Skyline I Trail Hike

Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Backroad Mapbook (2019 edition) Trailhead Coordinates : Page 7 (Manning Park) C6.

Related Website: E.C.Manning Provincial Park - BC Parks official website.

Follow @ihikebc Tweet 

Skyline I Trail is located in a huge E.C.Manning Provincial Park, found along Highway 3 East of Hope, BC. To get to the trailhead, take Gibson Pass Road from Highway 3 (Manning Park Lodge location), which is about 68 km East of Hope, and then drive to Lightning Lake Campground's Spruce Bay Beach parking lot, about 6 km from Highway 3 via Gibson Pass Road.

There is a general trailhead by the parking lot for several trails, and a connector trail leads to Skyline I trailhead in one kilometer. After that, this moderately difficult trail, which features many fine mountain views, goes up and down (mostly up) for about 9 kilometers to a junction where it connects with Skyline II Trail (which leads to Mowich camp, Hozameen Ridge junction, and, eventually, Silver Skagit Road). At this junction, if you want to come back to the parking lot, you can either turn around or proceed to complete a loop via Strawberry Flats.

*All trail distances are based on a GPS odometer and are approximate.

35. Moving on, here is Skyline I Trail at 5.02 km from the parking lot.

36. Serious ups and downs begin here. A hill ahead.

37-38. Almost at the top.

39. Looking back from the top of this hill.

40. Fine views ahead at 5.74 km.

41. With much zoom.

42. Going through a forest at 6.41 km.

43. At 7.06 km, another hill ahead.

44-45. A fine view on the left side at 7.31 km of Skyline I Trail in E.C.Manning Provincial Park. Plain and zoomed.

46. Now at the 7.87 km mark of the trail.

47. Looking left at 7.94 km of Skyline I Trail.

48. More forest hiking at 8.24 km.

49. At 8.28 km, we are passing through a picturesque meadow.

50. Looking left at the 8.28 km mark.

51. The meadow continues at 8.43 km.

52. Another fine view on the left side at 8.48 km.

53. At 8.51 km, the meadow is coming to an end.

54. And, at the 8.77 km mark of Skyline I Trail, we are back in the forest.

55. By the 9.00 km mark, we are getting out of the woods.

56. The trail makes a 90 degree turn here. Coordinates: N 49⁰02.331' W 120⁰55.130'. Elevation: 1,827 meters. We came from the right, and going to the left.

57-60. And right at this 90 degree turn there is a viewpoint with very fine views. Left-Right, zoomed, and panorama.

61-62. Just a bit further, there is a short ridge, and at the end of it the views are even better. But beware of a steep dropoff!

Here is our video of the views from this location.

More ihikebc videos are on our YouTube Channel.

63. A few hundred meters from the 90 degree trail turn, there is a split, where Skyline II Trail continues straight ahead (towards Mowich Camp, Hozomeen Ridge, and Skagit Road trailhead), and you can either take a right turn to complete a Skyline I loop trail via Strawberry Flats, or turn around, which is what we did.

Skyline I Trail is rather challenging, but offers very fine views. Highly recommended.

   

---

    

Follow @ihikebc Tweet