Frosty Mountain Larches Hike
Located in Manning Provincial Park, the Larches Hike at Frosty Mountain affords an enthralling and rewarding experience for outside followers. This picturesque path takes hikers via lush forests and up the gorgeous alpine meadows, with breathtaking views of the encircling mountains and valleys. As in all probability essentially the most well-liked hikes inside the park, it attracts company from all through, looking for to immerse themselves in the great thing about nature and witness the awe-inspiring present of vibrant larch bushes via the autumn season. With its quite a few environment and tough terrain, the Larches Hike at Frosty Mountain ensures an unforgettable journey for these looking for to find the wonders of British Columbia’s backcountry.
Frosty Mountain in EC Manning Provincial Park is an outstanding hike with stunning mountain views. Among the many most interesting situations to do Frosty Mountain is when the larch bushes are turning golden yellow.
Nonetheless, it’s moreover terribly busy presently too. Though busy within the summertime too, it’ll be barely a lot much less so as compared with peak golden larch weekends!
Irrespective of time of yr you propose to do the Frosty Mountain path, you’re sure to profit from the great views on in all probability the best hikes near Vancouver.
AllTrails is my go-to mountaineering app for finding, planning, and navigating whereas I’m out on the paths. With offline maps on AllTrails+ you would be assured you’re nonetheless on course, even with out cell signal.
Mt Frosty, EC Manning Provincial Park
EC Manning Park is home to Manning Park resort and many different mountaineering and snowshoeing trails along with Windy Joe which I snowshoed a few years earlier to visiting Mt Frosty.
Manning Park can be the terminus (or beginning) of the well-known Pacific Crest Path (PCT) which runs from Mexico to Canada via California, Oregon, and Washington.
You’ll see a few indicators as you hike spherical Manning Park and, counting on the time of yr you go to, you would even see some hikers coming to the highest of their PCT journey of merely starting out.
Strategies to get to Frosty Mountain
EC Manning Provincial Park is alongside hwy 3, about an hour exterior of Hope, BC. From Vancouver, it takes spherical 2.5 hours driving on Hwy 1 via Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Hope. Allow longer for weekends ensuing from web site guests or when it’s raining/snowing.
What are golden larches?
Larch bushes or alpine larches are large distinctive bushes and their uniqueness is among the many the rationale why people go crazy spherical late September/early October.
You’ll have heard of people getting ‘larch fever’ (not an precise fever!) or taking place a ‘larch march’ and that’s the time interval given to taking place a hike with the purpose of seeing the larch bushes as they flip golden.
Certain, these larch bushes aren’t evergreen although they’re coniferous!
Though the larches dwell and develop up at extreme elevations in snowy and rocky circumstances, they’re hardy they often can dwell for over 1,000 years!
The Frosty Mountain larches are a couple of of the closest golden larch bushes to Vancouver inside the fall, with most completely different alpine larch bushes being current in Japanese BC, or inside the Rockies. Equal to at Floe Lake which I hiked early one October and observed a few of the bushes turning colour.
Best time to see the Manning Park larches on Frosty Mountain?
The larch bushes usually flip golden from late September to early October (with Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend being a primary time to do this hike). Nonetheless, it relies upon upon the local weather primary as a lot as this time.
Usually you’ll get an excellent few weeks of snow-free mountaineering and golden larches, completely different situations it’ll be additional blink and in addition you miss it!
Always make sure that to look at the trail circumstances sooner than heading as a lot as Frosty. It’s not a easy hike and the circumstances may make it treacherous even if it’s busy.
Be prepared and on a regular basis hike alongside along with your 10 requirements.
Path Data: Mt Frosty Hike
Proper right here’s each little factor it is important discover out about mountaineering Frosty Mountain!
Frosty Mountain hike stats
These path stats are for an out-and-back hike. You may as well make this longer by looping up with Windy Joe and returning which means.
- Distance: 22km
- Size: 6-9 hours OR in a single day by tenting roughly half-way at Frosty Creek campground.
- Elevation: 1160m
- Drawback: Exhausting
- Trailhead: Lightning Lake, Manning Park Parking Lot
Mt Frosty Path Route
Park up on the Lightning Lake car parking zone in Manning Park and head all through. the bridge to begin the trail. The bridge is within the path of the doorway degree to the car parking zone.
As quickly as over the alternative facet of the bridge, seek for a sign pointing you to the exact into the forest.
