Mount Thynne
We drove to Brookmere, then found our way up a network of backroads to a parking spot next to the snowmobile hut on Mt. Thynne, then we hiked up the double track to the summit. The whole hiking route is through a subalpine zone on a moderate trail. Many wildflowers were in bloom in mid-June and we enjoyed the meadows, ponds, green slopes, and wide views along the way.
Most of the hike to the top of Mt. Thynne is along a double track through subalpine meadows and open forest. It is moderate hiking to a fine spot at the summit.
We walked through the wildflower bloom for the whole route and we took a number of photos. Some of these are compiled into a video, shared here.
Immediately south of the summit, a long ridge angles down into the hills. A trail follows the ridge and then descends down Thynne Creek to Thynne Lake in the Otter Creek Valley 15 km to the east.
One of the best reasons to hike Mt. Thynne is that there are wide views the peaks in the Coquihalla Summit. This landscape photo looks down the Coquihalla River with Needle Peak as the high point.
A favorite mountain we regularly hike is up Zoa Peak, shown here in profile.
To the south are the peaks accessed through the Illal Creek Trail. Jim Kelly Peak is on the left and the peaks of Coquihalla Mountain are in the middle of the photo.
We also had a good view (with a telephoto lens) of Guanaco and Vicuma Peak at the source area of the Coldwater River. We have hiked this area a few times too. It is remote and hard to get to.
It was a cloudy day but we could clearly see the summit area peaks, from left to right – Needle, Thar, Nak, Yak, and Zoa in front on the right.
To our northwest is another mountain we enjoy hiking – July Mountain. We hope to do this one again later this summer.
The view to the east was less dramatic. The rolling, forested hills of the Interior stretched to the far horizon.
We had lunch on the summit, then returned the way we came, an 11.5 km hike.
We hope to see Mt. Thynne in the distance from some of the Coquihalla Summit Peaks soon. More Information on the peaks named are provided below:
Driving Directions:
- Go through Brookmere and at the end of the road there is a junction. Go right.
- There are many turns along the way, but in general, stay on the Thynne Mountain Road.
- At about 10 km, take the Upper McPhail Road. You can park anywhere along the road as you approach the summit ridge, or you can even drive to the top. Along the high-clearance road you will see the Merritt Snowmobile Hut/Clubhouse, a good place to park for a hike.