Upper Fraser & Sugarbowl / Full trip pack
Red Mountain Cabin
- Round trip
- 25 km
- Elevation gain
- 900 m Published route measurement
- Walking time
- ~3 to 6 hours to cabin depending on pace, trail conditions and where you start from.
- Difficulty
- Hard There and Back
return from Penny post office; shorter unofficial FSR start gives about 17 km return
Forest climb to renovated cabin; metrics depend strongly on starting point.
1. Getting there and parking
For the official Penny start, leave Highway 16 east of Prince George on Upper Fraser Road, around highway kilometre 18.5 in the club’s directions. Follow Upper Fraser about 60.7 km, turn left at the McGregor/Upper Fraser junction and continue about 1.5 km, then turn left to cross the Fraser bridge. Roughly 400 m beyond the bridge, turn right onto Church Forest Service Road. Continue along the main connection through Longworth Road and Upper Fraser Road; the guide describes a further 13.3 km section before the road again becomes Longworth, then Grey Road after about 2.2 km. Follow Grey Road about 1.2 km and take the first left beyond the curve. Continue 5.3 km to a junction, turn right for another 11 km to Penny Road, then turn left for about 1.1 km to the old post office and Red Mountain Lake trail sign. These are published forest-road instructions, so match the changing road names and junctions to a current map and signs. The unofficial higher start near Fraser Flats Forest Service Road kilometre 13.5 is a different parking choice that shortens the walk; its exact pullout and current access need local confirmation.
Parking: The steward’s October 6, 2026 update says the Penny public-road start is plowed with possible delays and Fraser Flats FSR alternate access is currently public. Confirm the selected start before travelling.
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. Seasonal access notes apply; this estimate does not establish plowing or winter road access.
2. Walking the route
Choose the starting point before applying a distance: the official village start is by Penny’s old post office and the Red Mountain sign, while the higher unofficial start around Fraser Flats Road kilometre 13.5 avoids roughly the first 4 km. The trail climbs through low forest and large old cedars, then spruce and subalpine fir, with intermittent views over the Robson Valley. Continue to the cabin overlooking the valley between Red and Green mountains and return by the same approach. Published one-way distances are roughly 12.5 km from Penny or 8.5 km from the forest road. Brush and fallen trees can interrupt the tread. The cabin was refurbished in 2022; that is a historical facility report rather than a guarantee of present condition.
- The steward reports the Red Mountain Creek bridge around trail kilometre 2.5 is being replaced. Confirm crossing status before departure.
The return
Return to the start you used. The source gives about 12.5 km each way from Penny, or 8.5 km each way from Fraser Flats FSR; these correspond to roughly 25 km and 17 km return trips, respectively.
Mapped outing: Penny village trailhead; mapped Red Mountain Road entrance nearby → Red Mountain Cabin → Penny village trailhead; mapped Red Mountain Road entrance nearby. 24.0 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: Penny village trailhead; mapped Red Mountain Road entrance nearby · Turn around: Red Mountain Cabin (12.0 km) · Finish: Penny village trailhead; mapped Red Mountain Road entrance nearby (24.0 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
The cabin steward publishes approximate Penny trailhead and cabin coordinates. The old retained footpath omitted the short village approach. Fresh OSM data identify a named Red Mountain Road segment whose last vertex exactly equals the trail start; the full road segment is prepended. Its village endpoint is about 31 m from the steward trailhead coordinate, while the retained cabin endpoint is about 13 m from the steward cabin coordinate. This gives the full village-start outing and retraced return. The mapped total is about 24 km and is kept distinct from the published 25 km estimate. It is not the shorter forest-road access option. The source coordinates do not certify exact parking or current village access.
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/773730926. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Red Mountain Cabin source-published trailhead / parking waypoint | 53.855222 -121.261661 | Embedded trip-map feature 'Trailhead on Fraser Flats': point [-121.261661, 53.855222].
Named access waypoint extracted from the original public trip map. Current road/parking conditions and legal access still require checking. https://hiking.princegeorge.tech/red-mt-trail-penny-bc/ |
| 1. Trail access trail access | 53.906583 -121.418257 | Named point on source trip map; position and feature type retained as factual observations. https://hiking.princegeorge.tech/red-mt-trail-penny-bc/ |
| 2. Trail access trail access | 53.855222 -121.261661 | Named point on source trip map; position and feature type retained as factual observations. https://hiking.princegeorge.tech/red-mt-trail-penny-bc/ |
5. Camping, facilities and seasons
Camping and tenting
Reserve the six-person cabin through PGBRS. The published maximum stay is five nights. Carry the reservation and check current booking rules.
Water
The club describes a small creek reached by a path behind the cabin on the left when facing its front. Pools may be usable for collection; the small pipe can need priming at low water. This is untreated backcountry water, not a supplied drinking-water service.
Toilets
An outhouse is provided at the cabin; bring toilet paper.
Season and access
The selected start and forest-road access change the total approach substantially. The reviewed text does not establish an independently marked winter route or winter vehicle access to the higher start.
Winter route
The steward gives five to ten hours one way in winter, versus three to eight hours in summer. Upper-route markers may disappear under snow; allow time to locate and dig out the cabin.
Mobile service
PGBRS reports reception at and near the cabin. Solar USB charging is available but not guaranteed.
Practical details checked 2026-10-18.
Measurement notes
12.5 km to cabin from the post office at Penny. ~8.5 km to the cabin from Fraser Flats FSR.
900 m
Source comparison: Penny post-office approach; 12.5 km; to cabin scope. This is another description of the main outing, a duplicate endpoint, an unscoped source claim, or a related facility.
Source comparison: Fraser Flats approach; 8.5 km; to cabin scope. This is another description of the main outing, a duplicate endpoint, an unscoped source claim, or a related facility.
Source comparison: Penny post office to cabin; 25 km; 900 m ascent; 3–6 hours one way depending on start and pace duration; return; 12.5 km one way scope. This is another description of the main outing, a duplicate endpoint, an unscoped source claim, or a related facility.
Reservations and current availability
https://www.pgbrs.org/red-cabin-booking-form/
Check the operator’s current rules, opening dates and booking requirements for your chosen campsite or cabin.
Your trip notes
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