A demanding ridge route near Crescent Spur starts with an easier road approach before a sustained climb into the alpine. Driving farther up the resource road can shorten the walk, but access changes with logging, deactivation and winter plowing.
Sources reviewed . This is a research date, not a trail inspection.
The locations GPX contains sourced points with their recorded roles. It contains no trail track or connecting route.
A full-route elevation profile is not available yet.
A reusable trail line has not yet been verified for this outing. Any location pin shows the published location described above; it does not draw the hike or establish a navigable approach.
Use the illustrated source’s Highway 16 turnoff map near Crescent Spur to locate the resource-road entrance. The published text does not give a road name or a complete highway kilometre reference, so it cannot independently identify that turn. One starting point is beside the highway entrance; an upper start lies roughly 2 km up the logging road when that road and its bridges remain open and suitable. Starting below adds approximately 2 km of road walking each way.
On January 24, 2026 a contributor reported plowing to just beyond the 2 km sign, with a pullout on the left opposite visible trail ribbon. That was one winter observation, not a standing plowing commitment. Confirm current road and bridge access and avoid blocking industrial vehicles.
Map position: 53.53617, -120.70357 · start point of published trip track (parking unverified). Embedded trip-map feature 'ZigZag Ridge 2025': first recorded coordinate [-120.703568, 53.536173]. Point extracted from the original public trip map. A track start is evidence of where recording began, not certification of parking, legal access, road suitability or the complete route.
The original snowshoe account describes about 3 km of easier travel followed by roughly 4.5 km of very steep climbing to its ridge objective. The route is intermittently flagged rather than continuously built; retain the forest exit and descent line, particularly where snow hides the ground or visibility deteriorates above treeline. Reports describe both deep soft snow and steep slippery sections. Summer conditions differ: an August 3, 2026 report found thistle on the newer trail after the road, wet higher sections and a few remaining snow patches near the ridge.
Do not combine the 15 km historical snowshoe outing with the later 17.8 km August 2025 recording as though they share an identical start and endpoint. The latter begins at Highway 16 and reports 1,335 m of ascent. An upper-road start changes the distance, while a longer ridge traverse is another itinerary. Water and cell reception were reported during particular visits, but neither is a dependable service for every season or part of the route.
Terrain: very steep ascent · route finding · wet upper ground.
Summer and winter outings are documented, but winter difficulty depends strongly on snow depth. A January 24, 2026 report of plowing to the upper start applies only to that date.
August 3, 2026 report describes wet upper sections, thistle after the logging road and remaining snow patches.
Notice or observation: August 3, 2026 · Source checked October 17, 2026 · Hiking Prince George (opens original source)An August 3, 2026 trip report described limited fallen timber, thistle on the newer lower path, wet higher ground and remaining snow patches near the ridge. These are conditions from that visit.
Notice or observation: August 3, 2026 · Source checked October 17, 2026 · Hiking Prince George contributor (opens original source)A January 24, 2026 report found the road plowed slightly beyond the 2 km marker and identified a left-side pullout by the trail ribbon. This does not establish future plowing or current road access.
Notice or observation: January 24, 2026 · Source checked October 17, 2026 · Hiking Prince George contributor (opens original source)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.
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.
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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.
Linear trail through old cedar forest; Loos-to-highway and Loos-to-FSR are different sections.
Moderate / 14.5 km point to point / 300 m gainRead guide →Old-road start climbs to former cabin site, then unmarked alpine terrain continues to the summit.
Hard / 15 km round trip / 1,200 m gainRead guide →Creek crossing followed by steep forest climb to alpine terrain; lake and summit are different objectives.
Expert / 23 km · trip basis unconfirmedRead guide →Valley approach to three subalpine lakes.
11 km · one way onlyRead guide →A remote historic crossing between the upper Fraser River and the Bowron Lake plateau, with separate trail sections linked by a forest road.
49 km point to pointRead guide →A short section of the historic Goat River corridor that reaches a cable-car crossing, with a remote forest-road approach.
Moderate / 7 km round tripRead guide →