West Driscoll Ridge

Round trip: 15 km
Elevation gain: 1,065 m
Walking time: 6 - 8 hours
Difficulty: Hard

return to summit via west end; 7.5 km one way

https://hikingprincegeorge.com/hikes/west-driscoll-ridge

West and East Driscoll approaches join on ridge; summit return and crossover need separate distances.

1. Getting there and parking

Use the signed western Driscoll trail access off the south side of Highway 16, about 110 km east of Prince George. It is separate from the Ancient Forest visitor parking farther east. The older local guide describes limited parking near the highway and an initial old-road approach; confirm the present signed trail start rather than driving farther up a deteriorated track.

Drive from Prince George: 106.1 km · approximately 85 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. Seasonal access notes apply; this estimate does not establish plowing or winter road access.

2. Walking the route

The lower ascent passes from cedar forest into spruce and subalpine fir before reaching a ridge with open glades and mountain views. Continue along the western route toward the summit, about 7.5 km from the trailhead in the club description, then return by the same approach. A continuation along the ridge to the eastern trail creates a different outing of roughly 16 km between trailheads and needs a transport plan. Although marked in places, the crossover has been unmaintained in recent years and requires confident navigation.

3. Route map

Opening the map…

Published locations only. A complete route line is still needed.

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
West Driscoll Ridge trailhead	53.802809 -121.313725	Official KMZ waypoint named Driscoll West Trailhead: -121.3137254971201,53.80280860627549. Western access point. Replaces inconsistent 2010 tourism-guide point. Crossover needs transport planning at both ends. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/driscoll_trail_d2260c3fd0.kmz

5. Camping, facilities and seasons

Camping and tenting

Neither the western Driscoll parking area nor Ancient Forest parking allows overnight camping. Purden Lake is the nearby established campground identified by BC Parks. No serviced tent site was verified on the ridge itself.

Season and access

The high ridge has a different snow season from the low forest boardwalks. BC Parks provides avalanche-terrain information for Driscoll; a summer loop description should not be treated as a verified winter route.

Dogs

Dogs must stay leashed; BC Parks discourages pets in backcountry areas.

Measurement notes

7.5 km to the Summit via the West End trail. 16 km for trailhead to trailhead crossover (allow 10 hrs).

1065 m

Source comparison: West End summit; 7.5 km; to summit; return basis not explicit scope. This is another description of the main outing, a duplicate endpoint, an unscoped source claim, or a related facility.

Source comparison: Trailhead crossover; 16 km; point-to-point scope. This is another description of the main outing, a duplicate endpoint, an unscoped source claim, or a related facility.

Source comparison: West end to summit; 15 km; 1065 m ascent; 6–8 hours duration; return; 7.5 km one way scope. This is another description of the main outing, a duplicate endpoint, an unscoped source claim, or a related facility.

Additional source maps

Map 1: https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/driscoll_trail_d2260c3fd0.kmz

Your trip notes

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