Bridge River – Griswold Pass

TRIP STATS

Distance: ~70.8 km
Elevation Gain: ~4,800 m
Elevation Loss: ~4,840 m
Elevation Range: 1,525 m → 2,315 m
Duration: 4 days / 3 nights
Difficulty: Challenging / Make your Own Adventure (multi-day, sustained elevation gain/loss, route-finding)
GPX: https://caltopo.com/m/1MP75

Practical Info

Access: Remote trailhead reached via dirt roads; high clearance 4×4 vehicle required. Nearest services in Gold Bridge. Note you can fill us gas there. Check Bridge River FSR and Bridge River Main for conditions. Active logging on both. NOTE – trailhead where we parked is NOT at the hut. (Don’t believe you can drive to the hut, or at least we didn’t try too!)
Season: July–September, depending on snowpack – likely late July.
Camping: Backcountry camping only; pack in pack out.
Navigation: GPS recommended. Make your own adventure.

**Caltopo GPX Route (CAUTION – Don’t take the way down we took. Take the original route up.)**

DAY 1 (PART 0) – GETTING TO THE TRAILHEAD

Its a Grind. If you are planning to hike on the first day, leave very early if you are going from Vancouver. Otherwise plan to spend the night at a rec site and start early the next morning. This is not a hike to start with limit hours of daylight.

You take the Hurley FSR from Pemberton and buckle up cause the non-stop logging roads will become your norm for the foreseeable future. Pretty waterfall in the photo below that you’ll pass along the way after 90km+ of logging roads. (Yes, distracting from the anticipation of non-stop bumpity bump bump to get to the trailhead).

NOTE – We parked at a random spot. There is a washout that we opted to not cross. So to answer the question, we did not drive to the hut. We parked in the trees to give snoopy some shade and meandered to the random spot where we cut up the mountain.

DAY 1 (PART 1) – TRAILHEAD TO LOWER MEADOWS / GLACIER LAKE

We set off from the trailhead with heavy packs and cool morning air. The first stretch wound through dense forest, with creeks tumbling alongside the trail. As we climbed steadily, the forest thinned, giving way to subalpine meadows dotted with late-summer wildflowers.

By afternoon, the trail opened wide with views of distant ridgelines and peaks. We set our first camp adjacent to Glacier Lake up against the ridge — a sheltered spot from the winds with expansive views to the west when you climb up the small hill. As the sun dropped, the meadows glowed gold and the first stars appeared above what I had coined the view of icefield city.

Incline up through the bushes to get to the alpine.

DAY 2 – GLACIER LAKE TO CAMP SPOT + EXPLORING THE BASIN OF BARYON PEAK & LEPTON MOUNTAIN

**Day 2 Part 1 – Glacier Lake to our Camp Spot at the Basin of Baryon Peak and Lepton Mountain**

Morning light lit up the meadows in pink hues as we continued upward. The day was a mix of rolling climbs and ridge traverses, with the terrain shifting from grassy slopes to rocky alpine. The further we went, the more the unfolded — layer upon layer of mountains stretching to the horizon.

By midday, we crossed broad wildflower meadows. A steep push brought us to a tarn beneath the ridgeline, where we pitched camp. We love this spot as we set up camp near a waterfall which created a nice ambience. The reflections of the surrounding peaks on the horizon made for one of the best camps of the trip.

**Day 2 Part 2 Exploring the based of Baryon Peak and Lepton Mountain**

DAY 3 – GRISWOLD PASS

**Day 3 Part 1 – Exploring Griswold Pass**

Day 3 was the crown jewel. The trail led into a wide alpine basin filled with tarns, scree slopes, and windswept ridges. The final approach to Griswold Pass (~2,315 m) was gradual, and as we crested the saddle the entire South Chilcotin panorama opened: Slim Creek valley dropping away to the east, Big Creek spreading to the west. And my favourite seeing Lord River and Taesko Lakes in the distance.

We lingered at the pass, soaking in the silence and the vast scale of the mountains and the glacier. The shear size truly makes you feel small.

After descending back to our original camped. We packed up and maneuvered along to find a new camp spot in the valley towards the base of Mount Steve. The sunset that night turned the sky into fire, reflecting across the basin.

DAY 4 – MOUNT STEEVE AND….

We rose early for a side trip up Mount Steve (2,274 m), a rugged peak above Griswold Pass. The climb was steep, but the summit rewarded us with a 360° panorama: Griswold Pass far below, Slim Creek Valley stretching east, and the rolling ridges of the Chilcotins fading endlessly into the distance. Highlight was definitely when Jack found the snow.

After descending from Mount Steve, we packed up camp and began the long journey back towards Glacier Lake. We were intending to camp at Glacier Lake however when we got there, the horse flies were ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!! So, after deciding if it was worth it or not to camp, and testing out if bug spray would suffice (if did not!) we opted to continue the trek back to the truck to the trailhead.

By late afternoon we reached the trailhead — tired, but grateful for four days immersed in some of BC’s most remote and beautiful country.