Zoa Peak is an accessible hike in the Coquihalla Summit area.   A short side road turns off the highway and climbs up to the Falls Lake parking lot.   When we arrived there on an October morning, Trans Mountain Pipeline crews were excavating a corridor for the twinning of the line, but they kept the road open for hikers.   We followed an old track for a short distance, then turned onto the new trail which follows the original pipeline track steeply up the shoulder of Zoa.   We were pleased to see some signage installed for the key turns onto Zoa.

The moon was in view over the gap where Falls Lake lies, between Thar Peak and Zoa Peak.

The trail continued northwest climbing steadily through a  cedar – hemlock forest, but emerges into more open subalpine forest.

The trail reaches an open ridge at 2.1 km.   July Mountain stood to the north, another hike we have done a few times.

The trail continued along the rocky ridge, climbing but not steeply.

 

We went past the false summit and continued on to the end of the trail where we stopped for lunch.   From a viewpoint the summit peaks were part of the reward for a day of hiking.    Right to left are Guanaco Peak, Vicuna Peak, and Alpaca Peak.

More to the south were views to Llama Peak and the Anderson Peaks beyond. Reh, Gemse, Serna, and Gamuza invite exploration, but are very hard to get to.

We returned the way we came, but took a short side trip for the view of Yak Peak and Zopkios Ridge.

Fall colors were underway along the hike and blueberries were abundant along the trail.

We hike Zoa Peak about every second year in the fall.   It is an accessible, moderate, and rewarding hike in the Coquihalla Summit area, worth many return visits.