Sugar Mountain GR:033875

elevation: 2,281 m.	height gain: 1,350 m.
area: Cherryville,BC	map 82 L/8
2026-Jun-15

In Cherryville, turn north at Frank’s General Store on the Sugar Lake Road. Just before reaching Sugar Lake, turn right onto the Kate Creek Forestry Service Road, 946838. There are limited signs past this point, so a good map/GPS is recommended. After 1.5 km, 948852, go straight. Then, 2.7 km later, turn left to stay on Kate Creek FSR, 955860. A short distance from there, 450 meters, the access service road is on the right, 954862. We drove up a little ways to a minor washout where we parked; in hindsight, we could have negotiated the washout and continued a couple of kilometers to shave some distance. Note that some recent logging has changed the course of the original ATV road; hopefully the attached pictures help you stay on track.
		Parked near a minor washout, shortly after turning onto the ATV access road.
Scramble: RT 4.0; 2.0 up from the lookout. Sugar Mountain is a popular destination year-round. A maze of roads to the lovely lookout attracts snowmobilers, ski tourers, people on ATVs, dirt bikes, and the occasional hiker. Most on foot will forgo this hike as it is long and monotonous, but during off-season, when motorized visitors are kept at bay, it grants a decent experience. We timed this trek to allow some hiking on snow, an overnight stay in the lookout, and an attempt to scramble to the true summit. We had no guarantee of having the lookout for ourselves, nor did we know if we would reach the summit, but uncertainty didn’t keep us from trying! Sugar Mountain is labeled on the topo map; however, the lookout bears the name despite it being lower than the highpoint of the mountain. The true summit is over 100 meters higher and is roughly 3 kilometers away on the east ridge. The final stretch of the aesthetic ridge offers easy scrambling; once at the top, the reward is fabulous views of the Monashee Mountains. Mount Fosthall, Goat Mountain, and Pride Rock are among the surrounding eye-catching peaks. We used the AllTrails app to find our way to the lookout; there's been a lot of recent logging that has changed the trail. I took pictures and hope to clarify some of the changes. Our hike with the overnight backpack and snowshoes was long; it took us 5 hours, we were thrilled to reach the lookout. Right away, we got the woodstove going. The wind was howling, and it felt cold, but it was quite cozy inside. The following morning, we had a quick breakfast and tea before heading out to the summit. The sky was overcast, so we didn't linger. The hike along the ridge was pleasant; the last stretch was on bare rock, granting a bit of fun scrambling. The addition of this objective made the whole trip worthwhile and complete. At the top, we took shelter from the wind for a break before backtracking to the lookout. The weather was deteriorating fast; shortly after leaving the summit, it started to drizzle, then the drizzle turned to rain. The cloud cover was ominous; the moody sky resulted in great pictures before the surrounding mountains were engulfed. We reached the lookout soaking wet, but by the time we were packed and ready to go down, the rain stopped. Sometimes, you get lucky! This was a good trip; if you plan to hike this one, go off-season and include the summit.
		The road isn't bad beyond the minor washout, we could have continued and shaved a couple of kilometers of hiking.

		Crossing the drainage towards the western flanks of Sugar Mountain.

		We reach a freshly torn section from logging that gives way to a road in a massive cutblock just above Milan.

		We stepped onto a road (near the arrow on the right), and followed it, veering onto a trail segment at the other arrow.

		The trail segment leads to the upper border of the massive cutblock where the original trail resumes. This trail gets really mangled with tree debris.

		Slow but steady.

		As we near the lookout, snow cover deepens and eventually prevents ATVs from climbing further.

		Almost there.

		First glance at our objective on the right.

		The lookout is in good condition and very cozy.

		Preparing dinner.

		Awesome sunset. Picture courtesy of Milan.

		Starting the ridge walk to the true summit of Sugar Mountain.

		Kate Lake down below.

		Looking back at the minor drop we negotiated shortly after leaving the lookout.

		Further along, the ridge is bare.

		The aesthetic ridge adds interest to the whole trek.

		Nearing the summit.

		Straightforward scrambling.

		Summit picture with Sugar Lake in the background.

		Looking east towards Goat Mountain, Pride Rock is visible behind it and Mount Fosthall is on the left.

		Southern view towards Mount Severide and The Pinnacles.

		Mounts Odin (right center) and Fosthall on the right.

		Leaving the top.

		The weather is deteriorating quickly.

		Interesting cloud formation. Picture courtesy of Milan.

		Hiking to the lookout in the rain.

		While packing our gear in the shelter, the rain stopped for our long descent to the truck.
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