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Hikes · Upper Fraser & Sugarbowl · Sugarbowl–Grizzly Den

Sugarbowl Mountain

Steep north-slope climb reaches ridge and summit; Viking connector creates a longer traverse.

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

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Distance
13.4 kmRound trip
Elevation gain
1,059 mPublished route measurement
Walking time
6 - 8 hours
Difficulty
HardThere and Back
Fraser valley from the summit of Sugarbowl Mountain, July 2015
Fraser valley from the summit of Sugarbowl Mountain, July 2015.Sugarbowl - Grizzly Den Provincial Park and Protected Area.jpg (opens original source) · Newfoundlandguy · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens original source) · 2015-07-04 07:00:30. Wikimedia thumbnail downloaded; Wikimedia resized the original. Display may crop the view. Any adapted CC BY-SA version retains that image license.

Map & elevation

Opening the map…

Elevation profile

Full round trip · approximately 13.2 km mapped

Complete out-and-back elevation profile, starting at Sugarbowl trail entrance at Highway16, reaching Sugarbowl Mountain summit, and returning to the start750 m1300 m1850 mOutwardReturn0 km3.3 km6.6 km9.9 km13.2 km
StartSugarbowl trail entrance at Highway166.6 km · turn aroundSugarbowl Mountain summit13.2 km · back at startSugarbowl trail entrance at Highway16
Explore the elevation with the chart or slider.

Approximate terrain elevation. Mapped distance may differ from the published hike distance.

Map and elevation sources

Approximate ground elevation from a 90 m terrain model. Distance follows the mapped itinerary and may differ from published walking distance. This is a terrain-model profile, not a surveyed measurement. Any ascent total is identified separately with its own source or estimation method.

The source Sugarbowl trail and Highway16 share the exact same OSM node5242159122, establishing the trail entrance. Source vertex221 is9m from the independently named Sugarbowl Mountain peak, corroborated by the official summit waypoint. The source chain continues east from that peak into the Viking connection; that entire extra continuation is removed for the summit return itinerary. The descent retraces the retained ascent.

Route source 1Route source 2Route source 3Route source 4Route source 5Route source 6Route source 7

Copernicus GLO-90 terrain elevations via Open-Meteo (CC BY4.0); linework: Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 · checked 2026-10-18 · CC BY4.0 elevation data; Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 linework. Copernicus DEM 2021 GLO-90 via Open-Meteo. Linework source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/542191535. Sampled and rounded for display.

Complete mapped outing from Sugarbowl trail entrance at Highway16, including the return on the same route. Line source (opens original source).

Getting there & parking

Travel east from Prince George on Highway 16 to the signed Sugarbowl trail parking on the south side of the highway, approximately 78–80 km from town depending on the stated starting point. This is a highway trailhead, separate from the Hungary Creek forest-road approach used for Grizzly Den and Raven Lake. The trail starts at the southeast corner of the parking area.

Map position: 53.89255, -121.66126 · trailhead. Converted from official degrees-decimal-minutes; datum unstated; not field-verified

On the trail

  1. Climb the steep forest trail on the north slope until it reaches the more open subalpine ridge.

  2. For a summit outing, continue along the ridge toward Sugarbowl Mountain; a ridge-only visit turns back sooner.

  3. At the summit, the connector toward Viking is a separate onward route, not the return to the Sugarbowl start.

Full route notes

Climb the narrow forest trail up the north side of Sugarbowl Mountain. The lower route passes through cedar and hemlock before reaching a more open, lightly wooded subalpine ridge. Above the forest, markers are less dependable and poor visibility makes the ridge harder to follow. Continue along the ridge toward the 1,836 m summit, then return by the same route for the ordinary out-and-back outing. A connector toward Viking branches from the summit area; taking it changes the trip into a traverse with a different highway trailhead. Published summit distances disagree: the older park brochure gives a longer one-way figure than the current club’s 13.4 km return outing. Keep the selected distance basis visible and do not plan a crossover using the return-hike figure.

The way back

Descend the ascent route to the Sugarbowl highway trailhead. The longer Viking connection ends at a different trailhead and is not part of the ordinary out-and-back.

Terrain: steep ascent · ridge route · limited marking.

Distance and elevation source notes

13.4 km

1059 m

Source comparison: Sugarbowl summit; 9 km; 1050 m ascent; one way, February 2002 park brochure scope. This is another description of the main outing, a duplicate endpoint, an unscoped source claim, or a related facility.

Conditions & seasons

The park supports snowshoeing and backcountry skiing, but snow-covered slopes add avalanche exposure. BC Parks asks visitors to avoid routes marked for summer use while snow remains on the slope. The summer ridge line is not a verified winter route.

Winter route

Winter use crosses avalanche terrain. Snow can hide surface fissures deeper than 3 m; the summer trail line is not a winter safety assessment.

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.

Check weather & available updates →

Camping & overnight plans

Wild tenting is permitted throughout Sugarbowl–Grizzly Den Park. Designated camps are at Raven Lake and Grizzly Den, reached by different approaches from this hike. Open fires are prohibited; cabin stays require separate reservations.

Photos of Sugarbowl Mountain

Fraser valley from the summit of Sugarbowl Mountain, July 2015
Fraser valley from the summit of Sugarbowl Mountain, July 2015.Sugarbowl - Grizzly Den Provincial Park and Protected Area.jpg (opens original source) · Newfoundlandguy · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens original source) · 2015-07-04 07:00:30. Wikimedia thumbnail downloaded; Wikimedia resized the original. Display may crop the view. Any adapted CC BY-SA version retains that image license.

Original photo galleries

These galleries stay on their photographers’ original websites.

Take this guide with you

Choose a trip pack or an available individual sheet for your map case.

Full trip packDirections, planning notes & available mapsTopographic mapComplete mapped outing and source locationsElevation sheetProfile of the complete mapped 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://caledoniaramblers.ca/trails/sugarbowl-mountain (opens original source)
  2. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/sugarbowl_grizzlyden_brochure_53146eed08.pdf (opens original source)
  3. https://bcparks.ca/sugarbowl-grizzly-den-park/ (opens original source)
  4. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/sugarbowl_grizzlyden_waypoints_c18ea15d07.pdf (opens original source)
  5. https://routing.openstreetmap.de/about.html (opens original source)
OpenStreetMap line references (3)

These contributor-mapped features support the map geometry. They are separate from the written access and route sources.

  1. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/542191535 (opens original source)
  2. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/11936713 (opens original source)
  3. https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/1677520093 (opens original source)
Other route names still being researched (1)

These names appear in source inventories, but an individual walking guide has not been established yet.

  • Sugarbowl Ridge/Bench–Nordheim Couloir

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