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Zupjok Peak

Kamloops Trails Posted on by

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.

Zupjok MapThe hike starts at the Zopkios Ridge Rest Area and goes northwest following an old double track towards Ottomite Hill.   This is moderate hiking for km.   At a switchback corner, a single track bears northwest through the dense shrubs.    This section is overgrown and hikers have to watch for flagging tape to get through to the base of Zupjok Ridge.   We knew the way from having snowshoed over to Iago Peak in winter.   the trail turns north and starts climbing the ridge to Zupjok in dense forest.   The trail in this section is hard to see so watching for flagging tape is the best strategy.   After 15 minutes of pushing through the bush, the trail opens up and a good trail takes us all the way to the top of the mountain.

Zupjok viewOn a clear day the views from the summit are exceptional.   To the north are Vicuna and Guanaco Peaks.

Zupjok 003rTo the west are the Anderson Peaks, a remote range sometimes used by climbers.

Zupjok 002rWe had lunch on top of Zupjok, then hiked along the ridge toward Llama Peak.   We estimated that it would take about 2 hours each way to get to the top of Alpaca and back so we opted to leave the far summit for another day.

Zupjok 004brOn our way back, views extend in a wide arc to other hikes we have done – Zopkios Ridge, Yak Peak, Needle Peak, Flatiron Mountain, Iago Peak, Zum Peak, and Zoa Peak.   From our high viewpoint, we also saw peaks yet to be done – the Illal Meadows Peaks (Illal, Jim Kelly, and Coquihalla Peaks), Thar and Nak Peaks, July Mountain, Alpaca Peak, and Markhor Peak.   We will also return to hike our favorites again – Flatiron, Zoa, and now Zupjok too.

Notes:

  • Distance to the summit – 5.6km (about 2 hours)
  • Elevation gain – start at 1183m and summit at 1830m (647m or 2122 ft.)
  • Distance on the lower double track – 3.1km
  • Turn to the flagged single track in overgrown meadows – N49 36.384 W121 09.065
  • Overgrown section of trail – about 1.3km total
  • Turn up the ridge (hard to see) – N49 36.442 W121 09.571
  • Ridge climb to the summit – 1.7 km
  • Summit at N49 37.053 W121 09.359
  • Distance from Zupjok to Llama Peak (along the ridge) – 2.4km
  • Distance from Alpaca Peak (continue along the ridge) – 1.8km
  • This is a very good hike and the only drawback is the middle section which needs a work party to clear the brush.   Bring some loppers if you go.

About KamloopsTrails

I started exploring this area in 1976 and I continue to follow tracks and routes wherever they lead, with the aid of map, compass, GPSr and camera. After many dead-ends, but also many discoveries, I chose to share this information. Getting out 12 months each year, I continue to explore trails, tracks, routes, and waterways of the Kamloops area and beyond.

Comments

Zupjok Peak — 2 Comments

  2. Thanks for this link – we did the peak hike on 29 June 2017. It was a great hike and a fairly easy way to get up to a peak with fabulous views. Still deep snow at the summit on our day but fine to walk on in hiking boots.

    Some additions and corrections to the instructions:
    – The start of the road at the parking lot is not obvious. Go down (west) past the restrooms to the next cleared area to the west and the road/trail starts on the north side of that clearing. We started at N 49 35.800 W 121 07.506.
    – Note that the waypoint given above for the trail turn up the ridge has W 119 when it should be W 121. Note that there is flagging continuing west at this point so don’t follow those – look uphill for the ridge trail flagging.

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