Mount Windsor


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What:  1689m.  A rewarding climb with great views.  

Where:  Mount Windsor is located just off the northern end of the Howe Sound Crest Trail near Porteau Cove, BC.

Difficulty: 3/5  Sparsely-marked trail with some light scrambling
Runnability: 2/5 Popular lower section of trail offers a good warmup.  Rock-hopping in the alpine
Peak view: 4/5
Unobstructed views of surrounding peaks and valleys
Scenery: 4/5 Old growth, second growth forests.  Creeks. Beautiful alpine lakes.
Children: 3/5 Aggressive distance.
Dogs: 4/5 Sharp rocks in alpine.

Route overview:  The trail to Mount Windsor can be broken down into 4 sections:  Highway #1 to trailhead, trailhead to Deeks Lake, Deeks Lake to the alpine and lake to the summit.  The first section can be driven with a 4-wheel drive vehicle.  The second section is on the popular Howe Sound Crest Trail (HSCT) and is very well marked.  The third section and final sections are less traveled and less well flagged.

Trip distance:  From the parking lot at Highway #1, roughly 16 km. 

Trip time:  From the parking lot at Highway #1, roughly 4-6 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. 

Name Origin: Named after the House of Windsor, the current royal house of the commonwealth rhelms. (Queen Elizabeth II's family.)  

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 Mount Windsor is relatively well traveled to Deeks Lake.  The remaining section is less traveled and 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 Alpine (1-2 hours)

  • follow trail along south end of the lake past a few campsites then across a small boulder field to base of a steep climb.  Watch for sign to Windsor Peak.
  • nice singletrack takes you steeply uphill through tall trees with minimal undergrowth. 
  • At Peak 5400 sign, stay left.  You will eventually arrive at a small lake in the saddle between Deeks and Mount Windsor

Lake to Mount Windsor (1 - 2 hours)

  • the trail to the peak is poorly flagged, mostly with rock cairns through the open areas.  It picks up directly across the lake
  • narrow trail goes up and over a ridge, then roughly follows the east side of the ridge to an alpine bowl at the foot of Mount Windsor
  • with Windsor directly in front, take the right side of the bowl up to a ridge with trees where you will find a narrow, flagged trail through the treed patches along the ridge
  • some light scrambling as you near the summit
  • rocky peak with small rock cairn. 
  • return via same route

Neighboring peaks:

  • Bagger Challenge peaks Deeks Peak and Gotha Peak are 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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