Sunset Hill is the highest of the three hills that make up Middle Mountain which stands high above Barnhartvale.      The trail up Sunrise Mountain is one of our favorite ridge climbs worth the steep climb because of the great views.   In the late fall, we went up Sunrise Mountain, then traversed west over to Sunset Hill, scouting it out for a potential snowshoe summit in winter.

The main route up Sunrise Mountain is really too steep for snowshoeing.   There are two other routes that make a better winter route, one from Pratt Road (long and potentially breaking trail for much of the way) and the other from the end of Uplands Road.   The latter trailhead follows the gas line west for about a mile, then turns south up an old double track on the east side of the gully.   It is a steep route, climbing 400m in elevation over 2km.

A snowmobile track had given me a firm base, so I was able to get into the upper meadow quickly.   The track crosses one short section of open meadows on private grazing lands,  though there are no fences or gates to cross.   A sign tells hunters that no shooting is allowed.   At this point, hikers can go east up the gully to avoid crossing this section, or they can go through quietly, leaving no trace, other than footprints in the snow.   The track switches back up the side hill to a low pass between two hills.   There is no trail to the top of Sunset Hill, so, at some point, hikers and snowshoers just need to strike off and climb the open slope.   In the mild February weather, the snow was crusted over on south-facing slopes.   The final climb is 140m in elevation over only 400m.   Steep, but not too long.   Stumps left from lightning strikes and wind storms dot the hillside.   At the top, the views are of Rose Hill, Paul Ridge, Harper Mountain, the Monte Hills, and the hills above Campbell Creek.   This is a quiet and remote spot, at the end of a 4.75 km winter snowshoe route.   Return by the same (now) well-stomped trail for a total of 9.5 km, about 3 and half hours in the hills.