Hiking Zoa Peak in the Coquihalla Recreation Area
Contents
Zoa Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 8.5Km
Elevation Gain: 690m
Highest Elevation: 1,869m
Average Gradient: 16.24%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 4 – 5 Hours
– Moderate: 3 – 4 Hours
– Fast: 2 – 3 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round (Winter Preferred)
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Zoa Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°36’44.6″N 121°03’53.4″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.
Zoa Peak Overview
Zoa Peak is one of a number of summits located in the Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area, making for a pleasant, straightforward hike along a mostly forested trail to the end of a broad ridge. The true summit of Zoa Peak is mostly forested, with many people opting to stop at the lower subsummit where the views are actually better due to being less obstructed by trees.
This is a year-round hike, though typically it’s more popular in the winter, especially with ski tourers who take advantage of the easy access to some rewarding, mellow turns. As such it makes for a relatively simple and safe snowshoeing trip in low risk terrain. That being said, travel beyond the subsummit to the true summit does include some avalanche terrain, so make sure to take conditions into account if you intend to continue on to the true summit.
Access to the Zoa Peak trail is from a parking lot at the end of Falls Lake Road, which is 2WD accessible. Of course, since this is the Coquihalla, M&S tires (at a minimum) are required in winter. Falls Lake Road is usually plowed in winter due to the popularity of the area with skiers, however if it is not plowed you will need to add a couple of kilometers to the stats. An early start is recommended in winter as parking can be quite limited. The summer is typically less busy.
The hike is generally a very straightforward one no matter the time of year. In the summer there is a marked, defined trail that you can follow the whole way to the summit, and in the winter there are usually an abundance of ski touring tracks that will typically lead the whole way to the top. The winter route varies slightly from the summer route, mostly just to avoid dense forest, however it is largely very similar. The views from the top are very nice but partially forested.
Dogs are permitted on this hike, and some people opt to camp as well.
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Is Zoa Peak worthwhile?
Given the long drive out (from Vancouver at least) Zoa Peak is a relatively short and simple hike. You can feasibly be back at your car within 3 hours at a decent pace, even in winter. Some people might question whether the ~5 hours of driving (return) is really worth it for a hike that is only a few hours, and that really depends on the driver in question. Zoa Peak is a very approachable snowshoe for all abilities to a summit with quite rewarding views, something of a rarity in SWBC. That being said you don’t really have to drive this far to get comparable views, which is perhaps why Zoa Peak isn’t even more popular.
Overall Zoa Peak is a nice hike as long as you don’t mind the long drive to the top of the Coquihalla to get there. It’s a great beginner snowshoe option comparable to something like Pump Peak in the North Shore, the only drawback is the drive.
How difficult is the hike to Zoa Peak?
At a mere 8.50km this is a short hike, however, with an average gradient of over 16% it’s a fairly steep one also. It’s mostly a consistently moderate climb though, with few steep sections and few flat sections.
Technically the hike is mostly straightforward. The only tricky terrain could be the travel between the subsummit and true summit, which in winter involves some avalanche terrain. If that’s a concern to you then stop at the subsummit (where the better views are anyway).
Zoa Peak Route Information
The trailhead for Zoa Peak is from a parking lot at the end of Falls Lake Road, which is typically plowed in the winter and accessible in the summer. The AllTrails route linked might mistakenly begin from the highway, directing you to walk along this road, adding around 2km round to the stats. The trailhead is accessible for all vehicles.
From the trailhead you hike over a bridge over Falls Creek, and the winter and summer route differ here slightly. In winter you’ll simply follow the ski tracks straight up Pipeline Road, whereas in the summer you’ll follow the trail to the right before ascending through some forest, connecting back to Pipeline Road marginally further ahead.
The next kilometer or so will climb up Pipeline Road at a moderate gradient, rising a little over 200m before reaching a junction where the summer trail will lead into the treeline. Don’t forget to look back over your shoulder as there will be some nice views of Thar Peak.
In the winter the ski tourers usually enter the forest further along Pipeline Road as the trees here are thinner. I would advise following the ski touring tracks further up the road in winter as travel in the treeline will be far easier with tracks to follow, and the less dense trees will be easier to navigate. In the summer though, just stick to the trail.
Either way, over the next kilometer you’ll work your way through the trees towards the eastern ridge of Zoa Peak. In the winter the trees will have that nice winter wonderland vibe but in the summer there’s probably not a lot to see until you break out and the views begin to open up.
At approximately 1,700m elevation the trees will thin out and you’ll start to get some nice views to the southeast. The subsummit won’t be too far away, a little under a kilometer and around 100m of elevation gain further. As you ascend the views continue to improve and soon enough you’ll be on the subsummit. You’ll have to walk around to get a view in each direction as there isn’t a 360 degree view given there are still trees around, but overall the views are pretty nice. The trio of Yak, Nak and Thar Peak will steal the show, with Falls Lake inbetween.
From the subsummit you should easily see the true summit up ahead. In the summer you will just follow the obvious trail, but in winter there’s a high chance ski tourers will have continued on to the true summit, or many will ski down the northern slopes of the subsummit and re-ascend up via the col between the subsummit and true summit.
There is some avalanche terrain between these two, and the views from the true summit aren’t as good as the subsummit, so it’s your call whether to bother going. Assuming you do go you’ll now drop down to a col between the two peaks before a brief climb up the other side. You’ll have to wander around the true summit to get any views, but you do have some fairly reasonable views of Vicuna and Guanaco Peak to the northwest.
After finishing up you simply return the same way back to the trailhead.
When should I hike Zoa Peak?
Zoa Peak is a year-round hike but if you like to get out in winter I would save this for a pleasant winter snowshoeing trip. You’ll probably want to avoid the shoulder seasons when the snowpack will be too thin to allow smooth travel. Summer is obviously fine as well.
Top Tip
Unless you’re into peakbagging I wouldn’t bother going to the true summit, the views are far inferior to the subsummit.
If you are looking for something a bit longer and more adventurous, the Flatiron is another good snowshoeing option in the area.
