Garibaldi Trip - Elfin Lakes/Diamond Head/Opal Cone/Mamquam Lake
- Kaitlin
- Sep 20, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 27, 2024
September 18-20, 2024
In 2022, I attempted to backpack to Mamquam Lake. It turned out to be quite the adventure and I never made it all the way to the lake. This year, I returned to fully reach Mamquam Lake and bag some other peaks along the way as well. I made it a 3 day trip which totaled 56km.
Day 1: Elfin Lakes, The Gargoyles/Columnar Peak, Diamond Head
21.6km
1700m elevation gain
8hr:50 total (6.5 hrs hiking)
I left the Diamond Head parking lot at 8am. The day started off cloudy, with the clouds rolling in and out. The sky looked really cool on my way to Elfin Lakes.
I made it to Elfin Lakes in 2.5 hours and set up camp at one of the tent pads. From there, I grabbed a small day pack and started making my way towards Diamond Head.
The trail was incredibly busy. I was shocked. It was the middle of the week on a cloudy day in late September. What were all these people doing here? I suppose they could ask me the same question.
The trail ascended a rocky ridge until it reached the saddle in between two peaks: The Gargoyles and Columnar Peak. Both of them are only 300-400m to their respective summits. As there were no views at the present moment, I decided to continue on towards Diamond Head with hopes of the clouds clearing.
The trail reminded me a lot of Panorama Ridge. It's not particularly difficult - the elevation gain is gradual - and there is a lot of travelling over talus. There are rock cairns everywhere. It also was very similar to when I did Panorama Ridge in that it was entirely socked in (on that trip, it was also pouring rain).
The final 300m is a direct uphill climb on the side of a cliff edge. Just before starting the climb, I saw a cute marmot munching on the vegetation.
Just as I arrived at the summit, I got a very brief glance at some glaciers below and then the clouds came in again and stayed there. I waited for almost a full hour, hoping to get more of a glimpse of the surroundings, but it was to no avail.
As I was coming back, the clouds parted briefly and I could glimpse the Squamish River.
Once back at The Gargoyles/Columnar Peak saddle, I decided to try my luck at each peak. I started with Columnar Peak, which takes only 15 minutes to reach the summit. I waited 35 minutes to see some views.
After Columnar Peak, I tried my luck at The Gargoyles. Again, I waited 35 minutes to see some views.
Less than an hour after leaving The Gargoyles, I was back at Elfin Lakes.
There was a huge group of high school students there. They were an outdoor education class doing a 5-day trip. It was a bit annoying to have them there as there were so many of them and they were loud. A favourite line I heard was one girl saying to another, "can I borrow your eyelash curler?" Priorities of a teenager. At sunset, they all piled onto the empty tent pad beside my tent and played mafia. Thankfully, they left when it started to get dark at about 8pm so I didn't have to deal with trying to sleep with all of them beside me.
Day 2: Opal Cone, Mamquam Lake
13.3km
1289m elevation gain
7hr:10 total (5.5 hrs hiking)
After a late start to the morning (I got caught up in talking to two old couples who were sharing great stories with me), I started on my way to Mamquam Lake.
The clouds were still present but the views were better and more frequent than the day before. After almost 7km of hiking through stunning river valleys, meadows, and barren talus, the trail came to the Opal Cone junction.
I debated leaving my pack at the trail junction but decided against it and took it with me instead. The trail climbs pretty steeply up a narrow ridge until it opens up into a barren rocky circle of small peaks. The actual Opal Cone 'summit' itself is one of the peaks. You can walk from one rocky peak to the next until you complete the circle. I suppose this is why it is called a cone.
There was such a huge difference between this journey and when I did it in 2022. In 2022, the valley below Opal Cone was entirely covered with snow, despite it being the very end of July. Here is a comparison photo for reference:
After Opal Cone, it was just under 3km more to Rampart Ponds campground. This is the official campground of Mamquam Lake which is a further 1.8km past the campground. This is the spot where I ended my journey back in 2022.
There were two other solo backpackers at the campground when I arrived. Both guys were super nice - we all ended up chatting for hours.
After setting up camp and eating lunch, I made my way over to Mamquam Lake. The meadows alongside the trail were covered in blueberry and huckleberry, all which held very large and plump berries. They were delicious.
The lake was very peaceful. I spent quite awhile at it. There was no one there and it offered me a grateful break from being around so many people for the past couple of days. I'm not used to that when hiking and I really dislike it. I like complete solitude.
The evening at Rampart Ponds was really cold. I put on every layer I brought with me and I was still cold, which is saying something as I run very hot.
Day 3: Diamond Head trailhead
20.7km
600m elevation gain
6 hrs total (5 hrs hiking)
This day was the brightest and sunniest of the three days. I was greeted to beautiful morning views from my tent pad.
I made fairly quick work of getting back to Elfin Lakes. It only took me just over 2.5 hours. The views along the way were excellent.
This day was a heavy wildlife day. I saw 5 bears in total (including one cub) while on the trail. I don't know why I saw so many on this particular day but not the others. Two of the bears were right on the trail. For one of them, I had to wait quite awhile for it to move so I could pass.
The trailhead was very busy when I arrived back at it. The Saturday afternoon crowds were all making their way up to Elfin Lakes.
Yorumlar