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Manning Park Lodge to Cascade Lookout, Alpine Meadows, and Bighorn Camp (10 km hike)

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Photo ofManning Park Lodge to Cascade Lookout, Alpine Meadows, and Bighorn Camp (10 km hike) Photo ofManning Park Lodge to Cascade Lookout, Alpine Meadows, and Bighorn Camp (10 km hike) Photo ofManning Park Lodge to Cascade Lookout, Alpine Meadows, and Bighorn Camp (10 km hike)

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Trail stats

Distance
16.06 mi
Elevation gain
3,438 ft
Technical difficulty
Easy
Elevation loss
787 ft
Max elevation
6,602 ft
TrailRank 
61
Min elevation
3,858 ft
Trail type
One Way
Time
4 hours 10 minutes
Coordinates
3395
Uploaded
August 4, 2018
Recorded
August 2018
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near Manning Park, British Columbia (Canada)

Viewed 1442 times, downloaded 7 times

Trail photos

Photo ofManning Park Lodge to Cascade Lookout, Alpine Meadows, and Bighorn Camp (10 km hike) Photo ofManning Park Lodge to Cascade Lookout, Alpine Meadows, and Bighorn Camp (10 km hike) Photo ofManning Park Lodge to Cascade Lookout, Alpine Meadows, and Bighorn Camp (10 km hike)

Itinerary description

The saved track includes 12.9 km of road access, and a 9.7 km subalpine mountain hike. The starting waypoint is the store and restaurant at the Manning Park Resort on the Crowsnest Highway (Hwy #3). The store offers trail snacks and drinks, and has an adjoining coffee shop with packaged sandwiches, samosas and other takeaway foods. There is a public mountain water tap at a small pavilion near the public washrooms in the Resort grounds.

The initial track segment follows road access from the Manning Park Resort to the Cascade Lookout, 8.6 km to the north along a narrow two-lane paved switchback road. The second road segment continues on a gravel road for a further 4.5 miles (park road signs still on imperial system) to the parking lot at Alpine Meadows. This has some washboard sections and raises dust.

Starting at Alpine Meadows parking, the 9.7 km hiking segment starts south along the Paintbrush Trail through sub-alpine flower meadow, passing a large communications installation, and curving around to the west towards Blackwall Peak. The hike continues along the Heather Trail to Buckhorn Camp, the first designated camping site to the north of the parking lot, then backtracks directly to the parking lot (End Station). Be aware the hiking segment is steady (gentle) downhill to Buckhorn Camp, so steady uphill returning to Parking.

Air Quality index (AQI) was high on the day due to forest fires, and together with heat haze, the distant mountains were shrouded and hard to photograph cleary.

Waypoints

PictographWilderness hut Altitude 4,466 ft
Photo ofManning Park Lodge

Manning Park Lodge

Starting waypoint. Store and coffee shop with trail foods, restaurant, public washrooms, mountain water tap, accomodation, recycling bins. Ground squirrels are abundant on the resort grounds.

PictographPanorama Altitude 4,415 ft
Photo ofCascade Lookout Photo ofCascade Lookout Photo ofCascade Lookout

Cascade Lookout

Parking at the top of the paved access road, approx. 8.6 km from Manning Park Resort. Spectacular mountain views. A steep gravel road continues 4.5 km further from here to the Alpine Meadows parking areas and the start of this hike. It is occasionally washboard and raises dust.

PictographCar park Altitude 6,433 ft
Photo ofAlpine Meadows Parking Lot Photo ofAlpine Meadows Parking Lot Photo ofAlpine Meadows Parking Lot

Alpine Meadows Parking Lot

Air Quality Index (AQI) somewhat elevated on the day due to forest fire activity. Toilet facilities. Summer wildflowers are abundant around this area.

PictographSummit Altitude 6,532 ft
Photo ofCommunications infrastructure, landscape painters Photo ofCommunications infrastructure, landscape painters Photo ofCommunications infrastructure, landscape painters

Communications infrastructure, landscape painters

On the day a group of amatuer oil painters was set up along the Paintbrush Trail. A large communications facility occupies the peak in this area.

PictographPanorama Altitude 6,501 ft
Photo ofMountain views, sub-alpine flower meadows Photo ofMountain views, sub-alpine flower meadows Photo ofMountain views, sub-alpine flower meadows

Mountain views, sub-alpine flower meadows

Distant mountains are shrouded due to heat haze and forest fire smoke.

PictographInformation point Altitude 6,381 ft
Photo ofLower parking Photo ofLower parking

Lower parking

Track passses a small additional parking area along the gravel access road. The Paintbrush Trail ends here and the Heather Trail begins.

PictographPhoto Altitude 6,399 ft
Photo ofAlong Heather Trail Photo ofAlong Heather Trail Photo ofAlong Heather Trail

Along Heather Trail

Heather and wildflowers.

PictographIntersection Altitude 6,142 ft
Photo ofTrail junction Photo ofTrail junction Photo ofTrail junction

Trail junction

PictographCampsite Altitude 5,964 ft
Photo ofToilets, picnic tables Photo ofToilets, picnic tables Photo ofToilets, picnic tables

Toilets, picnic tables

About 200 meters south of Buckshot Camp.

PictographCampsite Altitude 5,898 ft
Photo ofBuckhorn wilderness campsite Photo ofBuckhorn wilderness campsite Photo ofBuckhorn wilderness campsite

Buckhorn wilderness campsite

Two tent platforms were seen, and adjacent stream with clear running water.

PictographPanorama Altitude 5,915 ft
Photo ofMountain view Photo ofMountain view Photo ofMountain view

Mountain view

Just south of the trail junction, there is a steep climb with staircases.

PictographPanorama Altitude 6,068 ft
Photo ofTop of staircase Photo ofTop of staircase Photo ofTop of staircase

Top of staircase

Good mountain views shrouded by forest fire smoke on the day.

PictographPanorama Altitude 6,173 ft
Photo ofSub-alpine meadows Photo ofSub-alpine meadows Photo ofSub-alpine meadows

Sub-alpine meadows

PictographPhoto Altitude 6,241 ft
Photo ofWild flower meadows

Wild flower meadows

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