Perley Rock

The Perley Rock Trail starts at the Campground then follows the east side of the Illecillewaet River at the stone trestle. The first section is shared with the Sir Donald Trail as the route climbs up through the forest into the Sir Donald – Perley Rock Cirque. One section goes through an old slide area and the creek draining Vaux Glacier is crossed. At 2.5km, the right fork of the trail goes to Perley Rock.

The next 2.3 km is very steep. Numerous switchbacks lead up the slopes to a high crest called Perley Rock, at a viewpoint at the edge of the Illecillewaet Neve. There may be some snow traverses along the way and special care must be taken if the snow is soft. A fall would be a wild ride down to the rocks below. We bring an ice axe for this route. A blue-green meltwater tarn lies at the toe of the glacier here and the ice stretches above and beyond. The view here is impressive, but we also like to scramble up the rock to a higher viewpoint.

The route is 11.2 km return with an elevation gain of 897m (3000 feet), a demanding hike.
The views are impressive over the whole route. At the top of Perley Rock, we can see the a number of glaciers and Mount Abbott, the Dome, The Rampart, Mount Bonney, Lookout Peak, Terminal Peak, and some of the Illecillewaet Peaks that “nest” the neve, and across to the north, Cheops Mountain. Rock and ice are everywhere, but on our last hike to this spot, there were ptarmigans in the rocks and sparse vegetation at 7000+ feet. A few late-season wildflowers also attracted bees to this windy, desolate spot.

When we hike in Rogers Pass, we try to do a couple of the steeper routes, but it is hard to do several since each hike takes a toll on the knees, ankles, and hips. We will do Perley Rock or Sir Donald Col on any given week, but only one of them for that trip. These are very demanding routes, but you will probably be alone on these stark, imposing trails,just what we need every year.