The trail to the top of Sugarloaf Hill is a good one for shoulder season.   We usually wait and do the hike on a bit of snow in December.   The route starts off the Sugarloaf Ranch Road as a double track.   We stay right at the first junctions and are soon hiking past a frozen pond, then on a slope above the Coquihalla Highway, heading south.

The valley fogs and winter mists hang onto the slopes, but patches of sunshine promise a window of clear weather before we are finished.

The route follows a double track for about 3 km to a flat bench below the last steep hill.   At this point flagging tape goes off through the steep forest to the top of the hill.   It is not a well-defined trail, but the flagging tape winds up the hill, showing the way.   The gain in elevation from the bottom is 358m (1174 ft.).At the top is a viewpoint with views in each direction, including south through the clouds to the sun .

Lunch on top of the hill is always the plan and if our timing is right, the mists may clear and we can enjoy some sunshine on the way down.

Later, as the temperatures start to drop, the clouds condense and the valleys fill up again.   The trail/route is out and back, about 8 km of hiking (2 – 2.5 hours) and a pleasant option for a shoulder season day.

More info on the Sugarloaf Route.