Hiking Yak Peak in the Coquihalla Recreation Area
Contents
Yak Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 7.00Km
Elevation Gain: 800m
Highest Elevation: 2,039m
Average Gradient: 22.85%
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: Quite a lot of Class 2 scrambling, not much exposure.
Yake Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°35’46.2″N 121°07’19.7″W
Yak Peak Overview
Yak Peak is a dramatic and iconic summit in the Coquihalla Recreation Area, drawing countless gazes from drivers making their way along the Coquihalla Highway, drawn in by its jaw-dropping granite face. There are multiple climbing routes to the top of Yak via its southern face, however as a hike the standard route ascends from the much more mellow eastern side.
Featuring in Matt Gunn’s Scrambles in SWBC, Yak Peak does involve some scrambling, both up to the meadows and to the true summit. The scrambling is quite straightforward with little exposure, at most Class 2, so most parties should be fine to reach the summit. There are a couple of summits to Yak Peak, with the lower south summit easier to reach with no scrambling, and the higher northern summit requiring some use of hands. Most people go up both, and the route for either is obvious and well defined.
While you are able to access this hike year-round thanks to it beginning from the plowed Zopkios Rest Area, Yak Peak would have significant avalanche and overhead risk in the winter, and even in the spring, so most parties should wait for all of the snow to be melted before attempting this hike. That usually means a mid-June to October window, depending on the years snowpack.
Parties are also able to combine a hike to Yak Peak with the nearby Nak Peak, a worthy addition for little extra effort. The GPX below includes both peaks. Adventurous parties can also add on Thar Peak to make a full traverse of all three, however Thar requires some exposed class 3 or 4 scrambling down from Nak, as well as a heinous bushwhack back down to the highway. As such, few parties combine all three peaks.
Dogs are permitted on Yak Peak though some might need assistance on the scrambly sections.
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Is Yak Peak worthwhile?
Yak 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. Add on Nak Peak as well and you’ve got a fantastic trip with some stunning views.
How difficult is the hike to Yak 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%, which at the time of writing would make this the steepest hike on this website. 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 (steeply!) through the meadows before gaining a saddle between the false and true summit. Finally there’s one more scramble up to the summit. The entire hike is steep, but it’s at least short.
Technically the hike involves several sections where you’ll be using hands as you climb up, 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.
Yak Peak Route Information
The standard starting point for Yak 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 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, which isn’t the most pleasant thing as trucks speed by at 120km/h. 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. 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 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 need to gain the saddle between the false and true summit. Often there is a snow patch you need to cross over here, though usually it is quite straightforward with some careful footing.
Once at the saddle between the peaks you can pick whichever to go to first. The false summit is a short hike away climbers left, while the true summit is climbers right and involves a short but fairly straightforward scramble up to the top. The route should be pretty well defined.
The true summit of Yak Peak is surprisingly spacious, with stunning views in every direction. To the north will lie Vicuna and Guanaco Peak, with the Zupjok to Alpaca traverse to the west and the Anderson River group of peaks behind them. To the east will be Nak Peak and Thar Peak, while to the south will be Needle Peak, Markhor Peak, Coquihalla Mountain, Jim Kelly Peak and countless more in the distance.
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. If you want to add on Nak Peak it’s a fairly easy hike across the ridge, with a fairly obvious route to follow most of the way. This will involve climbing up to a subsidiary bump before dropping down and climbing back up to Nak Peak. The views of Yak Peak from Nak are exceptionally good, so I would suggest adding this if you have the time. If you do add Nak you will still descend back down the same route.
When should I hike Yak Peak?
Yak Peak is probably best saved for mid to late summer once the snow has fully melted out. The overhead hazard on 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.
