To avoid interacting with grazing cattle, we hike Sugarloaf Hill in December.   The days are often grey and the surface may be snowy, but we can hike up and back in about 2 to 2.5 hours, going carefully up and down the steep upper slopes.   We start on the Sugarloaf Road and follow double tracks to a point just below the steep slopes.   The final section follows a flagged route (a faint trail) to the top of the hill.   We used traction devices on our boots for the descent.

There was a bit of snow at the trailhead and about double that amount on top.

We climbed above the valley cloud and had some glimpses of blue sky, but the mists moved in while we had lunch on top.  Following the double track and the flagged single track we got to the top in 4.3 km.

On the way back down, we chose to go off-track and came down through the open forest, a shorter route, and our traction devices (we use microspikes) allowed us to descend without slipping in about 3.3 km.

We have done Sugarloaf Hill many times.   Sugarloaf stands above the surrounding terrain, rising 300m as seen from the hills to the northwest.

A fine profile of the hills is often seen from the Coquihalla Highway or form the hilltops in the Upper Goose Hills.

We will be back again next December.

More information:

• Sugarloaf Mountain
• Over the Shoulder on Sugarloaf Hill