Bear Mountain

May 14, 2024

Distance: 17.5 km

Elevation gain: 885 m

Bear Mountain rises to the east of Harrison Hot Springs, separating Harrison Lake from the Fraser Valley. The original plan for this day was the more interesting Slollicum Peak, to the north, but the peak is being actively logged and access isn't allowed on weekdays so an ascent wouldn't work. On the way back I was stuck behind a logging truck for a while.

Bear Mountain is accessed from a logging road off Rockwell Drive, which leads to a fenced-off gold mine. A gate was open so I could drive to the gold mine, but this only saved a few hundred metres.

Past the mine, the trail gently ascends a logging road for several kilometres. It clearly gets a decent amount of local use. It's a pleasant but long grind and I really regretted not bringing a bike.

After a few kilometres this logging road forks. The right (west) path leads to a campsite near Bear Lake. The left (east) path heads to the viewpoint along a slightly older logging road that's still in great shape. At a couple points I heard frogs croaking. The light trough the trees was nice and gave the area a very peaceful feeling.

Eventually the trail leaves the logging road and crosses some small creeks. You're in the forest high on the mountain, but there's a lot of farmland nearby. and unfortunately I could smell it.

The true summit was a very short detour from the trail, involving some fallen tree climbing. 200m past that, I reached a lookout on a bluff overlooking the Fraser River. The bluff has great 180 degree views of the Harrison area, Fraser Valley, Cheam Range, and further beyond. The Cheam Range in particular is right across the valley and the contrast between the cloud-ringed mountains and farmland was striking. The weather and views exceeded expectations and I relaxed there for a while.

Eventually I returned to the car, once again really regretting leaving the bike at home. Pretty much the whole trail, except maybe the last 1km, would be doable on a mountain bike and the descent would be fast and rewarding. Instead I faced a long plod down the gravel road. I didn't see any bears but there were plenty of bear signs.