hiking in Cathedral Park?
 

Hey, has anyone been hiking in Cathedral Park? I need to know just what kind of trails are there. Reason is my partner has been having some trouble with her back and if we're talking fairly challenging trails, then we don't want to go but if it's mostly just alpine rambling, then we should be ok. Plan is to camp at the lake for maybe 3 nights and do dayhikes.

Any and all info is appreciated by those who have been there and know!

Thanks:)

Lots of easy trails...........the fast changing weather was a bit of an ordeal both times we went

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/exp...ng.html#hiking

Here is a list of trails and information that are there.

Cathedral in on my list of places to go also.

Great place with a wide variety of trail types. A nice quick hike easy hike is the trail around Quiniscoe lake. Scout Lake trail is easy, nice. Diamond trail around scout mountain is about 7.5 km with less than 300 m of elev change. The Goat lake trail is nice, stays along the valley for about 11km and might rise no more than 150m. If your partner feels up to it the hike up to Qunisscoe mountain along Glacier lake is very nice, but steeper with about 500 m elev change.

The whole place is wonderful. If you camp at the lake you can go buy dinner at the lodge. Food is good and sometimes rhonda and don will lay into the guitar/piano duet thing. Very good :)

If her back is really bad I'd be cautious about the fact that you drive up a really a ROUGH road in fairly bouncy trucks. I have a buggered up cervical spine, yes, the road is pretty bumpy for a bad back person.

These folks are waiting for you :)
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You will only find hands on scrambling if you look for it (Grimface, maybe Pyramid). Most of the other trails are strictly hiking. A few steeper sections which would be fine on ascent. Descending is more likely to bother a back injury, but footing is firm on the Rim Trail, and access trails would be okay with hiking poles. For the most part, trail quality is pretty good.

I think you'll be alright. The Lodge is a nice option for a hot meal, or just to sit by the fireplace. Not sure if they've got the hot tub working again, but that's a nice possibility for a sore back.

Thanks for all the great info, folks! We are definitely excited to be heading over and up there next week. Now if the weather and fire smoke gods see fit to bless us :)

I believe that Cathedral Park, and even the Lodge now, are closed due to the Diamond Creek Fire http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/exp...pgs/cathedral/ I watched it from the Rim trail when I was there the end of July. It was pretty ferocious. I was very fortunate to only get smoke on the day I was leaving.

It was my first trip there and I was quite surprised by how you would experience such a variety of Geological features in such a short distance. The lake trail is definitely an easy hike and the trail selection gets a bit tougher as you head up towards the rim but it's set up so you can bite off only part chunks of the rim if you want to. I did the entire Rim trail starting from the Lake of the Woods Campground past Lady Slipper Lake. I really enjoyed doing it that direction (Clockwise). I wouldnt say it was the toughest hike I've done but if it's hot out it certainly is uphill and so I was contentedly tired at the end of the day. A jump in the Lake definitely helps (p.s. There's some great rock croppings on the Quiniscoe Lake to sunbathe/swim from). The section going over Red Mountain was actually the toughest as it was hot and I had to awkwardly clamber over one side of Red Mountain as it heads down to the Centennial Trail. Now, it's quite posible that I was off trail on this parts as it is pretty easy to lose the trail here and there as it's so open and you're often following cairn markers. You have to make sure you're not so busy staring at the scenery and don't miss a turn!

Anyway, I hope it re-opens soon. I feel badly for the Lodge losing revenue this year due to smoke and now this closure. I'll definitely head back sometime and I think it is a perfect early season Backpack training place and the campsites were really great, albeit not really backcountry feeling. The shuttle isn't cheap but it's well worth paying the cost and not wasting holiday time to do the long hot unexciting (so I've been told) trail instead.