Eaton Lake Hiking Trail, B.C.

Distance: 8km return.

Time: 6 hours

Elevation gain: 915m

Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult

Description: Eaton Lake is a Silver Skagit region hike with a beautiful waterfall at the 30 minute mark.

Photos: Eaton Lake Hike photos

How to get there:
From Chilliwack travel East on Highway 1 for about 50km and turn off at exit 168. Just before the bridge over Silverhope Creek, turn right onto Silver Skagit road. Travel 16km. Stay left at the entrance to Silver Lake Provincial Park. Just after the 16km sign turn left at an old sign for the the Eaton Creek Recreation site. Drive a minute or so up this road and park where you can. The trail head begins at the end of this road.

Details:

Summer seems the time to challenge your knees and gain great views. Eaton Lake is one of the most popular hikes near Hope.

Starting at the Eaton Lake Forestry Campsite, the trail begins at a
larger boulder blocking vehicle access to an old road. Follow the old
road past a neglected comment/suggestion box and approximately 350 meters to a spot near Eaton Creek where the actual footpath starts to the left. From here, the trail climbs steeply on the north side of Eaton Creek with minimal switchbacks.

Approximately 380 meters of distance and 100 meters of elevation
later, the trail turns and crosses the creek on a large log bridge
with a single lumber and wire railing along it's edge. A large
waterfall is directly upstream from the bridge. For an alternate view
and place to take pictures of the waterfall, turn left immediately
after the bridge at the sign aptly marked "Trail to Falls Lookout".
The short branch trail is less than 80 meters long and follows the
creek on it's south side to a closer viewpoint of the waterfall.

Continuing on the main trail, take the right fork after the log
bridge. The trail heads south and performs a long sweep around the
side of the ridge, finally heading back to the creek quite awhile
later. This section of trail tends to be quite a bit warmer than the
rest in the summer months since it's no longer near the cool moist air
along the creek.

At a point marked as "halfway", there is a small bridge and an `L
shaped' bench near the creek. It's not a bad spot for a rest, and
around the corner is another waterfall to take pictures of. From this
point on the trail leads up a steep hill with a large number of
switchbacks before finally levelling off as it nears the lake. Make
your way around the left side of a marshy pond to a collapsed log
bridge. The bridge is extremely tricky and slippery, use caution and
carefully make your way across to the other side.

Continue onwards for a short distance on the straight and relatively
level path before reaching another log bridge over Eaton Creek; in
better shape than the earlier one. Continue over the bridge and over
flat terrain to a small boulder field approximately 100 meters in
length. Once across, it's a short and easy 200 meters to the edge of
the lake.

Notes:
If you're looking for a short day walk, it's worth the drive to just hike to the waterfalls and back. Best July through October.

See event description on calendar page for pre-departure meeting place for when the club is doing this hike next.

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