Mount Hanover


View Mount Hanover in a larger map

What:  1748m.  A climber's peak with an excellent view.

Where:  Mount Hanover is located toward the northern end of the Howe Sound Crest Trail near Porteau Cove, BC.

Difficulty: 5/5  Some bushwhacking and some serious scrambling
Runnability: 2/5 Popular lower section of trail offers a good warmup.  Bushwhacking and rock-hopping in the alpine
Peak view: 5/5
Unobstructed views of surrounding peaks and valleys
Scenery: 4/5 Old growth, second growth forests.  Creeks. Beautiful alpine lakes. Great views.
Children: 1/5 Not appropriate.
Dogs: 1/5 Not recommended.  Sharp rocks in alpine.  Several very steep sections.

Route overview:  The trail to Mount Hanover can be broken down into 4 sections:  Highway #1 to trailhead, trailhead to Deeks Lake, Deeks Lake to the shelter and the shelter 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 is very infrequently traveled and not flagged.

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 a helmet

Name Origin: Named after the House of Hanover, the German royal dynasty.  Queen Victoria belonged to this 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 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 Shelter (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

Shelter to Mount Hanover (2 - 4 hours)

  • Hanover is the steep, rocky peak that towers above the east side of the lake.  Getting to its base is a bushwhack.  The route of least resistance is considered by most to be from the south, along the cliff face of Brunswick Mountain.
  • short bushwhack to the left, then cross a rocky bit to the base of Hanover where you will be faced with 2 very challenging gullies
  • the gully to the right is considered to be the easier of the 2 as it is not as steep and may offer less debris.  There are a series of stone terraces to climb.  Some challenging hand-holds and footholds.  If you survive the first bit, you will most likely live to bag the peak, but don't forget you have to come back down!
  • the peak offers views in 360-degrees.  Get your peak shot next to the cairn and don't forget to sign the guest book!
  • return via same route... and good luck

Neighboring peaks:

  • Bagger Challenge peaks Brunswick Mountain, Fat Ass Peak, Hat Peak and Wettin 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: 


Do you have some feedback on this route or some more up-to-date information you'd like to share?  If so, please use "Add new comment" below.