Cantilever Range
The Cantilever Range is a part of the Lilloet Ranges on the western side of the Freser River. None of the peaks are easy access. Hikers go up the Stein River but the peaks are too far below the treed valley to be visible We do see them from the tops of hills and mountains in our area, though. From these high viewpoints, the peaks of the Cantilever Range are on the horizon 100 km away to our southwest.
From closer spots like the top of Stoyama Mountain the 2600 to 2900+ meter (8500 to 9700 feet) peaks dominate the western skyline. Skihist Mountain is the tallest peak of the Range at 2968 m (9768 feet).
The other larger peaks of the area like Kwoiek Peak and Stein Mountain also provide meltwaters to the Stein River. The Cantilever Range and the neighbouring Lillooet Ranges are the peaks we see from our mountaintops around Kamloops.
To see these peaks from the Kamloops area, we have to climb high enough to see over the hills to the southwest. Several spots include the Red Plateau Escarpment, Tod Mountain, Mt. Lolo, Strawberry Hill, Estekwalan Mountain, the high ridge above Lac le Jeune, Chuwhels Mountain, Greenstone Mountain, Glassy Mountain, Sugarloaf Mountain (Lundbom), Hamilton Mountain, Stoyama Mountain, Cornwall Hills, Forge Mountain, the upper part of the Monte Hills, and a few high country spots to the southwest of Kamloops.
From the Lytton area the mountains rise up on the west side of the Fraser River.
Stein Mountain shone with a fresh mantle of snow on a late November day.
The Cantilever Range is close to the Trans Canada Highway, but it is very hard to hike to the main peaks of this range across the Fraser River. We just get to admire them from afar.