Flattop Mountain

Access: From the lights in Golden, drive south on Highway 95 to the hamlet of Nicholson. Turn right on the Nicholson Loop Road, go past the Nicholson Store, and turn right on Canyon Creek Road. Cross the Columbia River and take the left fork. Just before the end of the road, turn left on the 12 Mile Creek FSR. Set your odometer to 0 here, and it will match the posted signs.

At 1.9 km, stay straight on the left fork. At 6.2 km, turn right. At 7.2 km, follow the curve right. (The 7 km sign is just after this curve. It's out by a bit.) At 7.4 km, curve left. At 7.7 km, watch out for a hole in the road. At 8.5 km stay right. There are two very rough spots on steep hills between 9 km and 10 km. High clearance is a good idea here. At 10.3 km, bear left. The right fork goes to Certainty Mine trail.

Follow the road south to 16.5 km, where it forks. Take the right fork and curve in a big loop, eventually heading back north. There is a creek to drive through at 17 km, which might present a problem for low clearance vehicles. There are also two steep, rough hills later on. And, there could be a bit of water on the road at 18 km. High clearance four wheel drive is a help here.

At 19.3 km there are three forks, one of which leads to a visible trapper's cabin. Take the fork on the very right and climb 200 metres to a landing.

Trailhead: The trailhead is located near the northwest corner of the landing, and is marked with flagging tape. You will see a steep dirt bank on your right. The trailhead is to the north, or right, of the dirt bank. To get your bearings, Flattop Mountain is directly above you, and you will ascend the drainage to the north of it.

Trail: The trail begins by climbing gradually through a forested patch, and then emerges into an avalanche slope, reenters the forest (where there is currently some blowdown) and crosses the creek by rock jumping. The crossing can be a little dicey. Once across, the first 30 metres of trail has been washed away and needs some reconstructive surgery. Bushwhack that distance, and then find the trail very near the creek. (If you get too far uphill, you will find an orange-flagged trail that goes to the firebreak on the flank of the 2003 burn. Not where you want to be.)

Once in the avalanche path, the grass and flowers get very thick, and you wouldn't notice a grazing bear until you stepped on it. Make noise. Also, long pants are a good idea in this stretch.

Head up the creek on the right hand side for about 800 metres. The trail gets overgrown each summer but you can usually find it. When a thin forest starts appearing on the other bank, the trail crosses back over and then heads towards the conifer forest ahead and to the left. The trail climbs the hill as well as heading further up the valley. Once it enters the forest, it is very easy to follow. Eventually, you will emerge into a creek bed with steep sides. Head up the creek bed a ways, then climb the steep hill on the right and end up on a grassy slope that climbs gradually to the ridge. The hill is a lot of work, but the reward is now close by.

I've gotten a bit of flak over the years about my advice on this section. If you get out of the gully too soon, you are faced with a hidiously steep slope to climb. Too late, and now it's a hidiously steep slope with no vegetation cover. Try climbing out when the vegetation in the gully starts thinning out, and then bear a little to the left for the most gradual slope.

Follow the alpine meadow up over several false lips (aren't we there yet?) and finally, there will be no more rolls, just a staggering view. The valley below you is the heavily logged Spillimacheen River. To the north you can see Sir Donald.

From here, the summit of Flattop is easy to reach. Follow the ridge to the left and then hike up the final steep part. Be careful near the top, as there is a sheer drop on the other side. There is a good view of the Columbia Valley from here.

From the ridge, you can also head north for about three kilometres of fairly easy walking, or you can get to the peak to the north, above the burn. Stay east of the two little lakes, and after the second, follow the outlet drainage until you get to the trees and grass on the short steep hill to the north of the creek. Grind your way up that hill. From there, just follow the ridge: north, to 13 Mile, or east, to the peak.

If there's a sane way to get all the way to South 12 Mile, I haven't found it yet. If you know of one, please drop me a line.

Cautions:

Watch for wildlife, especially bears. The avalanche paths by the creek are prime bear territory.
There is a sheer dropoff at the summit on the east side. Exercise caution.