Synopsis: This hike leads to fantastic glacier views and some of the world's most famous rock climbing.
Access: From the lights in Golden, drive south on Highway 95 for 63.0 km to the hamlet of Spillimacheen. Turn right on the Westside Road and cross the Columbia River valley. After 2.3 kilometres, turn left on the Westside Road. Do not take the Giant Mine Road.
Follow the Westside Road for another 7.5 km through the forest to a Y, where there is a hayfield. Take the right hand fork for another 2.3 km, when you reach a four way intersection. Turn right and set your odometer to zero.
You are now on the Bugaboo FSR, and you have a 38.8 km drive to the parking lot at Bugaboo Provincial Park. Stay on the main road. At 11.5 km, stay right. Do not take the left fork to Cartwright Lake. At 36 km, turn right on to the narrow and rough road with a Bugaboo Provincial Park sign. (If you get to the Canadian Mountain Holidays Bugaboo Lodge, you've gone too far.) The next 2.8 km are full of potholes and the whole road surface leans to the left. The road deadends in the parking lot, which will be filled with vehicles surrounded by chicken wire. We'll explain that in a moment.
Alternative approach: From the lights in Golden, drive 75.8 km south on Highway 95 to Brisco. Turn right on Brisco Road and follow it across the valley. In 5 km, you leave the valley and the pavement. Once you enter the forest, look for a left hand turn that goes up the hill. The road here is steep and sometimes rough, but it will get you to the four way intersection described above. The intersection is 7.1 km from the highway. Set your odometer to 0 and drive for 36 km, turn right on the rough road, and drive for 2.8 km to the parking lot.
About that chicken wire: Visitors never believe this, but it's true. The local porcupines will eat the rubber parts of your car to get the road salt. This could very well make your car undriveable. The solution? Wrap your car in chicken wire, and anchor it with rocks and pieces of wood. There will be plenty of examples for you to follow. (For day trippers, this precaution might not be necessary.)
Trailhead: At the far end of the parking lot, there is a brown notice board. The trail starts to the right of the board. Take the trail that turns immediately to the right.
Trail: The first 1.5 kilometres is an easy stroll along the valley floor, with some boardwalks on the marshy parts. You climb the toes of two minor moraines before reaching a small boulder field. The climb begins here. The trail moves up through forest and then an avalanche slope, and the green roof of the hut seems close. This is where those weird bits come in.
Rather than continuing up the avalanche path, the trail climbs some rock slabs. The good news is you get some artificial help. Look for steps cut out of the rock, steps made out of concrete, and a wire cable that supplies a handhold in some spots. This sets the stage for the weirdest bit... an aluminum ladder that scales a 8 meter high rock wall. Then there is more of the rock steps and wire cable before the trail returns to the more usual rock and dirt path. There is one creek crossing on a rickety wooden bridge before the final push to the hut.
The Conrad Kain Hut is named after the pioneering climber and mountain guide Conrad Kain, who has reached legendary status in the mountain climbing world. There are outhouses available to the travelling public, located below and north of the hut (and below a rock roof.) The views from here include a close-up of the Bugaboo Glacier, Hound's Tooth (the rock spire in the middle of the glacier), and Snowpatch Spire.
If you have the time and energy, the extra one kilometre, one hour hike up to the Applebee Dome campsite is well worth it. The views here are even better, with close-ups of the great walls of Snowpatch and Bugaboo Spire, as well as an overview of the glacier.
The trail climbs the ridge of a lateral moraine, and then heads right and climbs over a boulder field before the last pitch up to the campsite on Applebee Dome.
Don't expect to be alone on this hike.
For reservations at the Conrad Kain Hut, contact the Alpine Club of Canada.
Cautions:
- Porcupines might attack your car. Wrap it in chicken wire.
- Climbing the rock slabs, while not difficult, is... well, different.
