Tumbler Ridge & Monkman / Full trip pack
Trot Camp
- Point to point
- 15 km
- Elevation gain
- Approx. 300 m Terrain-model estimate; not a surveyed measurement.
- Walking time
- Unconfirmed
- Difficulty
- Unconfirmed
one-way trail chainage from Kinuseo campground; not road access
Official Monkman map marks camp at trail km 15; these are route-chainage values, not road distances.
1. Getting there and parking
From Tumbler Ridge, travel south on Highway 52 for approximately 13–14 km and turn right onto Kinuseo Falls Road. Continue on the signed park approach, keeping left at the junction after the first Murray River crossing. The gravel road is prone to washboard and potholes; allow slow travel and follow industrial-road signs. For the backcountry trail, park in the day-use area at Kinuseo Falls campground, around road kilometre 50. The signed one-kilometre spur to the falls parking is a different destination.
2. Walking the route
Trot Camp is an on-foot backcountry destination at approximately kilometre 15 on the official northern-route camp map. After the suspension bridge, the route climbs, traverses and descends the limestone ridge before reaching this camp. Expect cliff-top sections and more elevation change than on the first river stage. The pin marks a camp, not a place a vehicle can reach. Plan the entire approach and return or onward stage before selecting this as an overnight stop.
- Start the Monkman Lake trail behind Kinuseo Falls campground and follow the Murray River for about 7 km to the suspension bridge.
- Cross and climb onto the limestone ridge, then follow the ridge before descending toward Trot Camp.
- WNMS places Trot just beyond 14 km; the official overview map labels it at 15 km. Use current signs and the detailed map rather than treating either figure as a surveyed endpoint.
The return
Return along the ridge and Murray River approach unless continuing on a separately planned multi-day itinerary. The published 14–15 km is one-way to camp.
Mapped outing: Monkman Lake trailhead at Kinuseo Falls campground → Trot Camp. 13.6 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
One-way route
Start: Monkman Lake trailhead at Kinuseo Falls campground · Finish: Trot Camp (13.6 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
BC Parks downloadable GPS identifies the campground trailhead and this backcountry camp independently. The retained licensed source route is continuous from within39m of that trailhead to the camp vicinity (endpoint offsets recorded in validation). The official northern-route map establishes this approach and staged camp chainage. The selected line excludes waterfall side trips, the Monkman Tarns and the unmaintained southern wilderness continuation. This is the one-way approach to the camp; no return is silently included in a published one-way camp-stage distance.
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/relation/13422689. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Trot Camp backcountry campsite | 54.670925 -121.123596 | Official BC Parks GPS download contains a named Point placemark: Trot Camp. The marker represents the campsite, not road access. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/monkman_provincial_park_trails_and_camps_bdf6c05724.kmz |
5. Camping, facilities and seasons
Camping and tenting
A firsthand report published in March 2025 describes Trot as the smallest camp, with the same amenities listed at the other camps: tent pads, bear caches, fire rings and a pit toilet. Treat that as a dated visitor report, not a current inventory. The official page’s separate kilometre-13 facility description is still not securely matched to Trot.
Water
BC Parks directs backcountry visitors to boil or filter water.
Toilets
A pit toilet is reported by implication in the March 2025 firsthand account’s statement that Trot shares the other camps’ amenities. Current availability is unverified.
Season and access
Mountain weather is changeable even in summer, with cool rain and wind common. BC Parks says the access road is maintained only to kilometre 21 in winter, so the summer road-end start is not a normal winter driving destination. Water must be treated, and overnight parties need a stove and a complete backcountry plan.
Practical details checked 2026-10-18.
How the elevation gain was established
Outing: one-way outing from Monkman Lake trailhead at Kinuseo Falls campground to Trot Camp; 13.62 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.
More maps & trail files
Monkman Lake & Cascades — January 2025 guide (PDF)
Corridor guide covering multiple camps, waterfalls and destinations; not one short hiking itinerary.
http://assets.wnms.ca/brochures/monkman-lake-jan-2025.pdf
Wolverine Nordic & Mountain Society · Publisher’s source page · checked 2026-10-17.
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/monkman_backcountry_campground_map_79ad23f097.pdf
Your trip notes
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