Hike of the Week: Glacier Crest
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| A hiker on her way to the magnificent Glacier Crest of Glacier National Park. |
Glacier Crest
Scramble the Columbia Mountains
by Craig Romano
photo by Craig Romano
produced by Michael Fagin
August 25, 2006
Quick Facts
Location: Columbia Mountains, south-central British Columbia
Land Agency: Glacier National Park; Parks Canada
Roundtrip: 8.0 miles
Elevation gain: 3,300 feet
Access: From Revelstoke, BC travel 45 miles east on Trans-Canadian Highway 1 to the Illecillewaet Campground and main trailhead.
Notes: National Park entry fee; grizzly country
The Columbia Mountains of eastern British Columbia may look like the Rockies, but they feel more like the Cascades. A distinct natural region, they form the first tall barrier east of the Coastal Ranges. Forming a cloud piercing obstacle for eastward -moving air masses, the Columbias continuously capture atmospheric moisture. The result: abundant summer rains and abundant winter snowfall.
So much snow accumulates here that much is compacted into glaciers. Hence, 1,350 protected square kilometers of this spectacular region is appropriately named, Glacier National Park. There are over 400 glaciers in the park. Over 50% of Glacier is above tree line and 12% is permanently buried under snow.
Much of Glacier National Park is comprised of sheer vertical walls, topped with ice and snow and separated by steep, narrow valleys. Dense emerald forests of old-growth firs, cedars, and hemlocks line the deep cuts between the towering peaks. Many of the mountains are scarred with huge avalanche slopes. Thick jungle-like vegetation tenaciously clings to the little soil left behind.
The wilderness valleys and high alpine meadows are home to grizzlies and mountain caribou. Glacier National Park is a climber’s world where skill and determination is needed for a visit. Developed trails are few; and when available they resemble little more than a climber’s path-an unrelenting uphill grunt to a land of rock and ice.
For hikers in top shape and don’t mind a little scrambling, set your sights on the Illecillewaet Area. From this campground in the heart of the park, you have a choice of seven trail-routes to a stunning alpine world. All seven trails take you through the three distinct life-zones of the park; rainforest, snow forest, and no forest. The interior rainforest here rivals the forests of coastal BC for lushness and sheer biomass. The alpine world here rivals none. It is pure Columbia Mountain wilderness. For one of the finest alpine views in the park, hike the Glacier Crest Trail. Here you’ll climb over 2,600 feet in 3.0 miles to a high meadow. Now scramble the adjacent snowfields an additional 600- vertical feet to the edge of the crest; a vertigo-inducing arête. Brace yourself. The view of the massive snaking Illecillewaet glacier below will freeze you in your place. Shear primeval beauty unfolds before you. Sit back with the ptarmigans and enjoy it-you’ve earned it
