Maps – 82F/13 Burton, and 82F/12 Passmore for access
The Mulvey Group is the cirque at the head of Mulvey Creek. A paradise of beautiful meadows and steep peaks rising above the jungles of the lowlands surrounding it, the Mulvey Group is the finest of the Valhallas and the West Kootenay. The shape is that of a horseshoe opening to the east, enclosing upper Mulvey Creek. It is a fine area for rock climbing, a centre unique in this part of the Selkirks. The summits are composed of gneiss (pronounced “nice”).
Grizzly and brown bears are common in Mulvey Creek and have been known to enter the meadows above.
Campfires are not permitted by the park authorities, and dogs are not allowed in the backcountry. Dogs infuriate bears and attract them.
Access
The Mulvey Cirque was one of the last areas of the Selkirks to be explored and climbed because of difficulties in access. The best approach is from the south by the Bannock Burn Creek logging road (on the Little Slocan River; see the introduction to Southern Valhallas, and below). The condition of the road varies. It is best when logging is occurring and then all the water bars are removed. But the water bars are small and usually easily negotiated by a high-clearance 2-WD vehicle. One Labour Day weekend, we went to Mulvey; you could have driven a Ferrari up on Friday, but they reconstructed all the water bars just after we went up. Then backpack over the Gimli-Nisleheim col.
To access the southern Valhallas, drive south from New Denver or north from Playmor Junction (between Nelson and Castlegar).
From New Denver. Start at the Petro Canada Station at the junction of Hwys 6 and 31A in New Denver. Drive Hwy 6 south, along Slocan Lake’s east shore, 32.5km to the village of Slocan. Near the village, ignore the signed turnoff for Drinnon Pass, but turn right (west) onto Gravel Pit Road. Zero odometer 0.0
0.0 Start west on Gravel Pit Road. Go straight and cross the bridge over the Slocan River.
.8km Stay left on Slocan West FSR.
1.2km Cross a bridge over Gwillim Creek.
2.3km Go right on Little Slocan FSR.
13.2km Right is Bannock Burn FSR to Gimli Ridge / Mulvey Basin TH.
Bear left SW on the main road for the rest of the Valhallas.
20.3km Right is Hoder Creek FSR to Drinnon and Gwillim lakes. Left continues southwest on Little Slocan FSR. Reach Little Slocan Lakes FS campground in 200m.
From Nelson or Castlegar. Start at the Playmore Junction, the junction of Highways 6 and 3A between Nelson and Castlegar. Turn north on Hwy 6 up the Slocan Valley.
The southern Valhallas are accessed from Passmore Road, 15.6 km from Playmore. there is a large transformer station at the turn. This is 12.1 km south of Winlaw on Hyw 6. Turn left (west). Zero odometer.
0.0 Start NW on Passmore Upper Road.
.3km Cross the Passmore Bridge over the Slocan River.
3.1km Pavement ends
3.6km Left on Little Slocan FSR. Red 44 KM sign.
5.2km Right.
7.5km Go straight on the main road.
9km Stay right, following a sign for Valhalla Provincial Park.
13.2km Straight on Little Slocan FSR. Left is Koch Creek FSR to McKean Lakes.
16.1km and 23km Proceed straight.
25km Go straight. Turn off to the right for Little Slocan Lakes campground.
25.2km Junction for Hoder Creek FSR – left to Drinnon/Gwillim Lakes. This is 20.3km from Slocan City.
For Bannock Burn FSR to Gimly Ridge and Mulvey Basin. This junction is 13.2km from Slocan City and 32.3km from Passmore.
0.0 Start NW on Bannock Burn FSR.
8.4km Go straight.
10.5km Curve right on the main road and ascend steeply.
12.5km Bear left
12.7km Curve sharply back, heading toward jagged peaks.
12.9km Parking for Gimli Ridge / Mulvey Basin Trailhead. 1750m (5740′)
Gimli Ridge Trail. (refer to the post) The trail rises 765m (2510′) toward the south ridge of Gimli. The parking space has water and camping space on the road.
