Healy Pass Hike

Where:

• Healy Pass

 

When:

• June 29, 2019

 

Who:

• Ed, Craig, Dave, Lorna, Steph, Rob, Ollie, Joey, Jennifer, Geoff, Lynn, Peter, Lisa, Oggie, Kent, Colleen, Sasha, Feiko, Darcy, Carly

 

Trailhead:

• the trail starts at the Sunshine Village Ski Resort
• there is a Healy Creek parking lot as soon as you turn off the highway and cross the overpass, but this is not where the trail starts
• the trailhead is at the end of the parking lot past the lodge on the end where the gondola goes up the hill

 

Degree of difficulty:

• 900 meters of elevation gain and 18 km distance out and back
• the trail is well groomed and well marked but pay attention to the trail signs as there are three places where you need to stay to the right on the way up
• all the creek and stream crossings have been fixed from the 2013 floods which makes for easy access
• although it has a reasonable amount of elevation it is a gradual climb, so it is not a gutbuster
• given the length of the trail, it does require some decent cardio capacity and leg strength
• the hike took us just over five hours at a moderate pace

 

 

Interesting notes:

• the wildflowers were in full bloom across the entire meadow and were quite a spectacular sight despite the overcast weather, which included a summer blizzard as we descended the pass
• the flies and mosquitoes can be quite vicious in the forest area so bring bug spray (we got lucky on this day due to the dampness and cooler weather)
• a good part of the trail is in the forest (the first 7 km) but does offer decent views of the peaks on either side of the valley, Healy Creek, and some waterfalls
• the 360-degree views at the pass include several tarns in the meadow, Simpson Pass, Egypt Lake, Scarab Lake, Pharoah Mountain and Mt. Assiniboine on a clear day
• a lot of people use this trail to access the campground and hut at Egypt Lake for overnight trips (we passed about 30 people making their way up and over the pass)