Eagle Pass Mountain is one of the finest hikes of our area.   Drive east on the Trans-Canada Highway through Malakwa and Craigellachie, then watch for the left turn onto the Crazy Creek Forest Service Road.   This road is narrow and steep at first and is an active logging road.    Follow the road up, watching for posted signs to Eagle Pass Mountain.   At one point the road passes through an active logging area before turning uphill.   This side road is rougher, but drivable in dry conditions.   After 16.5 km the climb ends at the trailhead where there is room to park about 10 vehicles, a sign and an outhouse.

The trail winds up through the forest.   After about 1.5 km, a signed junction is reached.   A trail goes north to Twin Lakes which sit in a plateau area to the west of the peak.   The summit route continues east across treed slopes and meadows, bearing northeast to a ridge below the summit.   There are fine views at the end of this traverse.   From this ridge, the trail cleverly winds up to the top, climbing steeply, and avoiding any exposure.    On the summit, the remains of an old stone lookout hut built in 1922 greets the hiker.   The top is a rocky ridge that is worth exploring for the views that are offered into the valleys below and to distant mountains.

The entire return hike is 12km with 855m elevation gain on the way up.

To the south we spotted Joss Peak, Tsuius Mountain and the Gold Range beyond, Mt. Thor and Mt. Odin standing above the crest of the Monashees.   To the north and northwest stand the Jordan Range, a high chain of peaks between the Perry River and the Columbia River (Lake Revelstoke).   On the east, Mount Begbie and Mount Tilley overlook Revelstoke.   One of the best reasons to hike Eagle Pass is that the summit stands in the middle of a sea of peaks, but no mountain blocks the 360° views.

A telephoto lens or binoculars brings the high peaks and glaciers into detail.

On a clear day, the views are spectacular, but we also enjoyed the local terrain.    A number of lakes lie in an alpine plateau to the north.

The high meadows crowned by rocky ridges makes the upper part of the trail an interesting route.

Eagle Pass Mountain is highly recommended, but we think hikers should wait until the late season.   Pick some good weather and leave enough time on top to take in all the views.

Coordinates:

Trailhead – N51 03.038 W118 33.782

Junction – N51 03.038 W118 33.782

Summit – N51 03.946 W118 32.452