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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:
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)
Trailhead to Deeks Lake (1-2 hours)
Deeks Lake to Brunswick ridge (30-min - 1- hour)
Ridge to Hat Mountain (1/2 - 1 hour)
Neighboring peaks:
Submitted by: Ean Jackson and David Crerar
More information:
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