Standard Route into Mulvey Basin. Discovered first in 1989, this has become the only practical way to access Mulvey Basin (Cirque). At the end of the trail is the Gimli-Nisleheim (Jones) col or Gimli Ridge as it is now called. Descend from the col into the basin down a short rock ramp, deal with a very steep snow/glacier and the trend northwest below the northeast face of Nisleheim, which is less steep. Once below the steep bit (about 20-30 vertical meters), go in whatever direction you wish to go. In the early season, or high snowfall years, the steep bit will be steep snow. If the snow is firm, an ice axe and crampons will be necessary for safety. When there is no snow and only ice late in the season, this can be death-defying without crampons and an axe.
Other Access Routes to Mulvey Basin
Midgard-Niselheim Col. Zigzag down ledges into Mulvey Basin, and the meadows, the gentlest slope down. Before the Gimli Ridge trail (1994), this was the main access into Mulvey Basin. The swithback is 300m lower than the Gimli Ridge TH.
One route to access the Midgard-Nisleheim col involving bushwhacking goes up the true right bank of the stream issuing from the col. In the forest near the stream, blazes marking an old trail may be found; the bush is light to moderate. Above, go to the right and then pass over the Midgard- Nis1eheim col – 900 meters above.
Another way is to walk up the road heading NW from the big switchback below the Gimli Ridge TH. The slopes are not quite as steep and gain a steep ridge in the forest with a cliff below (less bush) which leads toward the Prestley-Midgard ridge. One may then reach the col or the ridge of Midgard first, going to the right, east, or continue left to Mt. Prestley.
Access to Wolfs Ears, Robertson Creek and Dag.
The valley to the right (south of Gimli) is the broad cirque between Gimli and West Wolf’s Ear on their south sides. A ridge leads south from West Wolf’s Ear.
Road Access. Instead of turning into the present Gimli Ridge parking area, continue SE on the old road for another 100 metres and turn left or north into the old cut block above and east of the lower parking lot. The road is very deteriorated and probably now impassable at a small creek washout.
Park where possible and walk north to the end of the old road. A flagged route led north into the meadows SE of Gimli. Ascend the ridge coming off the south end of the Wolfs Ears. One access to Mulvey Basin is from the Wolfs Ears/Nott col (small rock cliffs make for some difficulties).
To reach the headwaters of Robertson Creek to access Little Dag and Dag, diagonal up through boulder fields to reach the above ridge at a point west of (551-116) on the other side. It is then easy to drop down on the east side and into the Robertson Creek drainage to Mt. Dag.
Brian Berry and party in 1972 developed a mountaineer’s high-level route from Drinnon Lake (see introduction to S. Valhallas) to the Mulvey Basin. The 1972 party proceeded from E to W and descended Woden Creek to Lower Arrow Lake. It is a full one-day pack.
Because of hiker’s errors in navigation, al the cairns marking this route were removed by Parks.
From Drinnon Lake, ascend to the pass in the north ridge of Drinnon Peak, contour and descend toward Valhalla Lake. Go over the pass west of Mount Prestley’s three summits and contour south of Mt. Prestley at the treeline to the basin between Midgard and Prestley. Cross the pass southeast of Midgard to the Mulvey Meadows. There is difficulty with the south ridge of the W summit of Prestley, which is Class 3 with packs. (V)
A probably better variation is to pass north around Valhalla Lake to Prestley Lakes (east of Valhalla Lake) and go over the Prestley-Midgard col to join the above route. A longer way is to go around the north ridge of Asgard Peak and go over the pass just east of Asgard to Mulvey Meadows. Both of these variations may be used to reach Gwillim Creek. Descend (or ascend) to Tracy Cooper Lake (north of Asgard) in Gwillim Creek and descend by trail (overgrown?) on its true left bank for about 8 km to the Gwillim Cabin. (V, 1986). Then gain the lake shore trail which goes from Slocan City to Evans Creek, joining it at Slocan City.
The East Hump-Wedge col was crossed in a traverse from Gwillim Creek to Mulvey Creek in June 1965, using many rappels, by Bill Boulton, Chris Kopczynski and W. Murray. (MM)
The Mulvey cabin (Valhalla Hut) in the Mulvey Meadows met with a bizarre accident in the winter of 1988-89 and is no more.
The peaks are listed counterclockwise as viewed from the lower meadows, beginning in the northeast.
Many thanks are given to Bert and Sue Port of the Kootenay Mountaineering Club for the use of their “A Climber’s Guide to Mulvey Meadows (1977)” (MM).
See KK 37(1994):35, Norse gods and conservation.