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Hikes · Tumbler Ridge & Monkman · Tumbler Ridge / Monkman / Peace Rockies

Windfall Lake — Lake with upper circular return

Climb to Windfall Lake on the direct trail, then use the steward-described marked upper return from the southeast camping area to reach the ridge viewpoint and descend to the main trail. Retrace the lower approach to the trailhead. This option adds navigation and exposure beyond the direct lake return.

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

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Distance
Not publishedTrip basis unconfirmed
Elevation gain
Approx. 430 mTerrain-model estimate; not a surveyed measurement.
Walking time
Not published
Difficulty
HardLoop
How the elevation gain was established

Outing: loop outing from Windfall Lake signed trailhead; 10.04 km along the mapped itinerary

Copernicus DEM 2021 GLO-90 via Open-Meteo (90 m resolution). v7-smoothed-ascent-1: interpolate retained terrain samples at 100 m spacing; apply one triangular 1:2:1 smoothing pass over ±100 m; preserve start, finish and documented turnaround heights; sum uphill excursions with a 5 m reversal threshold; round to nearest 10 m.

Approximate terrain-model ascent, not a field or GPS measurement. Coarse cells and smoothing can miss small climbs, switchbacks, structures and sharp terrain. Processing sensitivity is not a statistical confidence interval.

Sources checked 2026-10-19.

Map & elevation

Opening the map…

Elevation profile

Full loop · approximately 10.0 km mapped

Complete loop elevation profile, starting at Windfall Lake signed trailhead, finishing at Windfall Lake signed trailhead1200 m1450 m1700 m0 km2.5 km5.0 km7.5 km10.0 km
StartWindfall Lake signed trailhead10.0 km · back at startWindfall Lake signed trailhead
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 WNMS description identifies an optional upper return from the southeast lake camping area, over the viewpoint and down to the main trail. The named Circular Route in the licensed source chain ends exactly at earlier source vertex144 on the approach. Appending the existing approach vertices143 back to0 in reverse closes the intended outing without any invented connector. This preserves the different ascent and descent branches.

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

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/643603747. Sampled and rounded for display.

Complete mapped outing from Windfall Lake signed trailhead. Line source (opens original source).

Getting there & parking

From Tumbler Ridge, drive about 25 km north on Highway 29 and turn onto Bullmoose Mine Road. After approximately 17 km, turn left onto Windfall Creek Forest Service Road. Stay straight at the kilometre 9 junction, cross the bridge and continue over the pass around kilometre 14. Turn left near kilometre 23 and follow the side road about 1.8 km to its end at the deactivated Windfall Creek crossing. The trail sign and outhouse are on the right. Use the currently posted radio channel and industrial-road procedures; the steward lists RR32 for this approach.

Map position: 55.02101, -121.61860 · recreation project location. Source-published recreation project point; not verified parking or trailhead.

On the trail

Follow the forest trail through occasional boggy ground, cross the creek and climb through open draws and meadows. Keep right at the signed junction around kilometre 3.5 for the direct lake approach, climbing the steps before the ground levels near the basin. Return the same way in poor visibility. The optional circular return starts near the southeast camping area and follows tall marked posts uphill beyond treeline, then northeast to a viewpoint and down left through a meadow to reconnect with the main trail. This upper return requires better navigation and weather judgement than the direct route. Pinnacle Peak, the high lake ridge and Tunnel Mountain are additional mountain trips, not automatic parts of the lake walk.

Terrain: alpine.

Conditions & seasons

The alpine ridges are often windy and cloud can arrive quickly. In poor visibility, reverse the direct lake trail instead of attempting the circular alpine return. Snow can conceal posts and junctions early or late in the season.

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

The lake has six designated tent pads, food lockers, a washing station and an outhouse in the steward’s description. Campfires are prohibited because of the fragile setting and lack of suitable wood. Use the established sites, carry a stove and pack out waste; confirm current facility condition before relying on it.

Photos of Windfall Lake — Lake with upper circular return

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Original photo galleries

These galleries stay on their photographers’ original websites.

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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://www.wnms.ca/trail/windfall-lake-hiking-route (opens original source)
  2. https://open-meteo.com/en/licence (opens original source)
  3. https://open-meteo.com/en/docs/elevation-api (opens original source)
OpenStreetMap line references (5)

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

  1. https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/6056368781 (opens original source)
  2. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/106158695 (opens original source)
  3. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/643603747 (opens original source)
  4. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1528352474 (opens original source)
  5. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1557210914 (opens original source)
Details still being researched
  • No site-specific dog rule verified in reviewed sources.

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