Trailhead Location:
Approximately 235 kilometers from Williams
Lake via
Highway 20, Eagle Lake Road, Tatlayoko Lake Rd, and Snoring Horse Ranch
access road: about 210 km from Williams Lake on Highway 20 to Eagle Lake Road (turn left),
then 16 km to Tatlayoko Lake Rd (turn left), then 6.7 km to Snoring
Horse Ranch access road (turn right), then 2 km to trailhead parking
(park on the left side).
Liked:
Excellent mountain views, shade in the forest.
Of Note:
Remote wilderness area, numerous
mosquitoes in the second half of the trail, a very long marshy area with
high bushes in sub-alpine, loose rock and dirt in alpine. Hiking
poles and boots are recommended (to sub-alpine) and are essential (in
sub-alpine and alpine). GPS recommended.
Crazy Creek Trail is located off Tatlayoko Lake Road, which, in turn,
branches off
BC Highway 20 near the settlement of Tatla Lake. It's a
remote area, which means that you are likely to have it all to yourself,
regardless of when you hike it. The mountain views are great. However,
to see these views you would need to traverse a very
large marshy area with knee-high bushes and hordes of mosquitoes, and
then climb a steep mountain made of loose rocks and dirt. It's a very
challenging trail beyond the forest, and would be suitable for
experienced, well-equipped hikers only.
As for the trailhead access, Highway 20 is paved, Eagle Lake and
Tatlayoko Lake roads are gravel with some potholes, and Snoring Horse
Ranch access road is gravel and in a somewhat rough shape. High
clearance vehicles (2WD ok) would easily make it to the trailhead
parking. Low clearance vehicles may have to park on Tatlayoko Lake Road,
so the hike would be extended by 2 km each way.
1. We are Westbound on BC Highway 20, heading towards Tatla Lake.
BC Highway 20
2. Approaching Eagle Lake Road - the sign indicates that Eagle Bear
Lodge and Eagle Roost Guest Houses are located in that direction.
Highway 20 British Columbia near Tatla Lake
3. Approximately 210 kilometers West of Williams Lake, we are turning
left onto Eagle Lake Road. Tatla Lake would be several kilometers ahead
on Highway 20 - food and gas are usually available in Tatla Lake.
BC Highway 20 at Eagle Lake Road Turnoff near Tatla Lake
4. Eagle Lake Road immediately after turning from Highway 20.
Coordinates:
N 51⁰55.541' W 124⁰29.130'. Elevation: 965
meters.
Eagle Lake Road near Tatla Lake BC Canada
5. Driving on Eagle Lake Road. It is possible to maintain a speed of
50-60 km/h. Watch for cows.
Eagle Lake Road by Tatla Lake BC
6. 16 kilometers after turning from Highway 20, arrive to a T-junction
with Tatlayoko Lake Road and turn left.
Coordinates: N 51⁰47.976' W
124⁰27.968'. Elevation: 1,012 meters.Turning right would lead back to Highway 20, but closer to Tatla
Lake. So, if you are driving East on Highway 20, make a right turn onto
Tatlayoko Lake Road less than a kilometer past Tatla Lake, in order to
get to Crazy Creek Trail.
Eagle Lake Road at Tatlayoko Lake Road Turnoff
7. Tatlayoko Lake Road has fewer potholes than Eagle Lake Road, and
driving at 70-80 km/h is quite feasible.
Tatlayoko Lake Road
8-9. After driving on Tatlayoko Lake Road for 6.7 km, turn right onto
Snoring Horse Ranch access road. Coordinates:
N 51⁰44.611' W
124⁰26.758'. Elevation: 906 meters. You may need to leave your
low-clearance vehicle on Tatlayoko Lake Road, and walk the final 2 km
to the trailhead, as Snoring Horse Ranch access road is substantially
rougher.
Tatlayoko Lake Road at Snoring Horse Ranch Access Road
Snoring Horse Ranch Access Road near Tatla Lake BC Canada
10. Drive on Snoring Horse Ranch access road for 2 km. Stay left at the
split at 0.7 km (not pictured).
Snoring Horse Ranch Access Road
11. Arrive at the parking area on the left side.
Coordinates:
N 51⁰44.446' W
124⁰27.919'. Elevation: 1,028 meters.
Driving further would lead
to Snoring Horse Ranch gate within a minute or two. There are
no signs pointing towards the trail or indicating the trailhead. We
found it thanks to Backroad Mapbook software in our GPS.
