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What: 1644m. An intermediate adventure with great views.
Where: Hat Mountain is located toward the northern end of the Howe Sound Crest Trail near Porteau Cove, BC.
| Difficulty: |
3/5 |
Decent trail that offers a little bit of everything in moderation |
| Runnability: |
2/5 |
Popular lower section of trail offers a good warm-up. Some light scrambling in the alpine |
| Peak view: |
5/5
|
Clear views of surrounding peaks and islands of Howe Sound |
| Scenery: |
4/5 |
Old growth, second growth forests. Creeks. Beautiful alpine lakes. Great views. |
| Children: |
3/5 |
Challenging from distance perspective. |
| Dogs: |
4/5 |
Some sharp rocks in alpine. |
Route overview: The trail to Hat Mountain can be broken down into 4 sections: Highway #1 to trailhead, trailhead to Deeks Lake, Deeks Lake to the ridge, the ridge to the peak. The first section can be driven with a 4-wheel drive vehicle. The second and third sections are on the popular Howe Sound Crest Trail (HSCT) and are very well marked. The final section to Hat is marked with the occasional bit of flagging and there is a thin trail.
Trip distance: From the parking lot at Highway #1, roughly 20 km.
Trip time: From the parking lot at Highway #1, roughly 5-7 hours. Subtract 1-2 hours if you drive to the trailhead. This assumes a moderate running pace and some contingency for getting lost.
Safety:
- Cellular coverage is poor to non-existent.
- GPS spotty under tree cover
- Emergency shelter at Brunswick Lake.
- Recommend you bring your Baggers Companion and lots of water
Name Origin: As referred to in hiking journals and advertisements. So-named because it is a "conspicuous flat-topped peak, shaped like a coolie hat, when viewed from Horseshoe Bay.
Headwaters for: Some small streams.
Getting there: Drive to the Porteau Road exit off Highway #1. There is a parking area for users of the Howe Sound Crest Trail. If your vehicle has 4-wheel drive, you may want to continue approximately 4 kilometers up the dirt road to the trailhead.
Route Details: The trail to the Brunswick shelter is relatively well traveled. The remaining section is far less traveled and not flagged.
Highway to Trailhead (1-2 hours)
- From the parking lot, go right and uphill on a gravel road past a yellow gate.
- Follow dirt and gravel road approximately 4 km uphill to a small clearing with a smaller dirt road to the left with HSCT marker. If you are driving, best to park vehicle here
Trailhead to Deeks Lake (1-2 hours)
- trail continues on a dirt road for about 1 km, then narrows. Pass a lookout of the valley on your right
- well traveled singletrack trail continues steeply uphill with waterfall to the right
- pause to soak in the view of surrounding peaks at Deeks Lake
Deeks Lake to Brunswick ridge (30-min - 1- hour)
- follow well-marked HSCT trail to the right along south end of the lake, then around west side of Deeks Lake.
- cross the creek and continue on east side of small lake. Trail winds uphill to a red-roofed shelter just above the magnificent Brunswick Lake
- continue on HSCT steeply uphill past a little tarn. Watch for small trail and orange flagging to the right
Ridge to Hat Mountain (1/2 - 1 hour)
- thin trail to Hat passes a smaller peak (called Fat Ass for the Bagger Challenge). Look for tape on western side of Fat Ass and a short scramble down to saddle
- Hat is characterized by tall, green cell tower with 360-degree views.
- Be sure to sign the guest book in the cairn when you pose for your peak shot!
- return via same route
Neighboring peaks:
- Bagger Challenge peaks Brunswick Mountain, Fat Ass Peak, Wettin Peak are en route or relatively close. Several other Howe Sound peaks are baggable within same day by a strong runner
Submitted by: Ean Jackson and David Crerar
More information:
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