The snow clears off the Trophy Mountain meadows and the alpine ridges above by July, but we can hike into the open meadows in mid-June most years.   The Trophy Mountain Road should be clear, although it may not be graded until mid-month.   The first 2.3 km of the trail is in the forest so snow drifts often linger in the shaded sections on the upper part of the climb through the spruce and fir forest.   On this last hike into Trophy Meadows it had recently snowed and the trail was wet, but clear enough for easy hiking.

 

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The trail to the upper end of the meadows by the shepherd’s hut is about 3.5 km.   From that point the trail climbs ridges on the east side of Little Hill onto Plateau of Lakes.   By the time I had reached the two small tarns, the upper meadows were covered in snow 1-2 feet deep.   Since I was returning to do the summit in a month, I chose to turn around there.

 

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In June we can usually expect the first kilometer to be wet, but free of snow.   At 1.5 km, there were drifts of snow to hike over.

 

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June often has seasonal storms and one was still lingering in the mountains on that day.   Raft Mountain frames the view to the southeast.

 

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In the meadows small streams ran beside and sometimes on the trail.   Everything was wet so good hiking boots kept my feet dry.

 

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South-facing slopes had less snow and the glacier lilies were in bloom.

 

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Early wildflowers were in bloom even with a light snow cover.

 

 

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By the end of the hike, the sun started to break through the stormy clouds.   With cooler temperatures and a recent snowfall, there were no mosquitoes, but on a warmer day this can be a very “buggy” hike.

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I have hiked into the Trophy Meadows about 50 times over 4 decades.   This year I will be in the Trophies 3 times, including a 4 day camp in the alpine areas on the east side.   More Trophy Mountain posts to come…