USA Canada region: Northwest Southwest Midwest South Northeast

trailpeak sea kayaking routes in Alberta

trailpeak kite boarding, wind surfing and surfing locations in Alberta

trailpeak canoeing and white water rafting and kayaking routes in Alberta

trailpeak mountain bike trails in Alberta

trailpeak rock climbing routes in Alberta

trailpeak crosscountry skiing trails in Alberta

trailpeak backcountry skiing routes in Alberta

trailpeak snow shoeing trails in Alberta

Needle Peak off the Coquihalla - Summer

Needle Peak off the Coquihalla - Summer near Hope Airport, BC

Print page Email to a friend New Trail View

This trail was given a rating of 4 out of 5 stars

-
7hours
difficult
Snowshoeing, Hiking, Back Country Skiing
Spring, Winter, Fall, Summer
Hope Airport, BC

mschlamp

LARGER MAP

Elevation gain: 855 m. Round trip: 13 km. Time: 6 to 8 hours

This strenuous hike climbs to the peak at 2105 metres. The view from the top looks over the Cascades to the Coastal Mountains. The Needle is recommended for experienced hikers only. See same peak described in another trailpeak entry here.

First hour and one half very steep uphill climb after which become easy mountain meadow walk with faboulous vista. Last hour is a scramble over rocks and steep climbs, well worth it.

Directions:

Head east on Old Hope-Princeton Way. Take Hwy #5 east for 46 km. Use the service road near the Ministry of Highways yard. Park on the side near the sign that marks the trailhead.

By Posted By: jeffvm - Thu Aug 19 14:52:48 EDT 2010 Upside Fantastic panorama from the peak. Downside Once out of the forest, the trail might challenge your pathfinding skills. No markers on upper half of the trail, or along the scrambling routes. But on top of a ridge with the peak in sight, how lost could you get? Comment Fantastic trail- so much scenery to soak in once you're out of the trees. The steep part of the trail at the beginning is only a small portion of the hike- nothing to worry about.
There are two sections of scrambling. There is no marked route up there. The best route up is in the middle of the peak- resist the urge to veer to the right or left faces of the peak, you'll probably end up at a dead end or a much more difficult climb.
It was also breezy once out of the forest. Keep that in mind if its not a warm summer day.
We completed this hike in 4 1/2 hours, including a 20 min break at the top.

By Posted By: pipakins - Mon Jul 19 20:11:25 EDT 2010 Upside Loved it. Walking fast we got up in less than two hours. Had the summit to ourselves. Fantastic views. This one is well worth it. Comment KML file of our route is here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2295652/TrailMap%20Project/KML%20files/Needle%20Peak.kml

By Posted By: jayjardine - Mon Jul 19 01:44:44 EDT 2010 Upside Not a lot of forest hiking, so you get lots of sun and great views. Runnable portions of the early sections of trail. Downside You definitely need an experienced guide/partner or reference before attempting the final scrambles. Very easy to take a wrong turn and find yourself in all kinds of trouble. Comment Fun spot with a bit of everything but crowds.

By Posted By: limegirl - Tue Sep 01 23:27:21 EDT 2009 Upside Gorgeous 360 degree views of the surrounding area
Traversing blueberry meadows Downside Summit route not marked Comment Beautiful hike...we were completely alone until we reached the final ascent toward the summit from the meadow. We met a couple on the boulders who couldn't find route to the summit. We tried a couple of different ways, but couldn't find a route. Disappointing to not be able to figure it out, but we got some amazing pictures and met a couple of really nice people and their cute Corgi dog. If anyone could describe direction of the summit route in relation to the approach of the Needle, it would be appreciated. I didn't have a compass, so we didn't know which direction was east or south!

By Posted By: iwhitehe - Tue Jun 30 11:38:18 EDT 2009 Not Rated Upside beeeaaaauuutiful! i soloed this trip and it was amazing... a little dicey on the scramble, but it was a fantastic reward to reach the top! Downside the easiest scramble route should be better marked with some paint markings or something. it was harder to find the correct route onto the ridge than the actual peak itself. when standing on the south side of the ridge... stay a little to the left, don't go around the east side as you'll dead end.... i had a mild panic when the wind kick up. when standing at the last cairn (i think that's the word for the pile of rocks haha) that's where you want to head more west than east. For the final scramble, it shouldn't be too hard. Comment This trail is rated 6-8 hours, but i was to the peak, there for 15-20 minutes, and back to my car in 4 hours with over 100 pictures (mind you, i am not a photographer by any means! haha). I was doing the trip solo which helps and was workign hard, but i am not what you would call fit and trim at 6ft and 230lbs! so that should give others and idea of timing. The steep (and it is really steep) section that starts and goes up through the trees took me about 30-40 minutes and once on the ridge on top it's easier walking until the first scramble onto the upper ridge. one of my favourite hikes so far!

