Pinecone Lake Area

South of Pinecone Lake

There is quick access to the alpine area just south of Pinecone Lake. A trail leads from the end of branch E110 of the Mamquam FSR road system up into the alpine via a little bit of forest and then heather meadows. The trail goes over a 1650m bump and then climbs to about 1800m. There are many glaciers in this area that are not noted on map 92 G/10. From the end of the defined trail you can climb straight up to peak 6500 (as described in 103 hikes), and follow the ridgetop either way. Also, you can traverse east below the glacier to reach Mount Gillespie, which is a moderate scramble. It may be possible to reach Pinecone Lake itself using this approach, but the difficulty of descending from the ridgetop to the lake is unknown.

Driving directions

Mamquam FSR starts at the Apron Parking lot at the base of the Chief just south of Squamish. Distances are measured from here and distance signs are posted along the road in miles. The mainline is obvious to Mile 15, where there is a fork (go left, which is actually the mainline). At Mile 18, turn left onto E-main, then turn left onto E100 shortly thereafter. A couple km up E100, take a left fork onto the E110 branch. E110 has numerous branches, which can be confusing. If in doubt take the uphill branch. The trail doesn't start right at the end of E110, but can be picked up at the edge of the clearcut which is about 50m past the end of the road.

Road / Trail conditions

In 2005, The roads were 2wd to the E100/E110 junction, and then moderate cross ditches on E110. It's about a 2km walk up E110 to the end of the road without a 4x4. The trail is vague at times, but the ridgetop is very easy to follow even if you lose the trail.