This is one of the premier hikes in our area and should be on everyone’s schedule for next year.   We have been to the meadows to hike, to camp, to ski, and to explore and we try to find different times of the year to go and different areas to explore.   The main trail takes you to the (flower) meadows in about half an hour.   Within an hour  (or more), you can be at the Plateau of the Lakes where you can explore above treeline.   From the last lake you can only go up, but there are several choices (which will be outlined in a subsequent post).

To access the Trophy Mountain Trail, drive north on the main road into Wells Gray Park.   Just past the Spahats Falls turnoff, look for a sign and turn-off on your right.   It is a 15km climb on a gravel road to the trailhead.   We found the road to be rough this year as compared to previous years.   Hopefully it will be graded in the near future.    The parking lot is large and the trailhead is clearly marked.

The route climbs through a wet forested area.   Watch for wet meadow wildflowers as you climb.   Even ion September, we saw arnica, monkey flower, paintbrush, and grass of parnassus.   With steady hiking, the trail emerges at the low end of the meadows, then climbs for 1.5km to the old DeKelver Trappers Cabin.   Many years ago when this small hut was still in good shape, we camped next to the cabin in our tents, but used the wood stove and table to cook and eat while on a ski trip in May.

From the hut, the trail climbs Little Hill to a ridge overlooking Sheila Lake.   We have camped at this backcountry camping spot on the south shore of the lake.   We brought our teenage boys there, but the mosquitoes were so numerous that they retreated to their tents.   Later they went up to the waterfall area and glissaded down the snowy slopes.

There are numerous tarns along the plateau of the lakes and for most hikers, a viewpoint somewhere in the area will be the final destination for the day.   Ridges loom above – Long Hill to the west, Trophy 2 to the north, and Trophy 1 to the northeast.   This is really a large cirque, or a connected group of cirques.   From this level, you can only see 3 or 4 of the 9 peaks and only a few of the many lakes.   This is an area to explore, but there are no marked trails, so a good topo map is very helpful.   In subsequent posts, routes to Long Hill, Trophy 2, Trophy 1, Cwem Cwem Lake, and the east summits will be outlined.

Trophy Brochure

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