Steve on Gate Mountain:
“Five of us set out to tackle this one, but our luck on this trail was not great. First off, the trailhead sign shown in every online resource is gone and replaced by a plastic bag wrapped around a stick. 103 Hikes also quotes 5 km from Alexandria tunnel, but it is actually closer to 3.3 km. But once we figured that out, up we climbed. Markings were “ok” with basically no more mishaps than the average hike of his type. Unfortunately the weather turned at the top (it was hot and sunny below). As we got to the ridge, the bushwhacking began. Not as bad as some places but it did slow us down. Then we ran out of markers, and the snow started to pile up.
Combine all of those elements and the fact we had reached our turn-around time, we decided to cut it short only about 85% of the way to our goal, and having never actually seen Gate Mountain itself (even from a distance). In fact, 103 Hikes mentions most people don’t go all the way, to which I ask: why do this hike? As we descended, the weather improved again! If this had happened up top I think we’d have pushed on for 30 more minutes.
Now, here is the gross part. After actually discussing that Fraser Canyon is a tick infested area, Michelle was bitten by one and it was burrowing into her skin, so after a 2 hour detour to the Chilliwack Hospital emergency room our trip came to a close.
On the whole I would not recommend this trail. The First Brigade trail next door is more interesting (but watch for ticks!).”
