Stoltmann Wilderness Trail - North End

and Meager Creek Hotsprings Access

Updated March, 2009.

Road Information

The bridge across Meager Creek, washed out in Oct 2003, has been replaced and the area should be accessible by vehicle May 1 to Oct 15, 2009.

Check the road information page and the recreation site page of the Squamish Forest District. I have not been to the hotsprings or Stoltmann trailhead since 2003. Roads, bridges, and gates may have changed.

Hotpsrings and Trail Access

It's about a 4.5 hour drive from Vancouver to the north Stoltmann trailhead, and about 4 hours to the hotsprings.

These directions begin at the Petro Canada gas station where highway 99 (north) enters Pemberton. Fill up with gasoline in Pemberton.

Reset your odometer at the Petro-Canada intersection.

From Highway 99, turn left to go west through the town of Pemberton.

0.5 km - The road curves right.

0.7 km - Turn left through a round-about, then cross the railroad tracks.

0.9 km - Stop sign. Turn right (north). A sign across the road reads "Hurley River (Bralorne) Forest Service Road" and points right.

2.7 km - Stop sign at "Pemberton Farm Road." Turn left (west). Stay on the main road, which is obvious. This section is paved.

6.0 km - Bridge over Miller Creek. [Just east of the bridge, there's a spot for boat access to the creek, which flows into the Lillooet River.]

7.5 km - Pemberton Helicopters is on the right.

7.6 km - Bridge over the Ryan River.

24.6 km - Turn right (north). A sign near the turnoff reads "Lillooet River Forest Service Road." Signs also indicate that this is the way to Bralorne, Gold Bridge, and Meager Creek.

Reset your odometer at the right turn and sign.

This is the beginning of the Lillooet River Forest Service Road. Marker signs along this road indicate distances in km from the turn. My odometer distances, given below, are a little higher than the marker signs indicate. This road starts out as rough pavement and soon becomes gravel.

1.4 km - Bridge over Lillooet River. Continue to the left (west) after crossing the bridge. The road is gravel from this point and follows the north bank of the Lillooet River toward the west. Just across the bridge and to the right is the Tenquille Lake hiking trail.

2.6 km - Coast Mountain Outdoor School is on the left.

4.7 km - Road passes through a clearing used for log sorting.

9.0 km - Follow the left fork, which is the Lillooet River road. [The right fork is the Hurley River road, which climbs steeply to Railroad Pass and on to Bralorne and Gold Bridge. From Gold Bridge, a good gravel road continues to the town of Lillooet, and from there one can drive to Highway 1 in the Fraser canyon.]

9.1 km - There is a gate, open from about April to Novermber depending on conditions. From here follow the main road, which is always obvious. There may be rough spots and small washouts, but it's almost always passable with 2-wheel drive cars. There are no steep hills.

37.9 km - Intersection with Meager Creek Mainline. Turn left (south) here. A marker for "37 km" is to the right. [The road ahead continues along the north side of the Lillooet River to Salal Creek, which flows into the Lillooet River at the northeastern corner of the Stoltmann Wilderness. There's a bridge over the spectacular Lillooet River canyon just above where the river drops over an impressive waterfall. A pumice mine is located at the end of the road.]

Reset your odometer at the left turn.

Note: As of September 4, 2000, this is where a gate is located on the second bridge across Lillooet River. The gate is manned and open from 8am to 8pm. Hotsprings users pay $5 per day per person and must leave before the gate is closed. Hikers proceed for free and may stay over night, but not in the hotsprings area. If the gate is not open, it may take 1.5-2 hours to hike 7km to the hotsprings or 5-6 hours to backpack the last 14 km to the Stoltmann trailhead. The road sometimes washes out at 4.5 km (Capricorn Creek) and it is dangerous to cross the creek on foot.

This is the beginning of the Meager Creek Mainline. Marker signs along this road indicate distances in km from the turn, and approximately agree with my odometer readings.

0.3 km - Gate at Lillooet River bridge. Cross the bridge over to the south side of the Lillooet River.

1.7 km - Continue straight ahead. [There's a branch road to the right, with an open gate.]

4.5 km (approx.). Bridge over Capricorn Creek.

6.2 km - Fork in the road. Go left on the Meager Creek South Mainline. [The right branch follows Meager Creek's north (main) fork past Angel Falls, two geothermal drilling sites, and clearcuts.]

6.8 km - Meager Creek Hotsprings Parking Lot. Road passes through a clearing, which used to be the site of an A-frame shed for logging equipment. It is now the day-use parking lot for Meager Creek hotsprings. There is a marked walking trail to the hotsprings. For more information about the hotsprings, check out my Meager Creek page.

7.1 km - Bridge over Meager Creek. Past the bridge, the day-use trail to hotsprings continues over the right bank of the road.

7.3 km - Stay straight ahead. [Branch S1 is to the left.]

