Mount Cook Hike from Wedgemount Lake

Mount Cook Hike Wedgemount Lake — Suhrud on our hike down to the lake

In July, I organized a BCMC backcountry camping trip to Wedgemount Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park. It was a three-day trip, and a few of us had tentatively planned to hike up to Mount Cook. Mount Cook (2676 m) is the easiest mountain to summit around the Wedgemount Lake area. The elevation gain from the lake is over 750 m and about 6-6.5 km round trip.

I first attempted Mount Cook in late October 2018 with Slawomir. But we ended up returning from a false summit. So, this was a good opportunity to go back and hike to the true summit. Kelsey, Melanie, Paul and Suhrud were interested in the Mount Cook hike. Others decided to hike to Tupper Lake and explore around the Wedgemount Lake.

Hike up from Wedgemount Hut

Typically, I would have an early start for a hike like this as the snow travel is easier when the snow is firm. But since we had a mixed group, including some families camping at the lake, we had a late start. We left our campsite by the lake at around 10 am and then made our way to the Wedgemount Hut.

Mount Cook hike from Wedgemount Lake — Hike up from Wedgemount Hut

After a brief break, we took the trail heading North (away from the lake). The trail skirts around some campsites above the hut and then gradually climbs up. We were on and off the trail for the first forty-five minutes and referred to the GPX track from Best Hikes BC. Paul carried Hazen and did a great job scrambling up the slopes with the baby carrier.

Mount Cook Hike Garibaldi Provincial Park — Paul and Hazen

At about 2200 m of elevation (300 m up from the lake), the trail traverses left (North West). We hiked across some snow fields to reach the base of the scree slopes. It was close to noon, and the snow was really soft.

Snow and Scree Slopes on Mount Cook Hike — Snow and Scree

It had been about two hours since we had left camp, and we still had a long way to go to the summit. At our current pace, it would take us another three to fours to get to the top and back down to the lake.

Based on the time of the day and the terrain ahead, Melanie and Paul decided to head back to the lake. It would have been a long sunny day in the carrier for Hazen and not very enjoyable for him.

Mount Cook Summit

After a short break, Kelsey, Suhrud and I continued the hike. We had some sections of snow, but for the most part, we were hiking up the scree slopes.

Mount Cook Hike Scree Slopes — Suhrud and Kelsey making their way up

Around 1 pm, we arrived at a high point at 2600 m, what I had thought was the Mount Cook summit in 2018. From here, the true summit was still about 800 m away (distance).

We continued along the ridge, dropping down a bit, climbing again and finally arriving at the notch I had heard from other hikers at the lake.

Although some scrambling was involved, getting down and climbing up the notch was relatively easy. There was some postholing through the snow and some exposure, but it was easier than I had thought.

Across the notch, it was a quick hike to the summit. We reached the true Mount Cook summit around 1:30 pm. We took a long break at the summit and enjoyed our lunch with 360-degree scenic views.

Mount Cook True Summit Garibaldi Provincial Park — Kelsey at Mount Cook summit

The descent was relatively faster. In the final section to the hut, we again got off the trail and had to scramble a few sections and hop over some boulders. I slipped over one of the boulders but was not injured.

I believe we were back at our campsite at the lake by around 4 pm. Around a six-hour round trip, including breaks, but much longer than I had expected. But the weather was great, and we were treated to some incredible views throughout the hike.

Territory Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge that this trip took place on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the St’át’imc (Stat-lee-um), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Líl̓wat Nations. I commit to learning about Indigenous peoples and issues and making reconciliation an ongoing effort.

Source: Native-Land Pronunciation Guide: First-Nations.info