SUNSET LAKE (QUEENS CUP BASIN)
Set amidst alpine fir and spruce at the base of towering Pontiac Peak, Sunset Lake is a gem-like spot. Careless campers once littered the area with garbage and fish remains. Gold larch in September.
Difficulty: B1
Elevation gain: 400m (1320′)
Key elevations: TH 1463m (4800′); Sunset Lake TH 1672m (5485′); Sunset Lake 1865m (6120′); Summit 2505m (8219′)
Distance: 5.2km
Time: 2 hours
Season: early July through September
Access: Moderate
Map: 82F/14 Slocan
Drive: Woodbury Creek FSR (high clearance, 4WD)
From Balfour (ferry): Drive 23.5 km (14.6 miles) north on Hwy 31 and turn left. Zero odometer.
From Kaslo (Esso station): Drive 10.2 km (6.3 miles) south on Hwy 31 and turn right. Zero odometer.
0.0 Start on the Fletcher Creek FSR, signed “Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park”. The old south road access is very rough.
1.1km Go left for Woodbury. (right ascends the unmaintained Fletcher Lake Trail (not recommended due to high concentration of grizzly bears.
2.4 km The old road comes in from the south. Go right, then bear left. 7.4km, cross a bridge.
11.8km Just after crossing a stream, at the height of the road, a branch goes up and left to Sunset Lake and Pontiac Peak. This is the trailhead as this road was washed out in 1998 and can’t be driven. Descend to the right for the Woodbury/Silver Spray trails.
Trail/Route:
0.0 Beginning of old road to Sunset Lake – now the trailhead 1463m (4800′). Cross Pontiac Creek.
3.2km. Sunset Lake Trail: 2 kilometres, elevation gain 193m (635′), 30 minutes one-way.
5.2km Sunset Lake 1865m (6120′) – Queens Cup Basin. Summit of Pontiac Peak 2505m (8219′) above.
Sunset Lake was a high-use area when the road was open (but quite likely sees very few visitors these days with a 1300′ climb on an old road plus the trail for the lake). Please pack out everything that you pack in.