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°21’55.0″N 122°51’13.9″W
Sugarloaf Mountain Overview
Sugarloaf Mountain is a fairly sizable summit located in Pemberton Valley and prominently visible from the town of Pemberton itself. Easily accessed via Miller Bench Road with any moderately high clearance vehicle, Sugarloaf Mountain is a year-round objective. In the winter the region is favored with sled-skiers and ski tourers, with hikers taking over in the summer.
Thanks to the ability to park at ~1,500m elevation Sugarloaf Mountain is a fantastic hike for quickly accessing the alpine. After ascending just a few hundred meters through the forest, the remainder of the hike follows a broad, undulating ridge with stunning panoramic alpine views throughout. Most of the hike is very straightforward, with only the final climb offering any real difficulty, a steep boulder field. While steep, at no point is the boulder field exposed to any significant fall and at most it would be classed as a class 2 scramble. There is the occasional use of hands but for the most part you’re just hiking.
Due to the elevation of Miller Bench Road, Sugarloaf Mountain is only accessible to hikers in late spring/early summer once the snowline has receded to these elevations. Any earlier will likely require parking low down on the FSR and hiking up the snow, a largely pointless endeavor when you can just wait until the snow is gone and drive it. Realistically you’re usually looking at a June to October season for this hike if you want to benefit from being able to drive the FSR.
In the early to mid summer you can still expect to encounter snow for much of the hike, though the ridge up to the summit is often snow free, allowing for an easy climb up the boulders to the top.
Sugarloaf Mountain is dog friendly, though the steep boulder field may prove challenging for some, particularly smaller dogs. This whole region is also camping friendly, with plenty of stunning spots to set up a tent along the ridge, notably near one of the huts built by the sled-skiers which offers a stunning vista.
Maintaining this website requires a significant investment of both time and money, if you find this website a useful resource, please consider making a donation using this button.
Is Sugarloaf Mountain worthwhile?
Like many backcountry hikes, Sugarloaf Mountain is generally not a very well known hike in the broad community, but there is really no reason this couldn’t explode in popularity. It has all the ingredients you could want for a hike to be very popular. The biggest advantage this hike has is the rare ability to be able to drive so high up the mountain. It’s not common to be able to park at 1,500m elevation in SWBC, especially in an SUV. After just a brief forest hike you reach the alpine where the views are endless. You need not go all the way to the summit to feel rewarded on this hike, and I could certainly see this as a very popular spot for campers setting up on the ridge and perhaps making a full weekend of it.
How difficult is the hike to Sugarloaf Mountain?
While the stats might seem somewhat challenging, and I’m by no means saying this is an easy hike, I also wouldn’t say this is a particularly difficult hike. I was debating whether to class this a moderately difficult hike, it’s certainly on the easier end of the “difficult” scale. The hike is a simple forest plod followed by a long, undulating ridge. From car to summit you only gain around 1,000m, with the remaining gain being the bumps along the ridge on the way back. The only particularly challenging part is the final climb up the boulder field, but even that is fairly brief and due to the terrain you are forced to slow down to a manageable pace.
Technically speaking the hike is simple up to the final climb. For most of the hiking season the summit ridge will be snow free enough to stay on the boulders to the top, but if you go early in the summer or in late spring you’ll potentially have a steep snow climb where you might want to bring an ice axe and crampons. If you want to avoid this snowy final climb I would suggest going in July onwards to be sure.
Sugarloaf Mountain Route Information
The hike begins at the very top of Miller Bench Road, itself accessible from Pemberton Meadows Road. Once on Miller Bench Road you will want to switch to a map which shows logging roads as Google Maps will not show the full drive. You will drive up Miller Bench Road for over 10km all the way to 1,500m, which will likely take around 30 minutes for most people. There is a network of FSR’s here but just stick to Miller Bench Road and refer to your map where needed. The FSR has numerous cross ditches, but most are shallow with the odd moderately deep one here and there. An SUV with reasonable clearance should manage with some careful driving. 4×4 is not really necessary as the road doesn’t get obstructively steep.
Once you have reached the very end of the road, verifying that the trail begins where you have parked, there should be an obvious trail leading into the forest. The trail is not particularly well marked but it is well worn into the ground and quite obvious once you are on it. The only issue you might face is if there is still snow around covering the trail, whereby you might need to pay attention to your map for general direction.
