Cathedral Park has some excellent hiking and climbing on the "dry side" of the Cascade Mountains. From the lofty peaks of Mount Garibaldi to some of the minor summits, any climb will challenge you with a mixture of rock and ice climbing. By the time we were just this side of Keremeos the sun was setting. Cathedral Provincial Park really is a beautiful area. We booked our jeep ride from the lodge for 10 am the next morning, (You can book a ride up on the Lodges private road). On to Smokey the Bear, a rock formation that resembles the silhouette of ole Smokey and The Cleft, softer basalt rock eroded and left a 1500 ft split in the granite face of the mountain. The trail is primarily used for hiking, running, rock climbing, and nature trips and is best used from May until September. The trail is a bit troubled after a burn in 2018; pay close attention to staying on the 'trail' and … This smoke was from the huge fires burning in Washington State and didn’t lift for over a week. Dinner, hot chocolate in front of the fire, and early to bed. The Rim Trail is a circular hike in Cathedral Provincial Park in British Columbia’s interior. Off Track Travel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you make a qualifying purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Cathedral Provincial Park features remote, tough to navigate forests and peaks, and the only way to access the interior of the park is by hiking. MacMillan Provincial Park is a 301-hectare provincial park in British Columbia, Canada.Located 25 km west of Qualicum Beach and 16 km east of Port Alberni, the park straddles Highway 4 in central Vancouver Island.It is nestled on the western shore of Cameron Lake, and protects the delta of the Cameron River. JR and Gemma are currently based in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada. Third time at Cathedral Lakes Prov. The campground has running water and flush toilets. And it is a pretty steep way down, as evidenced by the photo above! The water looks OK, but our friends brought purifying drops, and boy were we lucky they share. Also did you hike in or is it best to take the shuttle? The shuttle is run by Cathedral Lakes Lodge – http://cathedrallakes.ca/ Looking at their website, they have a shuttle for day trippers going up at 8am and down again at 5pm. Rocks and debris may also fall on hikers below. Examples include an alpine climb like the Matriarch to Grimface traverse or the scrambles described in Matt Gunn's book. Halfway between Hedley and Keremeos, turn onto Ashnola River Road and drive to the Wall Creek Trailhead at km38. It is very easy to get there. I ached from head to toe, and had a huge blister on my bruised heal. Ascend a series of corners about 35 meters, step right and head up a featured buttress to a large ledge. It is about an hour’s drive from the town of Penticton to the edge of Cathedral. A cold one! The view of the mountains in the background was a great taste of the magnificence to come! Scrambling The Grimface - Cathedral Provincial Park, BC - Duration: 2:36. It was like a giant’s playground with rocks of every size thrown about everywhere. We thought we were lucky at the time to do this hike on the perfect day we had but we truly had no idea! There are three hiking routes in (around 8 hours) OR a $100 return truck/bus trip provided by Cathedral Lakes Lodge. Cathedral Provincial Park, Keremeos: See 34 reviews, articles, and 42 photos of Cathedral Provincial Park, ranked No.4 on Tripadvisor among 13 attractions in Keremeos. I think you’d find this post helpful, it describes the rest of our experience in Cathedral Provincial Park https://offtracktravel.ca/backcountry-life-cathedral-provincial-park-bc-canada/ (we took the shuttle). Lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce prefer higher ground, giving way to sub-alpine fir, balsam fir and Lyall's larch. At this altitude, you need something to bring the feeling back into your fingers and toes. I could have brought more, like real food and my pillow!! Faith. On the top we were pelted with hail for about 15 minutes. Hiking the Rim Trail: All the details you need, A Hassle-Free Backcountry Experience in Cathedral Provincial Park, BC, Floating on the Penticton River Channel, British Columbia, How to Work a Ski Season in Canada: A Complete