You then start to climb, and it is all up hill. After approximately half a kilometer to get on to an old, very overgrown logging road. Dogs are also able to use this trail. After the plaque the road continues up the mountain until you turn and hike up a well defined ridge until you get to the propeller cairn. The elevation gain is less than 400 m which means attaining the summit is a very reasonable goal for pretty much anybody. From Chilliwack Lake Road, cross Slesse Creek bridge and go up the hill past the fish hatchery. This trail is also steeped in history. Its an easy trail to follow with a new'ish bridge over the Nesakwatch river and follows an old logging road for about 1/2 the distance. I think Canadian Rockies is becoming a wet mountain … From Vancouver take Hwy 1 to Chilliwack, take the Vedder Road exit and continue on Vedder Road until just before the Vedder Crossing Bridge and turn left onto Chilliwack Lake road. The North East Buttress of Slesse is still heralded as one of Fred greatest first ascents, even with his undisputed title as being the all-time world-record holder for the number of first ascents credited to one man. Please submit any useful information about climbing Slesse Peak that may be useful to other climbers. The two we met at the Memorial TH were there with their car, and offered to drive us around. Park at the end of the drivable road and start walking. Slesse Memorial Trail 6 1/2 Hours 1000 Meter Gain (3280 Feet) 13 KM (8 Mile) Round Trip Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. I was actually quite happy that I had decided last minute to wear hiking boots instead of trail runners. Slesse Memorial Trail The other day I had the privilege to hike the amazing Mt. The wreckage and bodies were never recovered, and have long since been swallowed up by the Slesse Glacier. We Hiked up the east route up through the memorial (In the 50s a plane crashed into the mountain, leaving a "debris bowl" where some of the debris slid down the glacial slope) and continued up the trail … This trail starts with a decent to a stream that must be crossed for the hike to be possible. The name means "fang" in the … Slesse Memorial Trail with a handful of people to assess some of the work that needs to be done to make it … Slesse Mountain, usually referred to as Mount Slesse, is a mountain just north of the US-Canada border, in the Cascade Mountains of British Columbia, near the town of Chilliwack. From the 8km mark on the Slesse FSR, continue on a footpath following an old logging road, south for 3 km. Go south on Vedder Rd. I was looking under the assumption that the trail started before the turn off for Slesse Memorial Trail, but that was not the case. It was a long, uneventful descent, followed by a flat walk back to the Slesse Mountain Trail trailhead. About half way through the hike you reach the memorial plaque commemorating the people who died in the crash of Trans Canada Airlines Flight 810. "0" your odometer again, cross bridge and at 400m turn right. We decided to hike to Propellor Cairn, but if you prefer a shorter hike, you can make the memorial plaque that is perched in front of Mount Slesse your destination. Ryan Mountain is one of the tallest peaks in Joshua Trees National Park of the southern California and itself is also the most popular “summit” in the park thank to the amazing 360-degree views and a well-constructed trail. Copyright © trailpeak.com & trailpeak.ca 2020. On the cairn you will find one blade from a propeller and multiple other pieces of debris. The Slesse Memorial Trail is nestled in the Cascade Mountains near the town of Chilliwack, BC. This trail is famous for its huge Northeast Buttress that can be climbed, but is a very special place to hike for an entirely different reason. The trail follows a roadbed for the 3km leading to the road. there is a memorial to the crew and passengers on the approach hike. From mountain peaks to valleys and creeks (heyyy, see what we did there?) No water. Highway 1 Exit 119A (Sardis/Vedder). As well although they are rotting away there were a few prayer flags on the cairn. It is also famous for its huge Northeast Buttress; see the climbing notes below. Mt. Also bring bug repellent as there lots of biting black flies that make it hard to have a rest without getting bit. William’s Ridge was a tricky hike to find just on the basis of some hiking descriptions. Slesse Mountain/Northeast Buttress The Notheast Buttress of Slesse Mountain is a Grade V, 5.10- alpine rock climb in the rugged Chilliwack region just north of the United States-Canadian border. Be the