Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hut Lake, 9 Apr 2016

Chris N. at Hut Lake:
“Despite reports that the area was closed to vehicles, the gate at Levette Lake was open and we encountered a party on ATV and dirt-bikes and another in a convoy of 4wd. The road is 2wd to Evans Lake and, if you are determined, you can push up the steeper rougher bits to Levette Lake (or park on the roadside part way). Beyond the gate requires 4wd. There is a short stretch of rock crawling calibre at the cell tower. Hut Lake is unremarkable but it was a joy to camp without snow this early in the season. Some industrial activity was audible from nearby Paradise Valley. On the first day, we explored the old roads to the north. One road follows the north shore of Hut Lake before becoming a creek bed and heading up. Following this, you can visit two other lakes – one with a rough camping area and the other with a rope swing – before the road ends. All other roads quickly disappear into undergrowth. On day two, we bushwhacked around Hut Lake and found some very pleasant first growth forest on the south and east sides of the lake. We also checked out another lake to the west and followed an old fishing path for part of the way. On the way back, we popped in at Levette Lake which has an amazing view of the Tantalus Range but were treated to more industrial noise pollution. I have heard this area is very busy in the summer but was largely empty at this time of year.”

Locomotive Mountain, 5 Sep 2015

Bob H. on Locomotive Mountain:
“Back to the Pemberton area again today for another hike in the mountains. Semaphore Lakes is known for its great camping, as it’s a relatively short hike and there are many many spots to pitch a tent. But today, we did a day trip, leaving North Vancouver at 7:30 and making it to the trailhead at 10:45. The worst part of the drive is the last 17 km on the Lillooet FSR and the Hurley River FSR, which are gravel and full of bumps, potholes and rocks. Anyways, we made it to the trailhead in my 2wd Mazda 3. It was a bit nippy today, but the jacket was stripped off about 20 mins into the hike. The trail was very muddy, probably due to last week’s rain. It took us about one hour to make it to the start of the campsite area, 3 km from the start. We headed towards Locomotive Mountain, where 2 members of our group went on to the summit and 2 members explored the valley.

More info, stats and photos here: http://www.buntzenlake.ca/semaphore-lakes/

Railroad group of mountains, with Train Mountain on far left

Yellow Aster Butte, 5 Oct 2014

Eugene at Yellow Aster Butte:
“This yellow and red wonderland is now at the height of fall colours. And there are still plenty of ripe blueberries/huckleberries over there!

It took us about 2.5 hours (130 km) of driving from Burnaby to reach the turnoff to the logging road toward Yellow Aster Butte. This time included a 25 min border wait (we ended up in the slowest line), a 20-min shopping stop at IGA, and a 5-min stop at the ranger station.

A couple of people ended up taking transit from Vancouver to Langley in order to catch a ride from there. That worked surprisingly well, thanks to the new high-speed 555 bus. Perhaps, Wanderung should add the Carvolth bus exchange to the list of potential meeting spots…

Once on the logging road, it took about 35 min (7 km) to reach the trailhead. The road is passable for small cars, although it’s fairly rough and requires careful navigation, as there are quite a few deep potholes. I was caught off guard a couple of times and ended up slightly scratching the bottom of my Protege, but nothing major.

The trail was in great condition apart from a few wet spots. It wasn’t too crowded, although we did meet quite a few groups, some of them with dogs and small kids.

At 3.5 mi there is a junction; the left branch leads down to the lakes (tarns), and the right trail climbs another 150 m and reaches the butte. As it was still warm enough to swim, some of us went down and took a plunge into the water. It seems that most of the visitors skip the lakes altogether. And yet, those lakes are quite stunning and offer a truly gratifying experience!

Mt. Baker offers some of the most spectacular and yet easily accessible trails within a 100 mi radius from Vancouver. Hopefully, more organizers (and drivers!) will consider visiting the area, as there seems to a be lot of demand for this kind of trips.”

Yellow Aster Butte trail