NOTE about rental cars: If you rent cars regularly, you are probably familiar with the joke about the difference between a Hummer and a rental car: there are some places a Hummer just can't go. This is probably not a philosophy you want to try out on the last few kilometres of the Gorman Lake FSR. If you are driving a low-clearance vehicle, I strongly suggest you park at the wide spot at 15.5k and walk the additional two kilometres. Otherwise, the odds are good that you will rip your oilpan and have to walk the 17k back to town.
Synopsis: A hike on a well built trail to a beautiful alpine lake.
Access: From the lights in Golden, drive north on Highway 95 (10th Ave), cross the Kicking Horse River, and drive three blocks to 7th St. North. Turn left and follow the signs for the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and the Golden Golf and Country Club. Once it reaches the dikes, 7th St. turns into Kicking Horse Drive and eventually crosses the Columbia River on a single lane bridge. Drive 700 metres past the bridge and turn right on the golf course road. Follow it for 2.1 kilometres. Just past the first bridge turn left onto the gravel Dogtooth FSR. Set your odometer to "0" here. If you reach the golf course parking lot, you've gone too far.
For the first 1.5 kilometres, you need to watch for golfers crossing the road in three spots. The entrances are hidden by bushes, so be careful. Once you start climbing the hill, watch for heavy machinery and trucks at the gravel operation.
At 3.7 km, stay left at the Y. The road is now posted as a wilderness road after this point. Traffic uses both roads, so pay attention and don't miss this turn. Some new turnoffs have been added recently in the next stretch. At 4.7k, go straight, not left. At 5.2k, stay straight, not right. At 5.3k, stay straight, not right. At 6.1k, stay straight, not left. (The 6k marker is just around the corner, but your odometer is correct, and the sign is misplaced.) At 6.9k, stay straight, not left. At 7.9k, there is a three way junction. Take the middle fork. Ignore all minor side roads until 10.0 km, when you reach a 4 way intersection. Go straight ahead for Gorman Lake. The road gets a bit rougher after this. At 11.7 km, stay straight, not right. At 12.8 km, turn left onto the Gorman FSR. The next stretch of road has switchbacks and some very rough sections. Drive for 4.2 kilometres until you reach a wooden foot bridge. Park here.
Trailhead: The trail begins at the wooden bridge.
Trail: Cross the footbridge and continue up the road for 1 km, through the final cutblock. The last stretch is a bog, but the boardwalks are still in place. When you reach the forest again, a sign indicates it is three kilometres to Gorman Lake.
Follow the obvious trail. After 1.3 kilometres, the trail forks. Take the left hand fork. (The right fork is the old trail that leads through a serious bog. Stay off it.) Shortly after the fork, the trail emerges from the forest and reaches a boulder field. There is a well constructed trail that climbs and crosses the rocks, but you might have to hunt for it. Try to follow the cairns.
Follow the trail as it climbs and crosses the rock slope. You will be focusing on the trail, but it is worthwhile to stop occasionally and check out the incredible rock formations on the ridge to the south. Once clear of the boulder field, follow the trail for the final kilometre to the lake.
Around the lake: There are trails on both sides of the lake to reach the far end. The trail on the south side was rebuilt a few years ago and is now easier, although it has more exposure to falling rock. It is about 800 metres to the far end.
Gorman-Holt col and Holt Lakes: From the back of the lake, head up the creek towards the back of the bowl. Before you get reach the last large rock cliff sticking out of the talus, turn left and grind your way up the steep talus slope. This is a difficult hike. At the top, you will find the slope lessens, and you can work your way to the col.
Gorman-Lang col: From the back of the lake, head up the creek until you are behind the rocky ridge on the right (which has some fantastic rock columns on it.) When the slope turns to grass and flowers, you can grind your way up, skirting the small trees about two thirds of the way up, and then moving left or right and hiking over the shattered rock to the col. It is a great deal of work to get to the col.
Cautions: