Valemount & Mount Robson / Full trip pack
Westridge
- Round trip
- 9.6 km
- Elevation gain
- 1,034 m Published route measurement
- Walking time
- 6–8 hours return ; about 30 minutes driving each way from Valemount
- Difficulty
- Hard Out and back
return to alpine lake / cabin outing
Steep climb to rustic cabin and alpine lake.
1. Getting there and parking
Travel south from Valemount on Highway 5 and turn right onto Canoe River Forest Service Road. Keep left at the fork to continue southwest, then follow the road for about 12.4 km to the Westridge trail sign on the right. A high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle is recommended. Park well outside the travelled road so industrial and other traffic can pass.
Road and vehicle: The local guide recommends a high-clearance 4WD vehicle for the trailhead road.
Drive from Prince George: 307.8 km · approximately 306 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
Climb the steep forest trail into the Cariboo Mountains toward the rustic cabin and alpine lake. The local guide describes roughly 9.6 km return with just over 1,000 m of gain, including grades above 30 percent and loose rock. Most of that climbing occurs before the lake, so allow substantial time for both the ascent and the steep return. Higher terrain opens views of the valley and surrounding peaks. The cabin and lake are the documented objectives; further summit exploration is not included in this route description.
3. Route map
Mapped named trail
© 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
Partial elevation profile
Partial elevation profile
This chart covers only part of the route. It does not establish the full hike or a return journey.
3.88 km along source section 1 of 1, in its mapped direction.
Approximate 90 m terrain model along this mapped section. Separate sections are not joined. This chart does not measure total trail ascent or establish current access; use the guide’s published outing measurements.
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/197278150. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Westridge trailhead | 52.735237 -119.368172 | source-published; not field-verified https://hikevalemount.com/westridge-trail/ |
5. Camping, facilities and seasons
Camping and tenting
A rustic backcountry shelter is described along the route, but it has no outhouse or provisions. The retained guide does not establish a booking system, guaranteed overnight space or designated lake tent pads. Confirm current overnight arrangements rather than relying on the shelter as emergency accommodation.
Toilets
No nearby toilet is identified by the local steward.
Season and access
The local guide recommends clear-weather trips between late June and late September. Snow, wet rock and low cloud can change the upper route considerably, and the high-clearance road approach must be checked separately.
Mobile service
The local guide reports intermittent cell reception.
Practical details checked 2026-10-17.
Your trip notes
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