The Alpine/Glacier traverse of the West Kootenays is an amazing 4-day adventure that connects the Silver Spray, Woodbury and Kokanee Cabins via peaks and glaciers in the pristine heart of Kokanee Glacier Park. Enjoy spectacular panoramas that only a few will ever experience. Who would believe that in the Kootenays we have one of the finest hiking routes using three mountain huts?
Rating: ♦♦♦♦◊
Location: Center of Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park
Difficulty: Very strenuous
Elevation Gain/Loss: +2130m, -2400m
Key Elevations: Gibson Lake, Kokanee Glacier Cabin, Kane Peak, Woodbury Hut, Silverspray Hut. Woodbury parking lot.
Distance: 32kms
Time: 4 days. Gibson to Kokanee Glacier Cabin – 4 hours. Kokanee Glacier Cabin to Woodbury Hut – 10 hours. Woodbury Hut to Silver-Spray Hut – 10 hours. Silver-Spray Hut to car park – 2-3 hours
Season: Mid-July to late September. Crampons are necessary later in the season.
Access: High-clearance vehicles on both Gibson Lake and Woodbury roads. Needs a shuttle.
Maps: 82F/14 Slocan or Kokanee Glacier Park 1925
Drive: Refer to Kokanee Glacier and Woodbury/Silverspray hikes
Route/Trail:
Day 1. Gibson Lake to Kokanee Glacier Hut +480m, -100m
Begin at Gibson Lake, approximately 14,4 km up the Kokanee Creek road. A leisurely hike to the Kokanee Glacier Cabin along the Gibson Lake to Kokanee Lake trail starts the hiking portion of the traverse. The trail is easy to follow and affords good viewpoints of Grays Peak, and the string of mountain lakes sometimes provide cutthroat.
After approximately four hours, reach the Kokanee Glacier Cabin. Book the hut through the Alpine Club of Canada. See the historic Slocan Chief Cabin. Built-in 1896, the cabin is now a museum.
Day 2. Kokanee to Woodbury Hut via Coffee Pass and Kane Glacier 13kms, +1250m
Rise early, and begin the traverse to the Woodbury Hut by ascending the trail to the toe of Kokanee Glacier. From that point on, leave the trail behind to find the route using maps and altimeter. A steep climb on hard snow up the glacier between Battleship and Pyramid brings you to the top of the Battleship. From here, climb carefully, heading east across the glacier to the south end of the Giant’s Kneecap (9100 ft]. Here is a glorious view, of the steep-walled Valhallas to the west, the Leaning Towers to the east and Mt Cooper and the Bugaboos to the north.
Descend from the Giant’s Kneecap in an easterly direction picking the safest route through the ice field to bring you near Coffee Pass directly below Mt Cond. Reach Coffee Pass after an interesting scramble up a steep moraine, then gradually ascend in a northerly direction to a steep, hidden gully west of Kane Peak. Make a short ascent across the gully, then climb through the scree and gently sloping slabs to a steep gully leading off the south ridge of Kane. One could gain the same ridge, perhaps 250’ further to the southeast. Once you gain Sawtooth Ridge, you can see the headwaters of Woodbury, Silver Spray and Lendrum Creeks.
From Kane Summit, you cannot continue down the north ridge but need to descend to the snowfield. The peak is a great location to ponder the encircling peaks and lakes, particularly the back of Kokanee Glacier. A short traverse across a snow bowl and you are on another rocky ridge leading off Kane. From there descend to the glacier northeast of Kane to a beautiful but very stark cirque southeast of Glacier-View Peak. You are now on the east slope of the Sawtooth Range in truly spectacular scenery. Steep, almost vertical hanging ice and snow sheets clung to the peaks and huge fields of fallen slabs protruded through the quickly melting snow. There is even a small lake at the foot of this bleak cirque.
Leaving the area, ascend a natural ramp of snow and rock that leads to the summit of Wooclbury Glacier. This is the only way up the glacier and to reach Glacier-View Peak. From the glacier, see your destination, Woodbury Hut. Carefully descend Woodbury Glacier bearing to the left or west about halfway down to avoid the crevasses and the breakover point. A lovely, fast descent on snow to the upper basin area followed by a short ramble through isolated meadows and alpine larch soon brings you to Woodbury hut, a welcome sight after ten hours.
Day 3. Woodbury Hut to Silverspray Traverse. 7kms & +400m
Begin by following the old mining trail behind the cabin to the 7900 ft level. A narrow level traverse brings you to a col to descend soft, steep snow into a basin east of Moonlight Peak. An easier route over might be found slightly further up the ridge but then quite a lot more loose scree would have to be crawled across. A short descent through some large boulders arrives at enjoyable grassy slopes and a traverse through the basin maintaining elevation. Follow the 7300 ft or 7400 ft contour to the first lake southeast of Mt Kemball. This lake is a gem, set amid rocky slabs and small meadows. From the lake, look straight across to Woodbury Glacier and the entire Woodbury Creek drainage. A slightly ascending traverse from the lake around the ridge brings you to another small lake. The terrain is very easy to travel through and in season the larches and wildflowers are very pleasant. From the small lake, ascend approximately 500 ft to the south ridge of Evening Star Peak. A good location for lunch and a study of the previous day’s route past Kane and Glacier-View Peak. Climb the ridge for I00 vertical feet and then skirt around Evening Star’s southeast basin to another ridge leading off to a small summit to the east. Enter Clover Basin, wander among the tiny tarns and meadows, and finally reach Silver-Spray Cabin.
Day 4. Silverspray to Woodbury Road. 6kms & -1050m, 2-3 hours
The next morning, follow the miner’s trail to the old Violet Mine site and the summit of Mt McQuarrie. Wander back to the cabin, pack up and descend the trail to the Woodbury Creek parking lot and the end of a highly successful trip.