Snoring Horse Ranch Access Road at Crazy Creek Trailhead Parking Area
12. There are actually two trails starting here. Crazy Creek
Trail is on
the very right, if facing from the road, as seen in the photo below. The
trail on the left (not seen) is more narrow, and it is unclear where it
leads.
Crazy Creek Trailhead - Hike in Tatla Lake Area
13. The first part of Crazy Creek Trail is fairly easy, when you are
hiking
in a forest.
Trail in Tatla Lake Area - Crazy Creek Trail
14. There are rocks and roots, and an occasional muddy stretch, but
nothing too complicated - just a steady elevation gain.
Hiking in Tatla Lake Area - Crazy Creek Trail
15. After eight kilometers of hiking, the forest ends, and you enter the
sub-alpine. Coordinates:
N 51⁰43.049' W
124⁰32.197'. Elevation: 1,900 meters (872 meters elevation gain from the
start of the trail). It took us just over 2.5 hours to get here, at an
average moving speed of 3.4 km/h. Here is where the easy stuff ends.
First of all, there are no cairns or flagging tape of any kind. The path
disappears shortly after the end of the forest. The vast marsh is about
to begin. If you have no hiking boots and poles, and no GPS or good
route finding skills, this is the right place to check out the view seen
in the photo below, and head back.
Crazy Creek Trail - Chilcotin Hike
Here is Our Video of the Views After Reaching the
Sub-Alpine:
16. We did not know where to go from here, but saw a climbable mountain
straight ahead, and decided to give it a shot. Things got complicated in
a hurry - the ground was marshy, so we had to hop from one dry elevated
spot to another. There were numerous knee-high bushes, and our rain
pants saved the day. And the mosquitoes jumped on us with reckless
abandon, dying by the dozens yet never relenting in their ceaseless attacks.
This was about just as bad as when we hiked
Mount Murray near Barkerville. Is it possible to avoid the marsh?
Hard to tell. Perhaps, going a bit to the left would have helped, but
it's just a guess, as some areas were a total mini-swamp. And the trees
are not an indicator of dry ground - marshy areas were all around
the trees as well.
Chilcotin Hiking - Tatla Lake Hiking
17. The marsh lasted for two kilometers, and it took us one hour to get
through. Here we are at the edge of the mountain seen in the photo
above, and are looking back at what we have just crossed.
Coordinates for this spot: N 51⁰42.411' W
124⁰33.076'. Elevation: 1,995 meters.
Tatla Lake Hike - Chilcotin Hike
18. We then started to climb the mountain. It was quite steep, made of
loose rock and dirt, and the elevation was over 2,000 meters and
increasing, so the oxygen was in short supply
too, making for a slow go.
BC Hiking
19. Halfway through the climb, we realized that there was quite a view
hiding to the left, so that's where we went.
Hike in British Columbia
Here is Our Video of the Views From Around This
Area:
20. A great view indeed. Approximate
coordinates for all this beauty: N 51⁰41.656' W 124⁰33.617'.
Elevation: 2,194 meters.
Crazy Creek Hike near Tatla Lake British Columbia - Chilcotin Hiking
21. Looking to the right.
Hike in Chilcotin Area
22. A close-up of the most prominent peak.
Tatla Lake Hiking
23. Looking more to the right (no zoom).
Crazy Creek Hike - Chilcotin Hiking British Columbia Canada
24. And a bit more.
Tatla Lake Hiking - Crazy Creek Hike
25. Yet more to the right we see a ridge, which would have been nice to
climb, if we had time.
Hike in British Columbia
26. Eventually, we returned to our original mountain, in order to cross the
marsh the same way we did earlier today, in case the surrounding area
would be even more complicated. A neat view on the way back.
BC Hiking
27. Finally, a look at the mountain we have to descend and the marsh
beyond it. This is our highest and final point of the hike.
Coordinates: N 51⁰42.114' W 124⁰33.896'.
Elevation: 2,450 meters.
Chilcotin Hiking
It took us a total of six hours to get to the alpine and check all the
views. Then, three hours to get back, at an average moving speed of 3.8
km/h (it's 10.7 km of hiking from the point seen in the photo above to
the parking area).
It is entirely possible to hike here for much longer. Provided you are
properly equipped and experienced to tackle this sort of terrain, Crazy
Creek hike would not disappoint. Highly recommended.