Hiking Three Brothers Mountain in Manning Park
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Three Brothers Mountain Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 20.4Km
Elevation Gain: 830m
Highest Elevation: 2,272m
Average Gradient: 8.14%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Medium / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 7 – 9 Hours
– Moderate: 6 – 7 Hours
– Fast: 5 – 6 Hours
Dog Friendly?: Yes
Season: Summer
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Three Brothers Mountain Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°06’10.4″N 120°45’33.8″W
Three Brothers Mountain Overview
Three Brothers Mountain via the Heather Trail is one of the most scenic and popular hikes in Manning Park, covering a variety of terrain, including lush forest, sweeping alpine meadows and rugged ridgelines, keeping you engaged throughout.
During the months of July and August, wildflowers bloom throughout the entire trail, making this one of the most colorful and picturesque hikes in the region. Due to this reason, Three Brothers Mountain is a particularly popular hike during these months, and an early start is recommended as parking is somewhat limited.
Due to the relatively low gradient throughout the hike, despite the 20km distance, this hike is accessible for all skill levels. Since the hike begins at an exceedingly high 1,950m above sea level, you have the benefit of reaching significant altitude with minimal effort.
Thankfully the road up to Three Brothers Mountain is in pretty good shape and much of it is paved. The last couple of kilometers is mostly a gravel road but should be perfectly manageable in any 2WD.
The hike to Three Brothers Mountain follows along the Heather Trail, which is a very popular multi day hiking trail through Manning Park, beginning at Blackwall Peak and ending at Nicomen Lake. As such you may see some backpackers along the trail, though most don’t summit Three Brothers itself.
This route to Three Brothers Mountain is a summer only option, with a gate at the bottom of the road that is closed during the winter as the road isn’t ploughed. While it is possible to snowshoe to Three Brothers Mountain in the winter via the Fat Dog trail, this won’t be discussed here.
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Is Three Brothers Mountain worthwhile?
Three Brothers Mountain is one of those hikes I recommend to people who aren’t that into hiking, because it’s not a huge amount of effort & it has views throughout to keep them engaged. The one complaint I see from many “non-hikers” is that, while they love nature and mountains etc., they don’t like the severe effort it takes to see it, with the payoff largely coming at the end. Three Brothers Mountain requires a moderate amount of effort but the reward is high and fairly immediate. As such, this is a great hike and one I’d be happy to do multiple times, especially as the colours of the alpine flowers will be different depending on seasons.
How difficult is Three Brothers Mountain ?
Three Brothers Mountain is a moderately difficult hike. At just over 20km and 830m elevation, it’s not a short hike by any means, but it’s also not exceedingly long or steep. The elevation is spread on both the outbound and inbound direction, making it gradual throughout. At no point does this hike get exceedingly steep and you never need to use hands.
Technically the hike is easy to follow, well maintained and well marked.
Three Brothers Mountain Route Information
The hike begins at a parking lot at the very end of Blackwall Road, just beneath Blackwall Peak. As noted the road is largely paved, with the last few kilometers gravel, making it accessible for all vehicles. The scenery on this hike begins before you even start hiking. Driving up the Blackwall Road offers amazing views. There is a lookout half way up the road where you can park, overlooking Manning Park resort.
At the top you’ll have the choice to park at a lower or upper parking lot. I recommend parking at the upper parking lot, which allows you to walk the viewpoint loop, offering breathtaking views and alpine flowers the moment you step out of the car.
Following the east side of the loop you’ll be spoiled for views as you gradually descend onto the Heather Trail, about 500m in. The beginning of the hike is a gradual downhill for the first 4.5km, falling to 1,785m at its lowest point. The trail here is largely forested but is jam packed with alpine flowers offering beautiful pockets of color throughout.
Once you reach the Buckhorn campsite, where outhouses are available if needed, you’ll finally start to climb. Keep in mind, all that downhill you just enjoyed will be uphill on the return leg. The climb here is never exceedingly steep but it will have you out of breath for a while, but you’ll probably be stopping frequently for photos of the alpine flowers to catch your breath, assuming that’s your thing. If not you can keep grinding uphill.
After around another 1.5km you’ll eventually break out of the forest and be greeted by the next terrain, the alpine meadows. Having hiked this in the fall myself, this area was alight with golden grassy hues, speckled with reds and oranges from the alpine flowers. While it was stunning in the fall I’m sure in the summer it’s even better with wildflowers galore and lush meadows. While you will continue climbing through the meadows you probably won’t notice the gradient as you’ll be in awe of the alpine flowers, as well as the glorious vistas that have now opened up to the west.
The whole time in the meadows will feel like an enjoyable stroll, mostly because it is, as the trail has largely flattened out at this point. Soon enough you’ll work your way out of the meadows and into the final terrain, the rugged mountains, with Big Buck Mountain and Three Brothers Mountain coming into prominence. There will be breathtaking valley views to the east and the hills will be lit up with various colors of flora and fauna. The views here could probably rival those from the summit, so be sure to soak it in as you continue forwards.
Eventually you’ll reach an overpass where you can see the Heather Trail separate from the trail leading up Three Brothers Mountain. Most backpackers will continue on the Heather Trail while you begin your climb up the mountain. You’ll drop down slightly then, after taking the Three Brothers Trail, you’ll be on your final ascent up Three Brothers. While this is the steepest part of the hike for sure, compared to many other final pushes to a summit it’s fairly tame still and you’ll never need to use your hands or be exposed to any serious drops. Walking along the ridgeline will provide epic views in all directions, but particularly now to the north. There’ll be a couple of false summits along the way, but Three Brothers Mountain isn’t far. Once at the top you’ll have vast unobstructed views in all directions. With few mountain range views from the top though, I actually found the views of Three Brothers Mountain better than the views from the top.
After catching your breath, taking some summit shots and eating some food, it’s time to head back the way you came. The good news is the hike is great in both directions, even though it’s the same views. The bad news is you still have a fair bit of climbing to do as the final 4.5km of the hike back to the car are uphill. This is the only part of the hike I can say isn’t very enjoyable, but hey ho, if it was easy, everybody would be doing it.
When should I hike Three Brothers Mountain ?
Most people will say to go in the summer to see the alpine flowers in full colour. While I won’t argue with that, it’s also definitely the busiest time of year to do this hike. I went in the fall and was taken aback by how stunning the place was and how few people were there to experience it. I’ll definitely be back in the summer, but I can safely say the fall is a great time to go as well.
Top Tip
If you don’t particularly care to make it to the summit of Three Brothers Mountain and just want a nice leisurely day out with great alpine views, you can feasibly stop either in the alpine meadows or once you reach the ridgeline overlooking Three Brothers Mountain and the valley below. The views here are excellent and you won’t be missing a huge amount by skipping the summit. Some people even just drive up to the upper parking lot and wander around the viewpoint loop, which still offers nice views and colourful alpine flowers for practically no effort.
