A short hike to a pretty lake. Mt Vingolf makes a great backdrop. Climbing Vingolf is the usual reason to come to Shannon Lake.
Difficulty: A1
Elevation gained: 275m (900′)
Key Elevations: TH Huss Creek 4700′; Shannon Lake 6150′; Upper Shannon Lake 6850′; Old Goat Pass 7550′; Summit Vingolf 8400′
Distance: 1.6km
Time: 1 hour one-way
Season: June through October
Map:
Drive: From the junction of Highway 6 and 31A in New Denver, travel north on Highway 6 for 15.2 km to Hills.
0.0 Turn left onto “Bonanza Road”. Follow the asphalt over the bridge, onto the gravel at the beginning of the “Shannon Creek Forest Service Road”. Turn right onto this road.
Just before the “3 km” road marker, take the right fork. Within a kilometre, the road will fork again. The left fork takes you to Wragge Beach. The right fork continues up Shannon Creek. Travel along the right fork to the “12 km” road marker. Look for a brown, 4×4 post with white lettering, signed “Shannon Lake”. Fork left onto a dirt, 2-wheel drive road. The next 2 km to the trailhead is rough and requires a high-clearance vehicle.
Trail: The trail to Shannon Lake climbs Huss Creek (Shannon Creek is down below) steadily along the west side of Shannon Creek. The creek is quite steep and tumbles down in a series of small waterfalls and cascades. Cow parsnip, blueberries, hellebore and stinging nettles crowd in, obscuring the trail bed. Watch your footing as the trail is rocky and can be slippery when wet. Shannon Lake is a popular fishing lake.
A trail along the right shore leads to 2 areas that are used by campers.
Shannon Lake has a lot to offer hikers and rock climbers. Mt. Vingolf and the glaciated ridges at the head of the lake are easily gained by following the trail along the shore. From the head of the lake, it is a short walk through a sub-alpine meadow to the scree and talus slopes that lead to the ridge. One could easily spend a few days here, walking the ridges of the Valhalla Ranges.
What to do?
1. Old Goat Pass. Nice views down to the Wragge Lakes Basin.
2. Climb Mount Vingolf. The easiest route is via the north ridge from Upper Shannon Lake. The west ridge is a class IV scramble.
3. Walk the ridge south. Described by some as their favourite place in the West Kootenay, this ridge extends for 5 kilometres from near Old Goat Pass to the 8600-foot-high “Skadi Peak” at the south end.
North access: Before reaching the col, turn right up a gully that leads to south-facing slopes at 7800′. Then traverse 600m across steep ground to the N-S ridge system.
The Ridge: extends 5 kilometres, height of 7500-8000 feet on average, is narrow, requires some minor scrambling and gives constant 360° views of the surrounding alpine.
The best local campsite (to avoid bugs in season) is near the ridge. No water (melt snow with a solar oven). The southern set of Upper Wragge Lakes are very pretty campsites. Lower Wragge Lakes are to be avoided – very steep, ugly bushwhack.
South Access. Skadi Pk. 8600′ (south peak is summit). N ridge class 3-4. Access from south via basin above Grizzly Lakes NW of Wee Sandy Lake.