The Marble Range offers some of most interesting, rugged, and remote hiking in our area.  Two trails lead all the rest – Mt. Bowman and Wild Horse Ridge.   To find the trailhead, drive to Clinton and take the Kelly Lake turnoff.   Just before Kelly Lake,  turn right onto the Jesmond Road and follow the good gravel road for about km.   A gravel side road goes up to the power line and high clearance vehicles can go another kilometer to the side of the creek that flows down by the trail.   A map (and coordinates) can be seen on the first Mt. Bowman article (link).

The trail follows the Mt. Bowman route for 4.5km, then continues past the junction eastward and climbs through an old burn into a saddle on Wild Horse Ridge (at 6.5km).  From this point in sub-alpine open forest, the main route veers southeast to the alpine ridge above.

Progress though the alpine meadows is quick and a number of route choices can be made.   We chose to climb to the top of the prominent peak to the southeast (on the right in the photo), on the way to Mt. Kerr.

We stopped at 9.5km mark to have lunch.   The route to Mt. Kerr lay ahead,  but time dictated our turn-around point, so we turned back, hopeful to return to complete the whole out-and-back to Mt. Kerr on another day.

From the crest of the Marble Range, limestone ridges and peaks invite more exploration.

The forest fires of the last decade have made the ranges stark and barren.

Views of Lime Ridge, Porcupine Ridge, Jesmond Peak, Mad Dog Mountain, and Moutn Bowman surround Wild Horse Ridge.   To the west beyond the 8000 foot peaks of the Cayoosh Range still had snow.   The flat plateau of the Cariboo lay beyond to the north.

The trail is one of the best, in good shape, a fast-hiking route.   We descended into the burn toward Mt. Bowman.

The final leg followed the creek back through the valley bottom, a good opportunity to cool off.   The whole hike was 6 hours of hiking time, a total of 19km.   We did this on a hot day, but managed our fluids well and finished dry and hot, but in good shape.   The creek was still running at the end of July so bringing a water filter may be a good idea if the day is hot.

The hikes in the Marble Range are an all-day venture.   There are no road signs, no trailhead signs, little trail marking (there are some old blazes), and at times, route-finding is required.   The upper limestone ridges are dry, hot, and exposed in summer.   Many of the hikes are long and rugged.   But, they are all rewarding and if you are looking for a quiet corner of the province, this is an excellent choice.   Our TBD list includes Mad Dog Mountain, Lime Ridge East, Mt. Kerr, Jesmond Peak, and Porcupine Ridge, all future hikes in the Marble Range.

Note – there are posts on all of these hikes on this website.