Guide, https://offtracktravel.ca/backcountry-life-cathedral-provincial-park-bc-canada/, Cathedral Provincial Park’s core area is 2000m above sea level. There are so many excellent parks located throughout the western Canadian province of British Columbia, with Cathedral Provincial Park being among the best with its adventurous backcountry hiking and beautiful alpine campgrounds. There are no bears up this high, too cold for them, but there are lots of small critters. The Park’s Core Area is only accessible by hiking routes from the Ashnola River corridor or, by a private jeep service, operated by Cathedral Lakes Resort. Fantastic, Amazing, Wonderful. If starting from Lake of the Woods (like we did), follow the Ladyslipper Trail to Stone City. Either way, I honestly didn’t notice how far it was. There are lots of signs, and it's easy to follow. Saturday options include a hike (5 - 7 hours) up to Quiniscoe Lake campground ($5 per night) or take the Cathedral Lakes Lodge jeep up (10:00 am, 1hr, $120) to Quiniscoe Lake campground. Topographic map: Ashnola River 92H/1 cover this area. Oh well, you can’t have everything! Do you think this could be done as a day trip (with shuttle in) or is it best done camping for a few nights? Cathedral Park is a very popular hiking area, but the season can be very short due to the high elevation and potential for snow. Cathedral Lakes Provincial Park is an amazing cirque feature, encompassing alpine ridges, granite spires and tarn lakes, while blessed with Okanagan sunshine and favorable weather conditions. Copyright © trailpeak.com & trailpeak.ca 2020. Grimface lies on Cathedral Ridge in Cathedral Provincial Park. Apparently, there is very good fishing available here. Indeed, we did not see any hikers after leaving the Stone City despite being able to see for what seemed like miles in every direction. And the added bonus is I only have to carry my pack for 10 minutes!! It is not possible to camp on the Rim Trail itself but there are two campgrounds nearby in the Cathedral Provincial Park core area – Quiniscoe Lake and Lake of the Woods. Cathedral Peak: Climber's Approach is a 5.8 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Yosemite Valley, California that features a lake and is rated as difficult. This park deserves recognition on summitpost. Start checking them out and you'll be out on the trail in … One half of the Canadian/British couple behind Off Track Travel, Gemma is happiest when hiking on the trail or planning the next big travel adventure. Looking to the south, we could see smoke in some of the mountain valleys. Cathedral is a 33,272 hectares Provincial Park near Keremeos, about three hours drive from Vancouver, BC. This site features affiliate links for products and services. Hoping to go this summer. Cathedral Mountain is a 3,189-metre (10,463-foot) complex massif located six kilometres northwest of Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada.Its shape and structure conjures up a resemblance to a gothic cathedral that has inspired many artists, including Group of Seven's Arthur Lismer, to paint it back in 1928. climb river-canoe hike. Surroundi… Here we are all packed into these crazy sacks we plan on humping around on our backs with house, beds, and kitchen sink, and they tell you they will drive around to your vehicle to pick it up. Climbing the Peak of Vancouver - Crown Mountain - Duration: 2:58. 45 meters, 5.9. The Cathedral Lakes Lodge has a wonderful set up. July and Aug. is $75 return. It might take them two months to get the road open. We were all huffing and puffing already, looking up at the RIM thinking ?how the hell are we gonna do that; we can't breath!? How many days do u recommend? I think we adjusted by the end of the hike, as it only took us a couple hours to circle the three lakes. Cathedral Park is southwest of Keremeos and accessible via Hwy 3. PIN or save it for future reference with one of the above images! Please note that CATHEDRAL GROVE IS CURRENTLY CLOSED due to Covid-19 restrictions. Took us about 8-1/2 hours round trip, and that is with my bruised heal bone.... so not too bad. I’m still not sure how long exactly the route was as there are so many possible extensions to the circular trail we did…but I reckon around 12/13km. When we got up it was very cold and sunny, but it was starting to cloud over. Daytime