By Posted By: granolapher - Sun Jun 28 13:36:01 EDT 2009 Upside This is a beautiful hike, with some decent exposure, providing excellent views. Downside The turn-off (exit 217) isn't very well marked, we passed it and had to turn around. Comment The trails are very well marked, and quite steep near the beginning. The grade drops as you traverse across the meadow. The last portion is the low grade, short scramble to the summit.

By Posted By: DChan - Thu Oct 30 00:24:31 EDT 2008 Not Rated Upside beautiful panoramic views over the surrounding mountains Comment for the scramble route to the summit, see slide no. 12 on this link

http://web.mac.com/vincepoulin/iweb/Site%201/Needles_files/slideshow.html

By Posted By: DChan - Thu Oct 30 00:22:47 EDT 2008 Not Rated Upside beautiful panoramic views over the surrounding mountains Comment the scramble route to the summit can be found on this link (see slide no. 12)

http://web.mac.com/vincepoulin/iweb/Site%201/Needles_files/slideshow.html

By Posted By: TimG - Fri Apr 04 17:22:56 EDT 2008 Not Rated Comment "Needle Peak" should not be confused with "The Needles", a series of bumps a few KMs north of Lynn Peak (south of Coliseum Mountain)

By Posted By: justforfun - Mon Sep 25 00:32:32 EDT 2006 Upside Great views, immediat pay back as we get out of the forest very quickly and most of the trail is on the ridge in sub-alpine Downside This is not a real down side but a warning, the trail might be sketchy to follow once on the bare rock and ones can find themselve really exposed - there is a memorial at the summit, please don't be an other memorial Comment We summited Needle peak on September 23, 2006 and so far, the 3 of us agreed on calling it a blast. It is surprisignly busy as on this beautiful day of September there was at least 6 other parties on the trail. I would like to bring safety and preservation on my comment - the first thing you need to remember is that Needle peak is a B3 which stands for Moderate (6-8 houres - B) and easy climbing (3) meaning it is not an easy scramble but offers very exposed climbing and any mistake or fall can be fatal. I didn't have a rope with me but I will bring one when I go back even if I am an experienced climber - My other concern is the environment, we are hiking on sub-alpine terrain, meaning that it takes lots of energy and persistance to mother nature to build any kind of vegetation, your footprint takes years to be erased so please stay on the trail.

I will give this destination a 5 out of 5

By Posted By: spry-guy - Sun Aug 08 18:51:32 EDT 2004 Upside Yep, a little bit of everything. Well-maintained trail.Gorgeous peaks come into view with each step. Downside none Comment Didn't make right to the summit.To those who have, can you give a little more info please?Once my friend and I reached the ridge and made our way to the backside of the mountain, the path petered out and climbing over the boulders was dangerous(no footholds/handholds and flaky lichen).We know there's gotta be a way, but by that point we decided to call it a day.Should you skirt along the slope and approach further along, or is it marked and we just missed it??I urge people to visit this trail, but just be careful on the rocks up above.Be conservative.

By Posted By: simonc - Wed May 12 13:10:36 EDT 2004 Upside This trail gives you a bit of everything. Climbing through the trees, to ridge walking, to the final summitt scramble. Good views for a lot of the hike. Downside none really Comment Time permitting it is well worth the effort to climb the west ridge (communication tower) for another prospective of Needle and a couple of beautiful (photo ops) tarns.

By Posted By: spotty - Sat Jul 26 19:03:40 EDT 2003 Upside Awesome views and a fun trail. Lots of time spent on the ridge. The route is not that difficult due to all the neat views. The scramble near the top makes the peak that much more rewarding. Downside None Comment I do not think this hike should just be for experts. The final summit takes a bit of rock climbing but if you stay to the right side gulley it is managable.