June 1, 2025
In
Outdoor Edventures
Porcupine Ridge Hike
Where:
- Porcupine Ridge
When:
- May 31, 2025
Who:
- Ed, Oak, Peter, Erin, Neil, Carolyn, Roger, Dave, Kellie, Kardy, Rod, Dally, Michael
Trailhead:
- the trailhead is 15 km south of Highway 1 on Highway 40
- you can either park in the ditch on the left-hand side of the road before the creek or on the right-hand side of the road
- the trailhead starts out along the north (left) side of Porcupine Creek
- when you come to the bridge, you can go along the left side of the creek or cross the bridge and up the right side of the creek
- both sides present different challenges depending on the water level, as we had to do three creek crossings (six counting the return journey)
- after a flat walk and just past the climber’s cliffs where the creek splits, you climb the mountain between the two creeks
- look for pink ribbons as the trail can be hard to follow until you break out onto the ridge
Degree of difficulty:
- 725 meters of elevation to Porcupine Ridge
- 9.2 km out and back to Porcupine Ridge
- steep incline once you leave the creekbed and some scrambling, especially on the upper section
- there are some slabby sections just above the creek and near the summit, but they are manageable, and the trail is well defined
- the hike took us four hours and twenty minutes
Interesting notes:
- the views are limited while you climb through the forest, but then you break out to panoramic 360-degree vistas
- we had a glorious sunny day with a bit of wind that eased the heat on this grueling climb
- one side of the ridge (south) is bordered by Wasootch Creek and the other side (north) by Midnight Peak and the Mount Baldy range
- there are beautiful views of Mount McDougall, Mount Bryant, Mount Baldy, Boundary Ridge, Mount Allan, Mount Collembola, Midnight Peak and Mount Lorette
- Porcupine Ridge is presumably named for the shape of the three peaks at the summit