temperatures in July and August often reach 25C with average summer temperature being in the 9-10C range. The Rim Trail is a circular hike in Cathedral Provincial Park in British Columbia’s interior. Cathedral Provincial Park is a 33,000 hectare mountain wilderness of azure lakes, alpine meadows and jagged peaks in the Okanagan Mountain Range about 30 km southwest of Keremeos. One of my favourite trips ever!!!! This one is 16 km, about 7-8 hours with a 1300 meter elevation gain and nothing to see. It wasn’t long before we could spot the ridge on our left The one obstacle between us and the ridge was a giant pile of slate and rocks, with a steep drop on either side. The Rim Trail itself is a day hike. There are three well-defined hiking trails into the park. Be prepared for all types of weather - it is a high elevation area. The majority of people visit the park by either camping or booking a room at the Cathedral Lakes Provincial Lodge. Here we stopped for water and snacks (about 45 minutes). The Stone City was waiting for us at the junction of the Ladyslipper Trail and the Rim Trail proper. Once you get to the core of the park, there are camping sites at three of the lakes. Then we stopped in Stone City for lunch, (about an hour) very strange to see stones rounded by the wind, bigger than your car, all piled up the size of a house. We left Surrey at 4:30 pm, and went through Princeton at around 7 pm. They all raved about the INCREDIBLE food. The Quinicoe Lake Rec Site, closest to the lodge, is the only one allowing you to have a campfire. I would like to organize a trip into Cathedral Provincial Park near Keremeos on the on the labour day weekend. Climb the highest peaks, make friendly with the resident mountain goats, and take a dip in a glacier lake all in a matter of hours. Could this be done in a day? Winter usually sets in about the middle of October and lasts until late April or early May. We are having a very warm spring so hope that is doable with regards to snow. Just a question about this hike. A lengthy, though scenic approach is from Horseshoe Basin. For this reason, you MUST bring a mix of clothing, layers and accessories (hats, gloves etc) no matter what the forecast says or the time of year it is. I chatted with some of the guests, and got nothing but two thumbs up! I would have said three days minimum but four is ideal if you love to hike and want a bit of downtime too. The staffs are amazing! My mouth was watering when I heard the dinner bell from across the lake. They are open June 15 - October 15. We are Jean Robert and Gemma, a British-Canadian couple who love to explore beyond the beaten path by foot, road and paddle. This is one of those posts where the photos really do the talking. We all decided to call it a trip and booked the next jeep ride down. The camping season in the core area is usually mid-June to early October. We are located near Quiniscoe Lake, 2000 metres (6800 ft.) above sea level in the heart of Cathedral Provincial Park and Protected Area. We set things up, had some lunch and took off to scout out the area. Hikers will require at least a full day to hike one-way into the core area. Come join us on our adventures! To get to the core area, you must either hike in (16km minimum) or take the Cathedral Lodge shuttle from the parking lot on Ewart Creek Rd. Situated just 80 kilometers north of Vancouver, Garibaldi Provincial Park is an excellent mountain climbing destination. Cathedral isn’t your conventional camping trip, this is both a challenging and rewarding experience! In the morning they set out a grand assortment of breakfast foods, and on the side they set out a huge table of sandwiches, cookies, and lunch n? We drove along another 2 km, to the Lakeview Trails Recreation Site (the starting point for one of the trails up). As we said goodbye to beautiful Ladyslipper, a steady climb began. The core area of the park contains the five Cathedral Lakes: Quiniscoe Lake, Lake of the Woods, Pyramid Lake, Glacier Lake and Ladyslipper Lake. Heather and lupine are fairly common at higher levels. The first few pitches are on low angle terrain that gradually steepens and becomes more difficult. The 'climbers side' of Cathedral is accessed via Wall Creek Trailhead on Ashnola River Road. Our plans for the next day were to do the Lakeview Mountain trail to