Mount Fosthall

Mount Fosthall (2686 metres) is the highest mountain in Monashee Provincial Park. There are many routes to reach the summit (e.g., south ridge, east ridge, west ridge and north face). You can access Mount Fosthall from Sol Mountain Lodge. In this report, I detail the south ridge from the Monashee Provincial Park - Spectrum Lake parking lot.

The Hike

To reach the trail-head for Spectrum Lake - Monashee Provincial Park, I drove toward Cherryville. Before reaching Cherryville, I turned left by Frank's store. For the first part, this road is paved. It transitions to a well maintained gravel road taking you past Sugar Lake. Following this road to the Sugar-Spectrum forest service road. By following the Monashee Provincial Park signs, it took me to the trail-head.

Following the trail, I made my way toward Spectrum Lake. I crossed a number of creeks along the way.

After about 5kms, I arrived at a fork in the trail. To get to Mount Fosthall, I took the trail to Peters Lake.

Along the way, I caught glimpses of the west ridge on Mount Fosthall.

After gaining some elevation, I arrived in the sub-alpine area nearby Slate Mountain (left side of the picture).

The trail took me around Little Peters lake (picture below).

I crossed a creek. At the time of this report, the bridge was damaged. I stepped on rocks to cross the creek because the water was low.

I continued along the trail passing by a small boulder-field. A few years ago, I encountered a sow grizzly and yearling in this area. Unfortunately, I surprised the sow and she bluff charged a few times. Fortunately, she did not make contact.

I made my way to Big Peters Lake (picture below). From here, I had a great view of Slate Mountain. There were fish in the lake. Great for a swim too!

From Big Peters lake, I made my way to the fork in the trail leading to the southern slopes of Mount Fosthall.

The trail took me through some meadows. Unfortunately, there was a fair bit of smoke from forest fires that obstructed the view.

From this saddle (picture below), I turned toward the southern slopes of Mount Fosthall.

You can see the southern ridge in the photo below. The route ascends nearby the snow patch to the left side of the photo. After gaining the ridge (class 2), it's a simple walk to the summit.

Closer view of the southern ridge in the photo below.

Once on the southern ridge, I crossed some small rocks and boulders. From here, I could see the summit.

Not much of a view on this smokey day. I reversed the route to get back to my car.

Final Thoughts

Mount Fosthall is a long hike (39km) with plenty of elevation gain (2300 metres). The trail travels through forest, by three lakes, sub-alpine meadows, and rocky terrain. While not technically difficult, the hike to the summit of Mount Fosthall traverse a wide range of ecosystems.