NOTE for 2011: Due to a washout at 28.8 km on the Blaeberry FSR, you will need to walk, bike or quad an extra 20 km. You will also gain some 900 metres of elevation.
Synopsis: A brief climb through forest, and then a bit of routefinding up a sub-alpine rocky slope to the ridge, where there are spectacular views.
Access: From the junction of Highway 95 and Highway 1, drive west on the Trans Canada Highway for 11.6 km to Moberly Branch Road. Go up the hill 1.9 km to a T, and turn left on Golden Donald Upper Road. After 0.9 km, bear right on to Oberg Johnson Road, and follow it 1.9 km to the end, where it forms a T. Turn left on Moberly School Road and follow it for 0.5 km until it curves to the right and becomes Blaeberry Road. Follow Blaeberry Road for 6.5 km, until you see a sign on the right that says M Road. Set your odometer to 0 here, and it will match the FSR signs. Turn left 0.2 km past the M Road sign, and cross the Blaeberry River on a bridge. Follow the Blaeberry FSR to 300 metres past the 34 km marker.
Turn right onto the bridge and cross the Blaeberry River. Follow the Ensign-Collie Creek FSR (no sign) for 7.9 km. At 1.0 km, stay left. The road is steep, and rough in spots, especially over the first 5 km. Watch for waterbars.
At 7.9 km, there is a junction. Take the right hand fork, which has a sign for Amiskwi. The road gets rough and switchbacks steeply up the hill for 1.4 kilometers before it re-enters the Ensign Creek watershed. You are just under 2000 metres high here.
Follow the road further back the valley for another 6 kilometers. At 10.9 km there is a sharp corner at a creek that has partially washed out the road. A bit tight, but you can make it. (Until it washes out more.) In one cutblock, you have a great view of Mount Mummery and the Mummery Glacier across the valley.
At 15 km, you reach the last landing. The last 300 metres of the road is very rough, and it ends in a loading area, complete with a porcupine-free fenced area for guests of the backcountry lodge nearby.
Trailhead: The trail begins just south of the fenced parking area.
Trail: Follow the trail on the left for 50 metres, where you find a bridge. (The trail on the right side of the parking area goes to Amiskwi Pass and Yoho National Park.) Cross the bridge and turn left. Climb steeply through the forest for 20 minutes until you reach the sub-alpine, and the area near Amiskwi Lodge.
The trail goes right past the lodge. Try not to annoy the residents, if there are any.
Go past the lodge and look at the hill behind you. The easiest access is probably to gain the col more or less directly behind the lodge. There is no trail to speak of, but navigation is easy. There will be the odd ravine and cliff band to avoid. Unless it is totally socked in, you shouldn't have a problem.
You can gain the ridge easiest just north of the col, and then wander along to the summit cairn. The view here is astounding, so leave lots of time. That jewel of a lake to the east is Collie Lake, beneath Collie Peak and Collie Glacier. To the south is Des Poilus mountain and glacier; to the southwest is the Amiskwi valley, and you can see all the way down to Field. In the other direction, you can see all the way up the Blaeberry to Howse Pass, while to the west is the Mummery group. You can even see Sir Donald in the distance.
It is possible to ridgewalk north for another 2.5 km to a minor peak on the end of the ridge. If you do this, and then try to return to your vehicle below the lodge, you need to stay high for most of the return trip. Otherwise, you are facing 3.8 km of ridges and gulleys, ridges and gulleys, ridges and ... believe me, it is easier to stay high.
Cautions:
NOTE about hikers on the Ensign FSR: If you pass hikers with huge packs on the logging road, you might want to stop and offer them a ride. They are probably doing the Great Divide Trail. Some of the purists might decline the ride, but others would be keen to avoid the stretch between here and Cairnes Creek, at the north end of the Blaeberry FSR.
The Great Divide Trail comes up the Amiskwi Valley, down the Ensign Creek FSR, then up the Blaeberry FSR to the Howse Pass trail.