CARIBOU RIDGE SPIRE 2600m 8530′
On Caribou Ridge (more rugged than the map indicates) at 952-230, 0.7 km southeast of Satisfaction Peak, this small spire does not appear on the map contours. To the NW, there is a lower spire (2580 m). Beyond it is Satisfaction Pk (2598 m).
The alpine terrain drained by Ben Hur and Deer Creeks on the north and Bjerkness Creek on the east is quite broken up with many large, difficult-to-negotiate boulder fields. It’s not like walking on a golf course.
Difficulty: D4
Elevation gain: 3400′
Key elevations: Park 5100′; Summit 8530′
Time: 4.5 hours up
Season: mid-July through September
Access: Difficult
Map: 82F/14 Slocan
Drive: Keen Creek Rd (signed Kaslo Creek South Fork). Closed at km 15.
From New Denver: Drive east on Hwy 31A 40.1 km (24.9 miles).
From Kaslo (Junction of Highways 31 and 31A): Drive northwest 6.5 km (4 miles).
Zero odometer.
0.0 From Highway 31A, start southwest on a gravel Keen Creek Rd.
4.6km. Nashton Road (left), just before km 5 sign.
6.5km. Stay straight. Old road goes right and down (to Mt. Carlyle, Flint Lakes).
7.4km. (4.6 miles) Turn left onto Ben Hur FSR just beyond big mine dump pile, km 8 sign. High clearance, four-wheel drive. Zero odometer
0.0 Ben Hur FSR. 200m. Keep left at the first junction and right at
1.6 km. Right onto signed ”Ben Hur” road (4WD, high clearance, low range). In 2020, the road was brushed out by Kaslo locals. It is very narrow and easy to hit a mirror or scrape a boulder. Impossible if you meet another vehicle.
5 km. Park at 958-260. Room for 3-4 vehicles. Trailhead obvious.
Trail/Route:
On the well-ribboned and cairned trail, immediately cross to the east bank of Ben Hur Creek through light timber, rhododendron, and boulder fields to the lower lake (962-244 6350’).
To avoid the boulder fields, follow this route, the easiest way to access the alpine at Caribou Basin (and Satisfaction Peak and Caribou Ridge).
Go almost all the way around the west side of the first lake, and ascend southwest along a watercourse and up a rocky gully to a vertical wall, which is avoided by going right 50 meters and up to the alpine zone at 960-240. Continue SW to the spectacular unnamed lake at 957-234, skirt its north side, and ascend beside the inlet stream.
There are three officially unnamed summits, and Caribou Ridge Spire, the highest, is number two. To reach the col at 951-231 (two large cairns; two other spires nearby), head southeast (easy scrambling) and climb a fourth-class ramp and slab on the south ridge to the small cairn (no record in 2005). Four and one-half hours up.
(From the #1 (NW) – #2 (SE) col, the climbing becomes technical (hard Class 4 on the south side) at the last 30 meters on the northwest ridge of the highest point.) (II,4).
FRA Doug Brown, Kim Kratky, Sept. 24, 2005
CARIBOU RIDGE SPIRE (2602 m., 8537’) Sept 24 by Kim Kratky
Map: Slocan 82F/14
Caribou Ridge is located in the far northeast part of Kokanee Glacier Park and is quite easily accessed via Keen Creek Road and Ben Hur Road. On a Saturday in late September, Doug Brown and I climbed the highest point on the ridge, an unnamed 2602 m. spire.
Starting at 8:50 from the end of the Ben Hur FSR at 5100’(about 957-261), we embarked on the flagged trail and reached the 6250’ lower lake at 963-245 and northwest of Mt. Chipman in 1 hr. 10 min. Here the trail ends. We continued along the lake’s west bank almost to the south end before ascending southwest along a watercourse and up a rocky gully to reach a vertical wall. At this point, we traversed right 50 m. to gain easy, mossy ramps leading to the alpine at about 960-240. This is by far the easiest approach to the Caribou basin; other routes from the lower lake have led to cliff bands or fields of house-sized boulders. We continued to the lake at 957-234, skirted its north side, and ascended beside the inlet stream, making for the middle of three summits located to the southwest. Although this one looked the lowest, our trim map told us otherwise. It was correct. In good time we reached the 2540 m. col (951-231; two large cairns) northwest of our goal. A sharp granite spire just to the northwest looked inviting, but we decided that was the right hand of the three and lower. Heading southeast via easy scrambling, we gained the south ridge of our objective, negotiated a short bit of fourth-class ramp/slab, and summited at 1:20 pm (4 hrs. 20 min. up, 952-230, 82F/14 does not clearly show this point).
After inspecting the small cairn (no record), we gazed northwest to the spire we had contemplated and agreed it was considerably lower (2580 m. contour on the trim map). Beyond it lay Satisfaction Pk., at 2598 m., just a shade lower than our point. Of the moderately interesting bumps to the southeast along the ridge, all were clearly lower. Satisfied that we had scaled the highest point, we departed at 2:05, carefully down-climbing our ascent route.
Once back to the col, we re-traced our steps to the truck by 5:20 (3 hr. 15 min. descent, 8 hr. 40 min. day). No rope was used, or taken. This area makes for excellent autumn outings on generally solid rock. The rough, but flagged and cairned, Ben Hur trail allows access to the alpine in about two hours. Note that the alpine terrain —drained by Ben Hur and Deer Creeks on the north and Bjerkness Creek on the east—is quite broken up. It’s not like walking on a golf course.
Kim Kratky
