We returned to hike Crowfoot Mountain 5 years after our first hike there.  Crowfoot Mountain stands above Celista and Magna Bay on Shuswap Lake.   We can drive right to the edge of the subalpine meadows on an older Forest Service Road.   The route is well-used by snowmobilers and ATVers so it has been kept clear of fallen trees, but the road is a bit rough and best suited to high-clearance vehicles.   There are many junctions to negotiate, but in general, keep to the right.   Some hiking guides refer to the Sheep Track trail, but most hikers will avoid this ATV track since it starts low and just climbs through the forest to a point which we can drive to.

Once parked, we followed the track east toward the top of Crowfoot Mountain.   With many ATVs and motorcycles using the area (mostly on weekends), there are multiple tracks, but we followed the main one to the top of the summit ridge, then continued east.

There are wonderful views to the south and east at various potential lunch spots.   The Monashees stand above Mount Fowler.

The top of Crowfoot Mountain is a rolling plateau of meadows and pockets of alpine forest.

There are several tracks heading in different directions, and one heads northeast over to Mobley Mountain would make a good mountain bike route (add 6km each way).

Wildlflowers were out along the hiking route at the end of June.

For hikers who are looking for a quiet hike in alpine meadows, they may not find it up on Crowfoot Mountain on a weekend in late spring and summer.   Damage to the meadows is evident and we spotted trash scattered here and there.   On this latest outing, we picked a morning hike on a weekday and it was relatively quiet.   We pulled out some trash off the mountain to help out.  It is a shame that a “shared trail” really results in motorized damage to the fragile alpine environment.

We picked a route that was about 11.5km of hiking on moderate tracks.   The elevation gain from the parking area to the turn-around point (at 1960m or 6410 feet) was 400 m (1310 feet).

More information:

• Start of Hike – N51 00.952 W119 16.568
• Viewpoint for lunch/end point – N51 02.579 W119 14.375
• Shuswap Passion – Mount Mobley/Crowfoot Mountain
• Shuswap Trails – Crowfoot Mountain