Skyline Trail leads to subalpine meadows and panoramic views in Manning Provincial Park
Looking for a sweet September hike? A visit to the Skyline Trail in E.C. Manning Provincial Park may be the ticket, especially if you've already done Three Brothers Mountain and Frosty Mountain.
The Skyline is often done as a backpacking trip, but a day hike to Snow Camp Mountain is a good way to sample the area's delights. From the Strawberry Flats parking lot, the Skyline Trail climbs steadily through forest before passing through subalpine meadows and across steep rocky slopes.
At the 5.9-kilometre mark, you hit a trail junction and go right on the Skyline II Trail. The trail drops down to aptly named Despair Pass, then rises to the subalpine meadows of Snow Camp Mountain. A path to the 1,980-metre-high summit strikes off to the right.
From the grassy mountaintop, fantastic views of nearby Lone Goat and Red mountains as well as striking Hozomeen Mountain across the U.S. border, are had. If the bugs aren't too much to handle, it's a perfect place for lunch, before you follow your tracks back to the trailhead.
The 17-kilometre round trip involves an elevation gain of 600 metres and takes around six hours.
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