Hiking Nak Peak in the Coquihalla Recreation Area
Contents
Nak Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 7.80Km
Elevation Gain: 900m
Highest Elevation: 2,009m
Average Gradient: 23.07%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 5 – 6 Hours
– Moderate: 4 – 5 Hours
– Fast: 3 – 4 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Summer
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Some simple scrambling up to the meadows, no exposure.
Nak Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°35’46.2″N 121°07’19.7″W
Nak Peak Overview
Nak Peak is one of the lesser known neighbours of the iconic Yak Peak in the Coquihalla Recreation area. While being a slightly lower summit than Yak Peak, Nak offers rewarding views, particularly of dramatic Yak Peak itself, but also of the plentiful summits around Coquihalla Pass.
As a hike Nak Peak is a fairly easy addition to Yak Peak, following a simple hike along the Yak-Nak-Thar ridge. That being said the hike up to the ridge is very steep with plenty of sections requiring the use of hands, though it’s never really exposed. Some parties will create a looped hike to include all three peaks, though there is no easy way to add Thar without avoiding a short, exposed scramble and an ugly bushwhack back down to the highway, so it’s not very popular for anyone except the more dedicated peakbaggers.
In the winter months Nak Peak is also a fairly popular objective for skiers via an approach from the slopes directly south of the summit. This would also work in snowshoes for experienced parties prepared for steep winter travel. The majority of hikers will stick to the standard summer route, however. The route described below in particular would only be safe in the summer once all the overhead snow has thawed, meaning a typical season of around mid-June to October.
Parking for this hike is from the Zopkios Rest Area, which is paved and thus 2WD accessible. Dogs are permitted on Nak Peak.
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Is Nak Peak worthwhile?
Nak Peak offers excellent views for relatively little effort. The whole hike is steep, with many sections where you need to use hands, but it is at least a relatively short hike compared to most in the region. Most parties will combine this with the nearby Yak Peak, making this a more fulfilling two peak outing.
How difficult is the hike to Nak Peak?
The average gradient of 23% is pretty high, but this doesn’t really tell the full story as 2km of the hike are completely flat along the highway. Excluding the highway plod, the gradient would be more like 32%. Once you leave the highway you’ll have a steep forest grind, then a steep boulder field ascent, then you’ll wrap around the south face of the peak before scrambling up to a meadow. From there you’ll hike through the meadows before reaching the ridge between Yak and Nak Peak. Most parties will first summit Yak Peak, then return to the ridge before continuing up and down a minor bump, then a simple climb up to Nak Peak. There is minimal scrambling for Nak.
Technically the hike involves several sections where you’ll be using hands as you climb up to the ridge, with one roped section as well. It’s all quite straightforward scrambling, but you of course wouldn’t want to fall. There is a commemoration plaque at the beginning of the hike regarding a person that died while descending Yak Peak. There isn’t much information about this incident online so the details aren’t known, but it just goes to show that you shouldn’t take these hikes too lightly.
Nak Peak Route Information
The standard starting point for Nak Peak is from the Zopkios Rest Area on the Coquihalla Highway, accessible for all vehicles. You can also park further along the highway at a smaller pullout, but it doesn’t really save any time in the summer so most parties stop at Zopkios (plus Zopkios has washrooms and often a cafe selling snacks and drinks, which is always a treat after a hike).
From the rest area you’ll hike east along the side of the highway for around 1km. Keep an eye out for a trail leading down into the forest, or refer to your map to make sure you haven’t walked past. The trail will lead down into a damp, swampy area that is a bit of an annoyance to get past, but thankfully it’s short lived.
Once beyond the swamp you’ll be in the forest, where the hike truly begins. Over the next 700m or so you’ll hike steeply in the forest, following a loosely defined route through. It should be relatively easy to stay on the trail as it’s usually quite well marked, but if in doubt refer to your map.
At around the 1,450m mark you’ll break out of the forest to a boulder field below the staggering sheer south face of Yak Peak. You’ll ascend around 60m by hopping over the huge boulders until you reach the base of the south face. At the base of the face you’ll follow it around to the east, where there will often be a flowing creek.
The next 250m of gain or so will be a mixture of steep hiking and scrambling up a variety of terrains, whether slabby rock, loose dirt or rocks. Take care with your footing as many sections can be slippery, and there’s also one roped section on a particularly slick slab.
After this stretch you’ll find yourself at a meadow, where you’ll also now see both the false and true summit of Yak Peak up ahead. There is a defined path through the meadow, but you can also hike whichever way you want at this point. Once you’ve reached the top of the meadow you’ll essentially be on the ridge between Yak and Nak Peak.
If you’re going up Yak first you’ll head up that way then return to this point. Continuing east along the ridge there should be an obvious trail initially. You’ll soon be in and out of some sparse trees, climbing briefly to a minor bump along the ridge. From here you’ll clearly see Nak Peak ahead, but you’ll have to drop around 40m to a low point between the bump and Nak. There is no real route here due to the rocky terrain, but any way works fine. Once you reach the low point you should be able to pick your own route up to the summit, though there is a fairly obvious, well worn route up the rocky ridge. It’s mostly hiking with very little, if any, use of hands.
From Nak Peak (and from the bump before it) you get some fantastic views of Yak Peak’s dramatic northern face, as well as all the usual classics in the Coquihalla, like Needle Peak, Coquihalla Mountain, Jim Kelly Peak, Vicuna and Guananco, Alpaca Peak and the Anderson River Group of peaks.
After resting up at the top you can descend the same way back to the trailhead, taking care on the steeper sections not to slip, as much of the trail is loose rock.
When should I hike Nak Peak?
This route to Nak Peak is probably best saved for mid to late summer once the snow has fully melted out. The overhead hazard as you hike beneath Yak is significant, so you don’t want to be doing this hike while there are still cornices above, plus the steepness of the terrain will be very challenging in snow anyway. Ideally July to October is best, but you may get away with a little earlier depending on the year.
I would avoid doing this hike if there is a chance of rain as there are quite a few stretches of hiking on slick slabby rock that will be very difficult if wet.
Top Tip
The weather often changes quickly in the Coquihalla, so pack appropriately as you may get caught out otherwise. It’s not uncommon for powerful winds to blow through at any time of day.