first to submit your climbing note! The hike up to the memorial plaque is an easy walk. The trailhead is a short distance ahead to your right, look … The Sasse Mountain Trail begins at Forest Road 4305-118 and ends at an intersection with the Jolly Mountain trail. It truly is a mass grave in a very, very beautiful setting. The Slesse Memorial Trail in Chilliwack is steeped in history as the route passes a memorial plaque remembering the victims of one of Canada's worst aviation disasters. Slesse Mountain - 8002' - NE Buttress Class 5.8 August 2019. Now you will gain ~1100m in less than 2 … If you have sensitive legs you may want to consider wearing pants as low vegetation continually brushes against your legs the entire time you are on the old logging road. Even though you do not come close to summiting the mountain you get great views of amazing vistas of Mount Rexford, Mount Slesse and The Illusion Peaks. From the 8km mark on the Slesse FSR, continue on a footpath following an old logging road, south for 3 km. The first business was to cross the Nesakwatch Creek and the cold water ensured that we would not be sleepy for the rest of the approach. Updates to Hiking & Mountaineering are expected almost daily, so please check back often. I was also keen to get a good view of this mountain that meant so much to him, so we decided to do the Mount Slesse Memorial hike, a moderate hike which culminates at Propellor Cairn, well below where the technical climbing route begins. Just a few days after Steven climbed Slesse via the standard route, Itai (my friend from Israel) and I went up to climb it via the classic NE buttress. Follow this road for 31 Km and turn left immediately after the Riverside Recreation Area onto (?). Although it is officially decommissioned, the road can be followed for 2.5 km in most vehicles. After driving a small loop on the road, we made the decision to attempt Ford Mountain instead and hope for the best. Fixing the flat as we look for the Slesse Mtn trail head. 400 meters after turning onto the forest service road, turn right at the t-junction. Mt Slesse lies at the end of Nesakwatch FSR which parallels Nesakwatch Creek. 1. The hiking trail continues up to the base of Mount Slesse, known as the Propeller Cairn, where a piece of one of the propellers from the plane is propped up by rocks next to other artifacts. Duration: 17km Difficulty: Moderate Distance from Vancouver: 1hour 45 mins. Consider things such as access and accommodation at the base of Slesse Peak, as well as the logistics of … Follow this road (Nesakwatch Creek Road) for 5.6 Km until you see a log marked Mt. We were hoping someone would be there, and you'd never guess who we found! My runners would have been massacred on the trip. After the bridge the trail takes a steep climb upward and becomes quite muddy. Sharing my personal hiking & climbing experiences, photos, other ‘s excursions, upcoming hiking events mainly in So Cal, other blogs mainly in the news plus links to information of interest to all hikers, mountaineers & mountain lovers. You want the road on the east side of Slesse Creek (The west side road, the Slesse-Borden FSR, goes to McGuire). The trail is primarily used for hiking, rock climbing, and snowshoeing and is best used from June until October. Park on the side of the road. Five months later climbers found the crash site near the summit of Slesse mountain. The Slesse Memorial Trail provides access to climbing routes on the east side of the mountain and leads you directly to the propeller cairn. this hike will not disappoint. The trail passes through second growth forest cedar trees which are massive, some 3-1/2 feet in diameter. Slesse Peak Climbing Notes. Slesse Mountain Routes : SummitPost.org : Climbing, hiking, mountaineering Go up the severely washed out forest service road and turn right at the next fork. After the plaque the road continues up the mountain until you turn and hike up a well defined ridge until you get to the propeller cairn. You top out on a grassy knoll above treeline, at an elevation of 1770m, with great views of the Border Peaks and Slesse looming above. At this point the trail turns uphill. Cross the bridge and turn left 400m after the bridge. From here you have a view of the "debris bowl" where the majority of the debris from the plane that crashed, a Canadair Northstar, ended up. Initially the trail crawls along the river until the lovely bridge. Very, very steep climbers' trail. If you decide to venture onto the foot of Mount Slesse, take caution as a rock side could occur at any time and without warning. until