the top, then over to the Boxcar, and down to Goat Lakes, and back. This is a tourist area so accommodation ranging from camping to luxury resorts can be found. It seemed that most people that day hiked the other way around to us – from Glacier Lake to the Rim and then down to Ladyslipper Lake. There are affiliate links in this post. At Glacier Lake, we turned off the Rim Trail and descended back down towards base camp. We camped at Quiniscoe Lake over the July 1 long weekend. The road eventually turns to gravel, and about 3 km along you come to a split in the road; stay right (there is a large sign) and after another 6 km you come to the lodge's bridge. The Rim Trail, in my opinion, one of the best day hikes in BC. That would sure beat crawling into my mummy bag, smelling of three days of dirt, and pulling the hood over my head. Cathedral Provincial Park is definitely hiker's heaven. Cathedral Grove is part of MacMillan Provincial Park. It was easily 25 degrees the day we hiked the Rim Trail but the morning before, we had snow and ice on our tent, The ascents and descents on the Rim Trail are quite steep, especially if you choose to descend where we did at Glacier Lake. It is, however, shown on the Cathedral Core Area map. Continuing on, we went past the Devil's Woodpile, tall columns of basalt rock that looked like chopped firewood piled a few hundred feet high. Good luck. Hiking the Rim Trail, Cathedral Provincial Park, British Columbia. The chief summit in this area--at least on the Washington side of the 49th Parallel--is Cathedral Peak. The next day we went up to Scout Lake, and took the Diamond Trail up and around Scout mountain--elevation gain about 250 meters. ; Camping fees are $10 per person, per night. Like this post? If you are reasonably fit, that should be enough time to do the Rim Trail. We went up to Glacier Lake, then up to the Rim trail (elevation gain approx. There are 3 hard trails in Cathedral Provincial Park ranging from 6.8 to 9.6 miles and from 6,755 to 8,566 feet above sea level. This glorious Provincial Park is chock-full of stunning 360-degree vistas, sapphire glacier lakes, rugged mountain peaks, and untamed wildlife & ecology. Cathedral Park offers hiking, fishing, camping, wilderness camping, and mountaineering. We have never gone back to the same place twice, but we have ALREADY decided to go back next year. P1. A mixed trip on the dryer side of BC. I just have a question, a couple of friends and I were planning on doing this hike in the afternoon starting at about 1 pm, would this give us enough time? Then there were the DESSERTS!!! Get travel information on Princeton from HelloBC.com Cathedral Provincial Park is a 33,000 hectare mountain wilderness of azure lakes, alpine meadows and jagged p Activities Hike Scramble Climb Run Mountain Bike Road Bike XC Ski Back Country Ski Snowshoe Sea kayak Canoe SUP Swim Outdoor Yoga All Contact the park in advance at 775-728-4460 to find out current fee levels and accepted payment methods. The hike in is a relatively flat ~15 to 16km, most of the elevation gain is at the beginning. Please login and have credits (add 1 to get 3) or be a subscriber in order to download GPS. An excellent day hike (7-10 hours) is a 15 km loop which originates at Quiniscoe Lake and goes along the Ladyslipper Trail + Cathedral Rim Trail. However, you can get to Lakeview Trailhead and Buckhorn Campgrounds, both located along the Ashnola River, by taking BC-3. Regardless of … The morning after this hike we woke up to the smell of fire. Oh, and I almost forgot the lakes – the stunningly vivid Ladyslipper and Glacier lakes which bookended our hike. Gotta save something for next year!!! For most hikers, it would be possible to do in a day trip as the shuttle runs at 8am and returns to the base at 5pm. Fabulous blog. So when you park your vehicle there for a few days, you know it is safe! It was sad to say goodbye to the mountaintop views, but fishing and wine at Lake of the Woods was waiting for us! NOTE: To figure out what each picture is, if you right click on the full image, and click on "properties", the name of the image will identify the feature or lake. Cathedral Provincial Park is located between the wet forests of the Cascade Mountains and the desert-like Okanagan Valley. 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