Wells, Barkerville & Bowron / Full trip pack
Yellowhawk Trail
- Round trip
- 8.4 km
- Elevation gain
- 604 m Published route measurement
- Walking time
- 3 - 5 hours
- Difficulty
- Hard There and Back
round trip to described Greenbury objective
Yellowhawk climbs from the Bowron Lake Road through forest into the open ridges near Greenbury and Mount Murray. It can serve a shorter ridge outing, a Murray summit approach or one side of a traverse to Jubilee. Those choices have different endpoints; the route’s headline distance should not be applied to every alpine extension.
1. Getting there and parking
From Quesnel, take Highway 26 east beyond Wells and turn onto Bowron Lake Road toward the provincial park. Keep left at the early fork, where the right-hand road heads toward Likely. The older club description places Yellowhawk parking on the right at kilometre 3.2; the local trail society places the trailhead around 3.5 km. Use the current trail sign and parking entrance to resolve the small discrepancy. Jubilee, the other Murray approach, is farther along Bowron Lake Road at approximately 6.3 km.
2. Walking the route
Follow the forest path uphill, negotiating roots and switchbacks as it gains the alpine. A branch toward Waverly leaves before the Greenbury summit area; identify the intended ridge before continuing. The longer line proceeds toward the Murray ridge and an old cabin location. Mount Murray’s summit and a descent by Jubilee are additional route choices, with faint or unmarked alpine sections. For a simpler outing, select a clear turnaround on Yellowhawk and retrace the ascent; a Jubilee finish requires a shuttle or extra road walking.
3. Route map
Official recreation project linework; may contain multiple trail sections or historic alignments, not a verified complete hike
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – British Columbia. · Line source · Open Government Licence – British Columbia
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.
3.29 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 Government Licence – British Columbia
Copernicus DEM 2021 GLO-90 via Open-Meteo. Linework source: https://delivery.maps.gov.bc.ca/arcgis/rest/services/whse/bcgw_pub_whse_forest_tenure/MapServer/9. Sampled and rounded for display.
Source: https://open-meteo.com/en/licence
Licence: CC BY4.0 elevation data; Open Government Licence – British Columbia 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Yellowhawk Trail recreation project location | 53.106269 -121.488603 | Source-published recreation project point; not verified parking or trailhead. https://delivery.maps.gov.bc.ca/arcgis/rest/services/mpcm/bcgwpub/MapServer/404 |
5. Camping, facilities and seasons
Season and access
Alpine route also used by skiers; winter conditions require separate assessment.
Measurement notes
8.4 km
604 m
Your trip notes
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