Mount Rohr

Date: August 5, 2023 (Trip report written January 2025)

Distance: 15.9km (if parking at first parking lot), 13-14km (if parking at second parking lot)

Elevation gain: 1150m

GPS: BestHikesBC Link

Mount Rohr is a mountain above the Duffey Lake Road near Pemberton, offering stunning mountain and lake views on a well-defined, intermediate-length trail.  I’m usually a little cautious about posting these kinds of hikes here, but over the past few years Rohr has become very popular as a hiking destination through social media, and the secret is definitely out. I would recommend it as an introduction to the Duffey region or for a beginner/intermediate level hiker looking to expand their horizons. It’s also a popular destination for snowshoers and backcountry skiers in the winter.

This was my first hike north of Pemberton in quite a while and I’d forgotten how long the drive was. Eventually I made it to the Marriott Basin FSR, on the north side of the road about 4km east of Joffre Lakes. There is a parking lot immediately off the road, but most vehicles - including mine - could continue 1km further along the road to another parking lot. The road is in rough shape past that, but high clearance vehicles could make it another couple kilometres. (In winter, everyone parks at the snow shed off the highway). 

I walked along the road for a while, then the road narrowed and became more of a trail. It soon forked, with the left (west) branch going to Marriott Basin and the Wendy Thompson Hut and the right (east) branch going to Mt. Rohr. Soon past that, there was a boulder field that needed to be ascended, but it was well-marked and the route was obvious. There were more people than I expected. 

Above the boulder field was the beautiful blue Rohr Lake, a popular camping spot. This would be a good destination if you aren’t going all the way to the peak. 

From the lake, I followed the trail along the northern shore, then up into a valley. I was soon above the treeline in a beautiful alpine meadow, with views of Rohr and the other peaks on its ridge. Cayoosh etc. formed a scenic backdrop behind Rohr Lake. After some time out east, it was great to be in a BC alpine meadow with such nice scenery. 

The route followed the meadow east, then ascended a valley on the west side of Rohr. This involved a little bit of class 2 scrambling, but you could probably find some class 3 lines if you wanted to. 

Soon, I was on the summit, with excellent views all around the Duffey area. One highlight was the view of Joffre Peak across the valley. The path of a massive landslide from 2019 could clearly be seen. There were a couple other groups on the summit but it was wide enough not to feel too crowded. 

The descent to the car went quicker than expected and a few hours later, I was home. This was a relatively short and sweet hike, and a great way to re-acquaint myself with this part of the province.