From
Lumby, take the Mabel Lake Forestry Road and continue until nearing
Cottonwood Beach Rec Site; turn right shortly after the 30-km marker on
Cotton Road FSR, 803071. Continue on the main service road due east
along the valley, cross the creek, 860082, and keep going to the 38-km
marker where you turn left on Bunting Road, 886087; this road climbs to
the cutblocks higher up. Turn left again at the 46-km marker, 879106.
In less than one km, at a Y junction, 878111, go left. Shortly after
that, go right at 876115. Another right after 650 meters will take you
to a small landing where the roads have been ditched out, 882119; park
there. Hike the cutblocks until you gain treeline on the south ridge of
Mount Mabel; once on the broad ridge, a crude trail leads to the higher
peak. That peak, 887143, is about 10 meters taller; however, true
peak-baggers will traverse to the second peak with the antenna, as it’s
the official summit.
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Nearing the ascent cutblock.
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Parked at a small landing.
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Hike:
RT 5.0; 1.25 up to first peak; 30 minutes to second peak. Mount Mabel
is rather insignificant; however, it is the highpoint alongside
prominent Mabel Lake. It is relatively unknown, with no trip reports
online. This is surprising, as Google Earth reveals a really good
service road that accesses cutblocks near the treeline. I proposed an
exploratory excursion and sparked interest. The active forestry service
road was indeed in great condition; it climbs steeply, but high
clearance and 4X4 aren't necessary. From where we parked, we ascended
the cutblock trending climber's right along the forest's edge. We
reached the ridge and treeline in little time. To our surprise, we
found trail segments through the trees and meadows on the way to the
first peak; hiking the open terrain was delightful. Once on the summit,
we had lunch where we found a breeze to ward off black flies. With
extra time, a little lake a short way down the north side is worth a
visit. Another peak to the west, about 2 kilometers away, appeared to
be similar in height, so I pulled out my GPS; that's when I realized
that peak was labelled as the summit, while Google Earth pinpoints
Mount Mabel where we stood. Because of the discrepancy, we decided to
traverse to the other peak; visiting both summits ensured we
successfully tagged the objective. The traverse was easy; within 30
minutes of straightforward hiking, we reached the broad, treed peak,
adorned with an antenna. I'm not convinced the view is better than the
first peak, but there were no black flies on this one. This excursion
exceeded our expectations! The 10-kilometer trek isn’t strenuous, with
about 350 meters of height gain.
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Following a road for a short distance.
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Easy random hiking in the cutblock.
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Higher up, above the cutblock, we came across a crude trail.
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A lovely tarn in the meadows.
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Aiming for the highpoint.
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A carpet of avalanche lilies as we near the top.
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At the top, looking east.
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The western peak of Mount Mabel, and a nice lake close by.
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South-eastern view with Mount Fosthall (left center).
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Heading to the other peak.
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The connecting ridge is straightforward.
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A glimpse back at the first summit.
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Almost there.
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This peak is apparently the official one.
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Backtracking to the crude trail we ascended.
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Random hiking in the cutblock.
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