This path takes you uphill in a set of prolonged switchbacks for spherical 5km. It’s in no way large steep (i.e. North Shore steep) at any degree nonetheless may check out some people.
A number of kilometers in, there’s a small path off to your correct which you will adjust to to get a view of Lightning Lake from above and some of the encompassing mountains too.
As you come to the highest of the switchbacks, the trail flattens out barely and takes you via the forest sooner than arriving at Frosty Creek campground spherical 6.5-7km into the hike.
This campground could also be very basic and close to the trail (I can’t give it some thought’s the quietest place to camp on a busy weekend!). There are very obvious camp spots, an outhouse, a bear cache house, and a shelter too. Counting on the time of yr you go to there may be a small creek for water, nonetheless don’t depend upon that being proper right here within the summertime.
After the campsite, you’ll shortly come out into the open and get your first glimpse of the golden larch bushes whenever you’re mountaineering inside the fall!
Spherical 1.5km earlier the campsite, the trail flattens out additional and in addition you’ve arrived on the plateau (or the larch plateau). Proper right here there’s a sign with particulars concerning the larch bushes and what makes them explicit and, the truth is, quite a few larch bushes!
Within the occasion you’ve solely come to see the larches, you might flip spherical proper right here (after some footage!). Within the occasion you intend to summit Frosty Mountain, then proceed as a result of the trail begins to climb as quickly as as soon as extra.
Passing the larches, the trail will get loads steeper and rockier. The rocks is often a bit slippery and on a busy weekend, it could be troublesome with the mass of people going up and down on a slender, rocky path.
The path is pretty easy to adjust to relating to seeing the place it goes as a result of it’s well-worn. Take your time whenever you’re nervous about slipping – poles will be useful proper right here to help with stability.
Shortly, the trail entails what appears to be like a dead-end nonetheless there’s a sign marking the junction to the summit, or proper right down to the Pacific Crest Path.
To summit Mt Frosty, make a correct and stroll alongside the ridgeline. There’s one final climb sooner than you excessive out Frosty Mountain, 2408m, marked by a sign.
Profit from the views of every BC and the USA (merely 1 km away!), and adjust to the route you took up proper right here to return to the automotive.
For Windy Joe to Frosty Mountain, see this map – you’ll merely need in order so as to add barely additional to it.
What to know sooner than mountaineering Frosty Mountain
Listed under are some points that you must know sooner than ding the Frosty Mountain hike.
- Mt Frosty is. apopular path significantly whenever you’re planning to see the Mt Frosty larch bushes. Start early (e.g. sooner than 8am) and try to stay away from weekends if doable for a additional pleasing hike.
- Always take your 10 requirements and bear spray when mountaineering!
- Whereas there are sometimes some streams to provide water, this isn’t assured, take loads with you.
- Pack layers on a regular basis, it’s often windy on the summit
- If mountaineering in spring or fall, take microspikes (I exploit Yaktracks) as there’s often some snow and/or ice on the bigger elevations.
- Canines are allowed on a leash
- Manning Park path circumstances are posted right here.
- See this Manning Park map for various trails and actions.
Manning Park, BC Tenting
There’s one campground, Frosty Creek campground, alongside the trail to Mount Frosty about halfway. There are not any reservations that guarantee you a tenting spot, nonetheless you need to get a backcountry transfer.
These value $5 and will be discovered at Tenting.BCParks.ca. Make sure you select backcountry reservation when getting your transfer.
Alternatively, you might camp on the campgrounds firstly of the Frosty Mountain hike inside E.C Manning Park. These embrace Lightning Lake campground, Coldspring, Mule Deer, and Hampton campgrounds.
Lightning Lake campground is 100% reservable, Coldspring and Mule Deer are roughly 50% reservable and 50% first-come, first-served web sites. Hampton campground is 80% reservable and 20% first-come, first-served.
Ultimate Updated on December 6, 2022 by Hannah
The Larches Hike at Frosty Mountain in Manning Provincial Park is a shocking experience that should not be missed. It affords breathtaking views of golden larch bushes in opposition to a backdrop of snow-capped mountains. The hike is cheap to troublesome, with steep sections and a giant elevation purchase, nonetheless the reward on the excessive is correctly positively definitely worth the effort. The right time to go to is inside the fall, when the larch bushes flip vibrant shades of yellow and orange. Complete, this hike offers an unforgettable journey for nature followers looking for to immerse themselves in the great thing about British Columbia’s wilderness.
