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Hikes · McBride & Robson Valley · Robson Valley

Groeneveld Trail

A steep historic sheep-drive route from the Robson Valley toward alpine meadows and views of the surrounding mountain ranges.

Sources reviewed . This is a research date, not a trail inspection.

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Distance
10 kmRound trip
Elevation gain
Not establishedCumulative ascent for this outing has not been established.
Walking time
About 5 hours returnto timberline
Difficulty
Not rated

Map & elevation

Opening the map…

Partial elevation profile

Mapped portion · walking direction unconfirmed · 4.17 km

This chart covers only part of the route. It does not establish the full hike or a return journey.

Elevation along one mapped source section; direction is not an established walking itinerary800 m1300 m1800 m0 km1.0 km2.1 km3.1 km4.2 km
Explore the elevation with the chart or slider.
Coverage and elevation sources

4.17 km along source section 1 of 1, in its mapped direction. Approximate 90 m terrain model along this mapped section. Separate sections are not joined. This chart does not measure total trail ascent or establish current access; use the guide’s published outing measurements.

Copernicus GLO-90 terrain elevations via Open-Meteo (CC BY4.0); linework: Open Government Licence – British Columbia · checked 2026-10-18 · CC BY4.0 elevation data; Open Government Licence – British Columbia linework. Copernicus DEM 2021 GLO-90 via Open-Meteo. Linework source: https://delivery.maps.gov.bc.ca/arcgis/rest/services/whse/bcgw_pub_whse_forest_tenure/MapServer/9. Sampled and rounded for display.

Government reference trail. The government line covers the named historic trail section. It does not include a verified connection from the present gravel-pit parking area. Line source (opens original source).

Getting there & parking

  1. From Highway 16 between McBride and Dunster, take McNaughton Road north toward the mountains.

  2. Continue straight to the gravel pit at the road end, then locate the flagged trail entrance at its back.

Parking: The trail starts behind the gravel pit at the end of McNaughton Road; the steward warns that the first entrance can be hard to locate.

Full access notes

Turn north off Highway 16 onto McNaughton Road, roughly 23 km east of McBride. When approaching westbound from Valemount past Dunster, the road-name sequence is Lee, Read, then McNaughton on the right. Follow McNaughton straight to the gravel pit at its end. The community-forest steward places the current trail start at the back of that pit and says to use the flagging to locate it. This is the preferred documented access; the older Green Guide’s Stone Arch shared approach describes a different, historically damaged crossing.

Map position: 53.18247, -119.90056 · historical published trailhead / parking area (2010). Natural Stone Arch / Groeneveld trailhead: 53 10.948 N, 119 54.0337 W (degrees and decimal minutes), PDF page 1. The guide explicitly shares the initial approach between these two trails. Current road condition and bridge access not confirmed. The tourism-hosted guide identifies itself as a research copy and says access, trails and amenities have not been updated. Coordinate provenance is verified; current access is not.

On the trail

  1. Climb the established forest trail for about 5 km to timberline, approximately 1,798 m above sea level.

  2. The marked continuation reaches higher alpine terrain; wandering beyond timberline is additional travel, rather than a mapped loop back to the start.

Full route notes

From the flagged start behind the McNaughton Road gravel pit, follow the established ascent along the historic sheep-drive route. The steward describes approximately 5 km of climbing to around 1,798 m at timberline, then a marked continuation into the alpine. Plan roughly five hours for the return to timberline according to that guide, with additional time for any higher objective. The alpine allows longer exploration, but it is no longer a single prescribed trail: select a turnaround and retain the return line into the forest. A historical distance to Groeneveld Peak does not define the shorter timberline outing or establish a current summit route.

The way back

Retrace the same trail. The steward suggests about 5 hours return to timberline; that estimate does not cover extended alpine exploration.

Conditions & seasons

The upper route enters bear habitat and exposed mountain terrain. Snow and cloud can obscure the marked alpine approach; the community-forest page does not specify a maintained winter variation.

These are dated research notes. Open the trip planner for current available weather and advisory feeds; no alert found does not establish that a trail or road is open.

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Camping & overnight plans

On-route camping permission has not been established for this outing. Check the relevant land manager before planning an overnight stay; a mapped lake, cabin or previous tent location does not confirm permission.

Photos of Groeneveld Trail

A photograph with confirmed reuse permission has not yet been added to this guide.

Take this guide with you

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Full trip packDirections, planning notes & available mapsTopographic mapSource lines and published locationsPartial elevation sheetMapped portion only; not a complete outingSave offline guideDownload a copy to your device
Sources, dates & research notes

Descriptions are written for this guide from the linked evidence. Source review dates, published reports and field observations can differ. Photographs and route lines retain their own attribution and reuse terms.

  1. https://mcbridetourism.ca/adventure-outdoor/hiking/ (opens original source)
  2. https://mcbridetourism.ca/wp-content/uploads/McBrides-Green-Guide.pdf (opens original source)
  3. https://dunstercommunityforest.ca/recreation/groeneveldtrail/ (opens original source)
  4. https://delivery.maps.gov.bc.ca/arcgis/rest/services/whse/bcgw_pub_whse_forest_tenure/MapServer/9/query?f=geojson&where=RMF_SKEY%3D16727 (opens original source)
Details still being researched
  • Measured distance and gain are absent.

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