7.4 km - Stay on the main road by taking the right curve near branch S1A.

8.2 km - Bridge over Pika Creek. There is a gate, which is usually open. Be prepared to park near here and walk to the trailhead, which is about 2 hours ahead by foot.

Reset your odometer at the Pika Creek bridge.

This is the continuation of the Meager Creek South Mainline across Pika Creek bridge. Marker signs continue to indicate the distance in km from the Lillooet River road.

0.4 km - Continue straight ahead. [A branch road is to the left. It may lead to the original trail to the Harrison Hut (built by the UBC Varsity Outdoors Club) located at the headwaters of Madhorse Creek. This road has been cleared and widened some time in the past few years.]

1.9 km - Marker 10 km.

2.5 km - Bridge over Madhorse Creek. [This is the entrance to the valley of Meager Creek South. Madhorse Creek flows into Meager Creek South, which then enters Meager Creek (the main north branch) through the gap that is visible to the right.]

3.2 km - Stay right on the lower road. [The main road continues up and left to clearcuts that reach 4000 feet. GPS position of the fork is UTM 99.57N 65.86E on map 92J11. The road turns east through forest and around the ridge to the upper clearcut. At the top of this clearcut (4000 ft), the new trail to VOC Harrison (Overseer) Hut begins in the forest and is initially marked by red ribbons around trees. To go to Harrison Hut, follow the ridge up to about 6500 ft, contouring along a wide bench at that altitude on the ridge's east side. You may have to leave the ribbon trail behind to reach 6500 ft. If you stay too low, the forest is steep and travel is difficult. Once you're on the high bench, the hut is clearly visible below, to the east across the valley. Continue south past the trees, then drop down open slopes into the valley (about 5500 ft.), and cross over to the hut.]

4.0 km - Marker 12 km.

4.3 km - Curve to the right to stay on the main road. [A branch road (closed) goes up to the left.]

4.6 km - Cross bridge over Meager Creek South to it's north bank. GPS position of the bridge is UTM 98.50N 65.27E on map 92J11.

4.8 km - Go left up the switchback. [A branch road continues straight ahead.]

5.0 km - A sign says "W Main" and there's also a marker sign for 13 km.

6.0 km - Follow the old branch to the left. [The main road curves right.]

This branch road is rough and has waterbars. Vehicles with good clearance can continue. Waterbars can be filled with rocks or wood to get lower-clearance vehicles through. Drive 0.35 km or walk (about 5 min) to a fork in the road. GPS position of the fork is UTM 97.47N 64.52E on map 92J11. Cars can be parked on the road just above this fork. The road is wide enough for an easy turn-around.

Hike down and west along the rough, washed-out left branch another 0.1 km downward into the clearcut, where flagging and some orange markers on a burned tree stump indicate the north end of the Stoltmann Wilderness Trail. There is no sign. Look for the log-and-rope footbridge that crosses the creek.

Trail Description

Hiking times given below are from the north trailhead, with a full pack, and include some time for searching for trail markers. It is a reasonable day trip to reach the high plateau and return. Mist Lake Camp is an easy overnight return trip.

The trail is generally well marked and easy to follow. Watch for orange metal markers nailed or tied to trees. Some flagging has been added to clarify the route, but be sure to find the metal markers regularly to be sure you're on the right trail. The trail is cleared through the forest. In many places on the high plateau, only the markers indicate the trail. There is little sign of the trail on the ground. Rocks piled into cairns are used in place of orange markers on some sections of the plateau.

The beginning of the trail is the most difficult. From the old logging road, the trail drops down to Meager Creek South, and orange markers can be seen on a tree at it's bank. This is just above where Meager Creek South merges with another tributary creek, which comes from the waterfall visible across the valley. The trail starts out muddy as it drops through the clearcut to the creek. After crossing the creek over a fallen tree with hand ropes (not too difficult if you crawl), the trail becomes pleasant as it climbs through the forest.

After 2 hours, the trail reaches the top of a landslide. Above this, there is a hand rope to assist in climbing a steep muddy section. The trail continues to climb until the high plateau is reached after 3 hours of hiking.

On the plateau, the trail goes up and down a couple of hundred feet over ridges as it continues south. There is plenty of water there, and many lakes and ponds for swimming. In mid-July '97, most of the snow was gone and only patches remained, but the lakes were rather cold for swimming.

After 7 hours of hiking, Mist Lake Camp is reached. This campsite is on a flat rocky area near lakes at the south end of the plateau. The are excellent views of glaciated peaks to the east and south. From here, the trail drops down toward the Elaho River.

To hike from Mist Lake Camp back to the north trailhead takes about 5 hours.

Map 1 Trailhead and road access

Map 2 First part of the hike from the trailhead to Mist Lake Camp

Map 3 Trail to Mist Lake Camp

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