you reach the Vedder Bridge. A 4x4 is recommended on Nesakwatch Creek Road as it has multiple areas where washouts have come across the road and left behind large rocks and there are large dips in the road that may damage low clearance vehicles. Set you odometer to "0" at the Vedder Bridge. Turn right at 31km, just past the Riverside Recreation Site, onto the Chilliwack South Forest Service Rd. For example, its west face drops over 1,950 m to Slesse Creek in less than 3 km. Slesse Memorial Trail leads to a memorial to those who perished in 1956 in the crash of the Trans-Canada flight 810 between Vancouver and Calgary, when the aircraft smashed into Slesse Mountain. You may be able to 4wd drive, or mountainbike, another 2km. Slesse is also home to a rock climbing route that was first climbed on the East face in August of 1963 by one of the most prominent rock climbers in world history, Fred Becky. At the first fork, turn left (follow signs for slesse and rexford). It is notable for its large, steep local relief. Mount Slesse Memorial Trail is a 9.5 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Fraser Valley E, British Columbia, Canada that features a waterfall and is rated as difficult. Travel beyond the bowl requires scrambling, gradually turning into climbing as you approach Slesse. Mt. At top of hill turn south on Slesse Creek FSR and drive for around 6kms to a potential parking spot. At this point the trail turns uphill. Note: this trail is different from the Slesse Memorial Trail. This entry does not have any waypoints available for it. Now you will gain ~1100m in less than 2 km, with no switchbacks, no rests, and no water. This is a photo of where the Slesse Mountain Trail comes out, 7.9km up the Slesse Creek logging road. This is the (partially hikeable) climbers trail located on the West side of the mountain. Suffering. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. A grassy bowl between the knoll and Slesse can be used for climbing bivouacs. 1 review of Slesse Memorial Trail "In 1956, Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810 crashed on Mount Slesse, located in Chilliwack, killing all 62 people aboard. 4x4s or vehicles with moderate clearance should be able to follow the road for a total of 5.3 km, eventually reaching the site of the old Slesse Memorial Trailhead. Located southeast of Chilliwack, the Slesse Memorial Trail is a testament to incredible hikes outside of the Whistler area. Get Started Some pieces went there right away and others were carried there via slides, avalanches and spring run off. The Slesse Memorial Trail is taken to the first memorial site and plaque. This was our first hike after several years, and it was a good one. Updates to Hiking & Mountaineering are expected almost daily, so please check back often. Sharing my personal hiking & climbing experiences, photos, other ‘s excursions, upcoming hiking events mainly in So Cal, other blogs mainly in the news plus links to information of interest to all hikers, mountaineers & mountain lovers. Even though you do not come close to summiting the mountain you get great views of amazing vistas of Mount Rexford, Mount Slesse and The Illusion Peaks. In December of 1956, a TransCanada airplane slammed into the mountain in bad weather. June 7, 2012 2728m Kananaskis - Elbow Area, AB This past Thursday was probably the only reasonable day for scrambling in this week... We got downpour and downpour. Slesse at a small trailhead with flagging tape. Hike another 1.5 miles on the road to the trailhead. Alarms were ringing around 4am and we were up and going by 5am by head lamps. There is a log and flagging in the corner of the parking area. Please login and have credits (add 1 to get 3) or be a subscriber in order to download GPS. Take the right fork for 2.5 miles (4 km) to where the road is washed out. This is the (partially hikeable) climbers trail located on the West side of the mountain. This could make or brake your hike considering the crossing is dependant on a fallen log that could easily be taken out by next years spring run off. It's a weekday, so I went to the Rockies by myself. I had never heard about this crash, one of the worst aviation disasters, or of Mount Slesse, until my friend invited me to go hiking on the Slesse Memorial Trail with a Meetup group yesterday. For the NE Buttress bypass route continue up the trail and look for cairns. SLESSE MEMORIAL TRAIL. However, with the right vehicle, hikers can drive to the end of the forest service road, making for a much-shorter, more scenic hike. Turn left onto Chilliwack Lake Rd.