MOUNT RINDA 2500m
Mount Rinda is located on the southeast end of the ridge between Hoder and Bannock Burn Creeks. It is one of the best viewpoints to see the southern Valhallas. Access became easy with the Gasga FSR that goes towards the south ridge of Rinda.
The ridge is about 8 kilometres long, all above the tree line and makes an excellent ridge walk. A shuttle could be arranged at the north end close to the Drinnon trailhead.
Difficulty:
Elevation gained: 3100 feet
Key Elevations: End of road 5100′. Summit 8200′
Distance:
Time: 3 hours one way
Map: 82F/12
Drive: 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.
The Gasga FSR branches off the Hoder Creek road to the right at km 5.8. It goes to near the south ridge of Rinda at around 6000 feet.
Route: From the end of Gasga FSR, it is a relatively easy walk through the open forest of the south ridge of Rinda. When out of the trees, gain the long summit ridge of Rinda. A notch on the ridge is one move of fourth class just before the summit block. Views of the south Valhallas are well worth the climb.
FRA of the mountain was by Bob Dean on Sept. 2, 1956.
FRA Jeff Babcock, Bob Dean and Cheryl Langille, 31/7/1983, again with much bushwhacking by a similar route.
Bob Dean’s trip in 1956. This was Bob’s very first West Kootenay trip. He left his car at the Little Slocan Lake and ascended directly through the bush on the mountain’s east side. He decided to head down to Hoder Creek and finally made it back to his car a day later. Two days after that, he repeated the whole trip to recover his driver’s license and a $5 bill left at the bivouac site.
A WANDER UP RINDA 2499m. 8199’, June 17 by Doug Brown
On a recent jaunt up Mt Heimdal in the Valhallas, I spied a new logging road, apparently still under construction, on the southwest slopes of Mt Rinda. As they didn’t appear to be hauling yet, it seemed like an opportune time to avail ourselves of said new road and make an attempt on the lofty Mt Rinda.
So it was, on June 17, 2006 that Sandra, Delia Roberts, Kumo, and I found ourselves bumping our way up the newly extended Gasga FSR. The road was still pretty rough and bumpy, but we were able to drive to km 3.2, where the road was 1 blocked by an excavator – which wasn’t a big deal, as the road was too soft to continue driving anyway (~1375 m).
We shouldered our packs and followed the remainder of the incipient road, a distance of less than a km, to its end near the south ridge of Rinda at around 1520 m. Under increasingly threatening skies (it was mid-June, after all) we made our way up through the surprisingly open forest of the south ridge until we broke out of the trees and gained the long summit ridge of Rinda. There was very little snow about as we continued along the undulating ridge to the final exciting step across a chasm to the summit block – four hours from the truck.
While we were lucky that despite all the showers around, we were only hit with a short graupel blast, the anticipated views of the Mulvey Group were hindered by the clouds hiding many of the peaks – but on a sunny day, Mt Rinda would provide an exceptional viewpoint.
Notes: •The Gasga FSR branches off the Hoder Creek road at km 5.8. •We found all manner of survey string and flagging high on the southwest slopes of Rinda (there appears to be beetle damage high on the south and southeast slopes) and I suspect that in a couple of years, it may be possible to drive to 2000 m, or possibly higher.
Doug Brown
MT. RINDA – THEN AND NOW by Maurice de St. Jorre
Then was Sept. 2, 1956. A somewhat younger Bob Dean left his car at the Little Slocan Lake for his first ever Kootenay hike, going directly up through the bush on the east side of Mt. Rinda (2499m. 8199’) and eventually arriving at the summit. Finding no water, and only a stunning view of the entire southern Valhalla range, untrammeled by any sign of human activity, he decided to head straight down to the lush green meadows of slide alder and the tinkling stream of roadless Hoder Creek. Over a day later he made it back to his car. Two days after that, he repeated the whole trip to recover his driver’s license and a $5 bill he had inadvertently left at his bivouac site.
Now was Aug. 5, 2006. Bob, Gene Van Dyck and I drove 6 km up the Hoder Creek FSR from the Little Slocan Lakes, turned off to the right up the new Gasga Creek FSR, and were transported effortlessly to about 5100 ft.
We then strolled leisurely through park-like surroundings to a pleasant scramble up the south ridge of Rinda, arriving at the notch just east of the summit in 2¾ hours. The notch is just one move of fourth class which was soon overcome. We spent an hour on the summit in brilliant sunshine, gazing at the panorama of the Valhallas, before returning to the truck in about 2 hours. Many things have changed over the past 50 years, but it still remains the best viewpoint to see the south end of the Valhalla Range. Judging from the flagging in the bush above the Gasga FSR, it will apparently end up at least at 6000 ft. making the summit of Rinda no more than a 2-hour hike from the road head.
Fortunately, the west ridge of Rinda stretches on for at least 8 km past the summit, all of which is above tree line. It is an excellent ridge walk, which could be turned into a circuit ending either at Drinnon Pass or in the south Fork of Bannockburn Creek.
Maurice de St. Jorre