Tag Archives: Guanaco Peak

Guanaco Peak, 16 Sep 2017

Day hike,

Jason C. on Guanaco Peak:
“Drove up the Coquihalla Highway and up the Coldwater Road as instructed on 103 Hikes and other various websites. The road itself is decent but for the last 6-8 kms be prepared for dense overgrowth which WILL scratch you vehicle. I ended up parking about 6 kms out from the trailhead but was fortunate to run into another group from Chilliwack who were less concerned with damaging the exterior of their truck. We started by hiking up an old logging road. Make sure to pay attention for a small rock cairn on the ground to the left of the road as we overshot it and ended up getting delayed for 15-20 minutes backtracking. The cairn indicates the trail head off the road, again to the left. Cross a small footbridge and head up the immediately steep trail that is marked by intermittent flagging. The footpath is fairly evident. After steady climbing, we came out into alpine meadows accompanied by the breathtaking views of Vicuna and Guanaco. Continuing up, we eventually reached the saddle of the two and then continued up to Guanaco and take in the views of the various ranges and peaks. I was able get up top and take some pics early as forest fire smoke and haze did eventually begin to amass and obscure the further ranges. All in all a beautiful hike and worth the trip!”

Guanaco Peak 25/04/10

Snowshoe, ,

Dan on Guanaco Peak:
“Robert K., Candace, Evgeny, Irina, Chris M., Malin and I headed out amongst clouds and showers on Hwy 1 to the Coquihalla. When we arrived at the Zopkios rest area, the sun came out and we were off to tackle a new snowshoe route to Guanaco Peak.

With 30 cm of fresh snow on top of previous spring accumulations, paceline trail-breaking was employed heading up the Zupjok-Zopkios Ridge saddle. We had great fun sliding into the Coldwater Creek basin, then commencing the long slog through ravines and thick forestations to gain the Vicuna-Guanaco col.

Terrain assessments were continuous and we zigzagged to avoid deep powdery slopes (too taxing to go up) and an avalanche runout zone just before the col. It was nearly seven hours into the hike when Irina, Evgeny and Chris Morley summited.

All the peaks around us have the names of South American ungulates (Zupjok, Llama, Alpaca, Vicuna, Guanaco), and are sometimes referred to as the Llamoid Group. The clean, massive granitic slabs glistening in the sun were breathtaking – majestic even. We took many splendid photos; lingered and drank in the dazzling vista all around us; and refuelled for the long journey back. Five hours later, we were back in our car, exhausted but decidedly happy.

You can see my and Irina’s reports and photos on Livetrails.com”

Guanaco Peak 25.04.2010 216