The first 2km or so of the hike follow this trail through the forest as it gradually climbs up. There is nothing to see here so just power through, it’s not long until you’re out of the trees. After this brief climb the trees begin to thin out and you’ll soon reach some meadows. At around 1,740m elevation you’ll reach the first hut along the trail, which is situated next to a large tarn and would make a nice spot to camp. That being said, if you continue along the trail for another kilometer or so you’ll reach a second hut, and this is also where the views really begin to open up. The second hut offers stunning views over Pemberton Meadows towards Mount Ronayne, Sun God and Seven O’Clock Mountain and this would likely make one of the best camping spots along the trail should that be your aim.
Back on the trail you’ll now climb up to another bump along the ridge, making sure to look back at the hut you just departed for some great views, before dropping around 70m to a low point before the next climb begins. After a short, steep climb up to another bump you’ll now be on the last stretch of the ridge up to the boulder field.
This ridge is fairly long, around 2.5km to the boulder field, but it’s very straightforward. The ridge narrows in sections and you might be forced into some bushes at times, especially if you have snow and cornices around still. There’ll be a couple of ups and downs along the way but for the most part there isn’t a lot of elevation loss along the ridge anymore.
At around 2,000m the ridge gradually steepens as you work your way towards the boulder field. In the early summer you can likely choose whether to hike up following the snow or you can stick to the rocks, whatever you find easiest. Soon enough the mellow ridge gives way to a steep boulder field climb up to the summit, or alternatively a snow slope if you’ve timed it as such. If snow is your only option due to going early in the year, crampons and an ice axe would be worthwhile.
The route to the top is now largely undefined, you can really pick whichever way you want. The boulder field is steep, and at times you will use your hands for balance, but at no point should you ever be exposed to any significant fall and route finding should be quite simple. If in doubt just keep an eye on your map to make sure you’re at least going in the right direction.
Once on the boulder field it’s about 300 vertical meters to the summit, which will probably take around 30 – 45 minutes or so. Around 100m below the summit the gradient of the boulder field reduces to more of a hike again, with the odd section where you’ll need to navigate around some boulders. It’s all simple stuff. Soon enough you’ll reach the summit as indicated by a large cairn with a cross in it.
Of course, the views the whole way up have been stunning, and the summit itself is quite broad with plenty of room to move around for photo opportunities, or just to chill out and enjoy the views. The showstopper view is of Rhododendron Mountain, Ipsoot Mountain and Mount Miller to the south. To the northeast will lie Mount Ronayne, Sun God and Seven O’Clock Mountain on the other side of Pemberton Meadows. Generally there will just be endless peaks on the horizon, as is always the case in Pemberton, and picking out anything specific will likely be challenging unless you’re very familiar with the region.
After resting up and enjoying the views you can simply head back down the boulder field however you please. If you have snow covering a portion of the boulder field, as many do in the early summer, you can traverse over to this snow field and glissade (rapidly) down. Make sure you have a way to stop, either an ice axe or poles to slow you down, as this is a very steep slope. You’ll also want to make sure you avoid any boulders poking out of the snow on the glissade.
Once down from the boulder field you can simply retrace your steps back to the trailhead. There is an option to try and avoid reclimbing one of the higher bumps along the ridge by sidehilling across the southern slopes of it, but how much time/effort you save by doing so is likely negligible. Once back at the meadows it’s simply a case of following the trail back to your vehicle.
When should I hike Sugarloaf Mountain?
As noted, Sugarloaf Mountain is best saved for when the snowline has receded all the way back to 1,500m (or close to it) to spare any unnecessary hiking up an FSR. This is generally in June or even July depending on the year’s snowpack. Many people opt to go a little earlier and park lower down, perhaps 1,300m, and hike up the FSR, which is fine too. Overall June to October is the best time to go, with July – September the peak season.
Top Tip
Sugarloaf Mountain is well known to have insufferable mosquitos in the early summer, particularly at the trailhead and through the forest. You may want to get ready in your car and be prepared to jog the forest section, they can be that bad. Usually once you reach the alpine they ease off. If you want to avoid the worst of this, go in late summer.
This hike is in Pemberton Valley and as such is grizzly country, be bear aware and prepared for any encounter.
Sugarloaf Mountain would make an excellent overnight spot for anybody wanting to make a full weekend of it. You could camp near the second hut, which offers amazing views and is only 2.5km or so into the trail, before proceeding to Sugarloaf Mountain the next day. You don’t even need to summit the mountain to appreciate this stunning area.
