Upper Fraser & Sugarbowl / Full trip pack
Raven Lake cabin
- Round trip
- 10 km
- Elevation gain
- 522 m Published route measurement
- Walking time
- 3–4 hours one way to the cabin
- Difficulty
- Moderate There and Back
return to Raven Lake Cabin; about 5 km one way
Climb through the forest into Raven Lake’s subalpine basin, where the lakeside cabin is the usual turnaround. Return by the same trail; ridge trips and the Grizzly Den crossover are separate outings.
1. Getting there and parking
From the east end of Prince George’s Yellowhead Bridge, follow Highway 16 for about 88 km to Hungary Creek. Roughly 300 m beyond the creek, turn right onto Hungary Creek Forest Road and stay on the main road. Grizzly Den parking is about 13 km in; Raven Lake parking is a further 2.6 km along the road. Check forestry-road conditions and choose the correct parking lot before applying either trail’s distance.
- Follow Highway 16 east for about 88 km from the east end of the Yellowhead Bridge to Hungary Creek.
- Turn right onto Hungary Creek Forest Road about 300 m beyond the creek. Stay on the main road.
- Pass the Grizzly Den lot at about 13 km and continue another 2.6 km to the Raven Lake lot.
Parking: The Raven Lake parking area is about 15.6 km along Hungary Creek Forest Road. The two trails have separate lots, 2.6 km apart.
Drive from Prince George: 105.3 km · approximately 108 minutes. Estimate; allow for road conditions and stops.
Modeled one-way driving time from Prince George City Hall, using mapped road speeds. Forest-road sections can take substantially longer: surface, clearance, radio procedures, gates, washouts, plowing, and legal access are not verified by the router. No live traffic or invented forest-road multiplier is included. Allow extra time and check the dated access notes.
2. Walking the route
Use the signed Raven Lake trail from its separate upper road-end parking area and climb through forest into the subalpine basin at the lake. The cabin and tent area lie beside the lake and form the ordinary turnaround; return on the same path for the standard out-and-back. Routes that continue up the surrounding ridges or cross toward Grizzly Den are longer and need independent route-finding. In cloud, identify the return trail before leaving the open lake basin, because other mountain paths do not all lead back to the same parking area.
- Take the Raven Lake trail from its own parking area and climb through the forest to the lake basin.
- Use the lakeside cabin as the turnaround for the ordinary cabin hike. Ridge trips and the Grizzly Den crossover continue beyond this outing.
The return
Retrace the Raven Lake trail to the same parking area. The cabin is about 5 km from the start, giving about 10 km out and back; the published 3–4 hours is to the cabin, not the whole day.
Mapped outing: Raven Lake trail access → Raven Lake Cabin → Raven Lake trail access. 10.0 km measured along the mapped line; published trip measurements may differ.
3. Route map
The highlighted line follows the documented outing.
© OpenStreetMap contributors. Route geometry is available under the Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0. · Line source · Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 · Source-line database: https://hikingprincegeorge.com/data/osm-route-lines.geojson
Elevation along the outing
Full round trip
Start: Raven Lake trail access · Turn around: Raven Lake Cabin (5.0 km) · Finish: Raven Lake trail access (10.0 km mapped).
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.
How the route order was checked
Named OSM Raven Lake Trail runs 5.012 km from within 9 m of the independently reported trail access to within 4 m of the reported cabin. BC Parks and the club describe the separate Raven Lake access and cabin destination; the ordinary outing returns on the same trail. The longer crossover and ridge extensions are excluded.
Copernicus GLO-90 terrain elevations via Open-Meteo (CC BY4.0); linework: Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0
Copernicus DEM 2021 GLO-90 via Open-Meteo. Linework source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/542192441. Sampled and rounded for display.
Source: https://open-meteo.com/en/licence
Licence: CC BY4.0 elevation data; Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 linework · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Profile source checked: 2026-10-18
Published locations
Numbered points match the map. Use the role beside each point. A summit or park reference point is not a parking location.
| Place and role | Coordinates | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Raven Lake cabin trailhead | 53.784115 -121.530887 | Converted from official degrees-decimal-minutes; datum unstated; not field-verified https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/sugarbowl_grizzlyden_brochure_53146eed08.pdf |
| 1. Trail access trail access | 53.784084 -121.532307 | Named point on source trip map; position and feature type retained as factual observations. https://hiking.princegeorge.tech/raven-lake-trail-northern-bc/ |
| 2. Recorded crossing crossing | 53.783336 -121.534281 | Named point on source trip map; position and feature type retained as factual observations. https://hiking.princegeorge.tech/raven-lake-trail-northern-bc/ |
| 3. Reported camp location camp observation | 53.765558 -121.565335 | Named point on source trip map; position and feature type retained as factual observations. https://hiking.princegeorge.tech/raven-lake-trail-northern-bc/ |
| 4. Reported food storage food storage | 53.765434 -121.565759 | Named point on source trip map; position and feature type retained as factual observations. https://hiking.princegeorge.tech/raven-lake-trail-northern-bc/ |
| 5. Cabin reference cabin reference | 53.765345 -121.565620 | Named point on source trip map; position and feature type retained as factual observations. https://hiking.princegeorge.tech/raven-lake-trail-northern-bc/ |
| 6. Cabin reference cabin reference | 53.765272 -121.565593 | Named point on source trip map; position and feature type retained as factual observations. https://hiking.princegeorge.tech/raven-lake-trail-northern-bc/ |
5. Camping, facilities and seasons
Camping and tenting
Raven Lake has designated tent pads; Grizzly Den has a designated tenting area. Wild tenting is also permitted elsewhere in the park. Reserve a cabin separately through PGBRS. Open fires are prohibited; cabin firewood is for the indoor stoves.
Water
There is no supplied drinking water in this park. Carry drinking water; the presence of a lake or creek does not make its water treated.
Season and access
Hungary Creek Forest Road is not normally plowed in winter, which can add a long approach before the hiking trail. Avalanche terrain and snow-covered ground fissures require a separate winter route assessment. The alpine portions can be difficult to navigate in poor visibility in any season.
Winter route
Hungary Creek Forest Road is no longer routinely plowed. The summer trailhead mileage therefore does not describe the full winter approach. Alpine travel also crosses avalanche terrain and can conceal deep fissures.
Practical details checked 2026-10-17.
Measurement notes
~5.0 km one way to the cabin
522 m
Source comparison: Published itinerary; 5 km; one-way to cabin scope. This describes the main outing, or an unresolved source estimate, rather than a separate route.
Reservations and current availability
Check the operator’s current rules, opening dates and booking requirements for your chosen campsite or cabin.
More maps & trail files
Raven Lake Trail on AllTrails
The direct Raven Lake approach is separate from the longer Raven via Grizzly crossover. The hosted map shows about 10.5 km return; source measurements and current road access can differ.
AllTrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/british-columbia/raven-lake-trail
Comparison checked 2026-10-18.
These links open files and maps maintained by their publishers. They require an internet connection and are not included in this saved guide.
Additional source maps
Map 1: https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/sugarbowl_grizzlyden_brochure_53146eed08.pdf
Map 2: https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/sugarbowl_grizzlyden_waypoints_c18ea15d07.pdf
Your trip notes
________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________