This trail extends from Carlyle Pass and the nearby Carlyle Lodge west along Silver Ridge. Larches are a highlight in the fall.
Rating: ♦♦♦♦◊
Location: At the remote headwaters of Carpenter Creek above Cody and Sandon.
Difficulty: B1 moderate
Elevation Gain: +609m
Distance: 8.6 kms round trip
Time: 5-6 hours return
Season: July to early October
Access: Good 2WD low-clearance.
Map: 82F/14
Drive: See the Boulder Pass hike for driving instructions to get to Carlyle Lodge.
Route/Trail: Starting from Carlyle Lodge, hike up the trail towards Carpenter Pass for .2 km to a junction. Turn left and pass a yoga platform in a meadow below Misty Peak.
0.7km Reach a junction: Right takes a higher trail side hilling across some avalanche paths, but with views. Left follows a lower trail in the woods.
1.4 km. Descend towards Cody Pass via switchbacks. The high and low trails merge again. Ascend the other side of Cody Pass. On the top of the ridge are the oddly shaped larches called the “Troll Trees”. Descend slightly to reach lower Motherlode Lake. The trail fades into a marked cairn route up a grassy ramp to Upper Motherlode Lake at 4.3 km.
Carlyle Lodge has one of their backcountry campsites – part of the Sourdough Traverse – at this lake.
What to Do: Continue along the trailed Sourdough Traverse as long as desired. It is only about 16 km to Idaho Peak.