Little Douglas Lake lies in a cirque between Zum Peak, Zoa Peak, and Zopkios Ridge in the Coquihalla Summit area. The 3 km return trail starts at the Zum Recreation Site on the Upper Coldwater Road. Take the Coquihalla Lakes/Britton Creek exit, go over the highway on the overpass and follow the paved road as it follows the Coldwater River … Continue reading…
The Falls Lake Trail is short excursion to a beautiful spot in the Coquihalla Summit. When driving south pass the old toll booth area and watch for the Falls Lake Road turn on the right. Go up the paved road to the end and park. The singed trailhead is just ahead (north and to the right). Thar Peak stands … Continue reading…
July Mountain is a remote peak on the north end of the Coquihalla Summit area. It is accessed off the Coquihalla Highway at the Juliet Creek exit. A narrow gravel road goes uo the valley for 4 km before crossing the creek. Over the next 4 km, the road becomes rougher, more grown-in with alder, and there are a number … Continue reading…
From the top of Iago Peak, the snowy Coquihalla Summit peaks are in a 360 degree panorama: Shown in a clockwise direction from Iago Peak: the Anderson Peaks (NW) Guanaco Peak (N) Vicuna Peak (N) Alpaca Peak (NE) Llama Peak(NE) Zupjok Peak (ENE) Zopkios Ridge (E) Yak Peak (E) Coquihalla Highway (ESE) Markhor Peak (SE) Needle Peak (SE) Flatiron Mountain … Continue reading…
At the end of winter, we headed out from the Zopkios Rest Area and followed an old double track that goes up to the top of Ottomite Mountain. On the shoulder of the hill, we contoured around the north side to a meadow, then we followed a faint single track across the sideslopes of Zupjok Peak to the ridge that … Continue reading…
Needle Peak is a destination hike in the Coquihalla Summit for hikers, skiers, and snowshoers from the Coast, Fraser Valley, and Interior of BC. There is an abundance of information on this hike online and in guidebooks. We start at the Zopkios Ridge Rest area (through the tunnel and bear west) and we climb steeply through the cedar-hemlock forest to … Continue reading…
We have been working on completing a series of peaks in the Coquihalla Summit area. Some we have done a number of times and a few are slated for our first ascent. Zupjok Peak was one of these. The hike starts at the Zopkios Ridge Rest Area and goes northwest following an old double track towards Ottomite Hill. This is … Continue reading…
Flatiron Mountain is another fine hike in the Coquihalla Summit area. We followed the Needle Peak Trail to the meadow, then we headed over to The Flatiron. The parking area for The Needle and The Flatiron are the same. Start at Zopkios Rest area, go through the underpass, and go up toward the works yard. Turn right onto a dirt … Continue reading…
I keep saying I will never hike Yak Peak again. It is relentlessly steep and there are a number of awkward spots. But going up is easier than coming down the “Marble Staircase.” Almost every footstep coming down is onto smaller marble-shaped rocks. It is a demanding route with constant risks of falling, a continuous opportunity to tear up … Continue reading…
The peaks in the Coquihalla Summit area offer a number of steep hikes starting off the highway. One of the most forgiving trails of the area is the Zoa Peak Trail. It has a steady (but not steep) climb starting at 1238m to the top of the peak at 1856m (2027 feet climb) over 4.3 km. The summit is a … Continue reading…
A year after hiking Guanaco Peak in the Coquihalla, we returned to do it again. This time we chose to mountain bike the 5.5km km on the overgrown backroad to the trailhead (and back). Last year’s article has detailed directions on the route – Guanaco Peak (link). Log: The road into the Zum Recreation Site is a bit … Continue reading…
Guanaco Peak and Vicuna Peak stand at the head of the Upper Coldwater River Valley in the Coquihalla Summit Recreational Area. They are not visible from the highway, but anyone who hikes up Zoa, Yak, Zupjok, or Needle Peak will likely photograph them and want to hike them. Access is the difficult issue. The route to Guanaco is up the … Continue reading…
Yak Peak is the rockslab-faced peak directly oerlooking the Coquihalla. It has been a climber's destination for some time, but the climbers also had a down-hike trail and this route has been upgraded to a good trail for hikers too. We parked at the Zopkios Ridge rest stop and hiked back along the highway to find the trailhead. The guidebook … Continue reading…
Iago Mountain stands to the west of the Coquihalla Summit area. It is really a horseshoe-shaped peak at the headwaters of the Anderson River and Boston Bar Creek. The summit is at the northeast end of the horseshoe, overlooking the Coquihalla Highway to the south, but it is also surrounded by the peaks of the Summit area – Needle Peak, … Continue reading…
The peaks in the Coquihalla Summit area offer good hiking opportunities for hikers in the summer and cross country.snowshoe activities in the winter. Many of the peaks are steep, but once up at the treeline views are expansive. There are only a few designated trails up these peaks, and of these, the easiest is Zoa Peak. Take the Falls Lake … Continue reading…
