Jumbo Pass Hike

 Jumbo Mountain is the most iconic in the Columbia River and was once considered a great location for a future ski resort. The locals became outraged by this idea, got the support of indigenous groups and basically killed the project. 

The trailhead is about an hour's drive over gravel, both rough and smooth, from Panorama resort, which is 20 kilometres from Invermere. It's supposed to be navigable in 2 wheel vehicles however it requires going through a stream and few deep dips in the road. 

A number of trucks were in the parking lot however we didn't meet anyone on the trail on the long, long, way up, 810 metres according to the AllTrails app. With the 7.6 kilometres, it took us about 3 hours to reach the overnight hut. It's there we were greeted by a bunch of trail makers, two young women and three older guys and, when I say older, I mean in their 70s. Kind of incredible really because the hike is really quite gruelling. 

The hike is beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful we've taken in the region. The beginning required a steep hike through a relatively lush forest for the region. Of course, there was also the requisite picking our way through a rock fall. After about three and a half kilometres, the trees open to a meadow with many of the leaves changing colour providing a pastiche to the foreground for the spectacular peaks behind. A large glacier covers much of one of the peaks to the south, a phenomenon that I didn't know could be seen in the region. 


We enjoyed lunch by the nearby tarn watching that the dogs did not run too far away in their everlasting, ever pointless, pursuit of marmots, squirrels and chipmunks. Fortunately, Finian became distracted by his other obsession, wading through the water while circumnavigating the lake. 

We passed a number of couples on the way down which made my wonder how very crowded the trail must be in the summer. Walking through the meadows provided spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and the valleys below however when we reached the trees, it just felt like slogging. Dodging tree roots required constant attention and meant our pace was very slow. 

We'll come in the spring to enjoy the wildflowers and stay overnight (probably with many others.) 









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