Pinnacle Lake

Pinnacle lake is located at the head of the north fork of Railroad Creek which is a tributary of Monashee Creek. Pinnacle Lake sits in a vast amphitheatre. Standing at the shores of the lake, the Middle Pinnacle is seen just right of centre in the picture below. The traverse from the Middle to South Pinnacle crosses near the summit of the Middle Pinnacle seen in this picture.

Looking toward the South Pinnacle

To reach the hiking trail to Pinnacle Lake, we drove east on highway 6 for approximately 66km through Lumby and up the hill past Cherryville. Driving past the Gold Pan cafe, we continued down the hill making a U-turn. We continued until we found a dirt road to the left (South Fork Forest Service Road). Beware that there is an older deactivated road that may be shown as the South Fork Forest Service Road. Continue past this road and you'll find the new road. The road was in good condition. Unfortunately, there aren't any signs at the start of the road indicating the direction to Pinnacle Lake. You may want to use a Backroad Mapbook. Once you are closer to the trail head, there are signs indicating the correct way to the Pinnacle Lake trail head.

The Hike

When we arrived at the trail head, we found an outhouse (no toilet paper). There was sufficient parking space for a few cars. The trail starts just past the sign in the photo below.

Only a few steps down the trail, we crossed a creek. At the time, the creek was flowing fairly well so we had to take our shoes off to walk through it.

The trail gently ascends through the forest.

We entered into the old growth forest.

After enjoying the pleasant trail through the forest, we entered into the foliage. The trail goes through the centre of the photo below.

The brush is fairly high but it's easy to hike through it. There was some stinging nettle so watch out for it!

After crossing a few creeks and muddy sections, we arrived at the bottom of the waterfall.

Following switchbacks, the trail climbs nearby the waterfall.

Along the way, there is an optional viewpoint (picture below).

As you near the lake, there is a path following beside Railroad Creek flowing out of Pinnacle Lake. We sat on one of the rocks beside the creek; it was a great spot for lunch. There were far fewer bugs than the lake.

Pinnacle lake is beautiful! At the lake, there are several camping spots. There were a lot of bugs at the lake. It would be a nice place to stay after the first frost in the fall. For those that want to go further, you can walk around the shoreline to reach a gully (obvious gully on the right in photo below). Depending on conditions, you can ascend up the gully to reach the grassy area to the left of the gully. Crossing this grassy area, you can ascend to the ridge above. From the ridge, you can complete the South Pinnacle Traverse (see my post). Alternatively, you can drop down toward Sunny Peak, Monshee Lake or the North Pinnacle.

Final Thoughts

Pinnacle Lake is a beautiful location and it is perfect for a half-day hike. For those who want to explore beyond the lake, there are plenty of options. It might be fun to hike to Pinnacle Lake to spend the night. Then, ascend to the ridge and drop down to Monashee Lake for the night. There may be other creative ways to link it with existing routes.

With that said, I think Monashee Lake is a better place to camp and access the many nearby routes (e.g., Rioux Lake, Mark Berger Traverse, Sunny Peak, Middle Pinnacle, South Pinnacle, and North Pinnacles).