The updates provided on this page have been collected from various sources including emails from people engaged in scrambling. Most updates have not been verified by the author. This list of updates in by no means complete as there are likely many changes unknow by the author at this time. Do not assume the information listed below is complete or accurate.
The Woodfibre Mill, located at the start of the route to Mount Sedgwick, is closed. The ferry from Darrel Bay to the mill was permanently shut down on March 9th, 2006. You must now arrange your own transportation acorss Howe Sound if you want to scramble up Mount Sedgwick.
July 2008 Update Regarding Road Status (Sky Pilot access) : Restrictions on Shannon FSR through July 2008. The following road closure may affect hikers and climbers attempting to enter or exit the Stawamus Chief Provincial Park or adjacent areas by way of the Shannon Creek FSR. The Shannon Creek FSR will be closed (0km to approximately 3km) to all public due to active logging operations (road re-construction, falling, yarding, and hauling) from May to the end of July 2008. Activity is not expected to be occurring on the weekends or evenings but it is possible that operations may be occurring during any daylight hours and access. EXTREME caution is advised, DO NOT approach active equipment or tree fallers. Notices will be provide to Parks for posting at the start of the chief trails and will be removed upon completion of operations. The logging contractor will have additional signs posted closer to the active operations (July 2008).
Recently someone reported being able to drive to the boulder blockade (918034) in a high clearance 4WD vehicle (1-august-2006). The "Stawamus-Indian FSR" (3.8 km up the Mamquam River Road) was gated on Sept 24th, 2006. Apparently in the late fall of 2006 the road has been closed with a chain by a water treatment plant (thanks to Chris Kiely for this update); reportedly there is a ditch-bypass option (winter 2007).
The access road to the Squamish River and Lake Lovelywater trail has apparently been gated by the local First Nations People. Jay Bicknell (new number: 604.898.3356) still provides ferry service, now using a jet boat from Brakendale – the ACC website lists the per person cost at $35. Reportedly the cable car is on ~1.5″ cable.
Wald Alison provided the following trail update: A new trail has been made that forks left, immediately at the beginning of the old trail, crosses the creek (they are in the process of building a bridge) and stays high up along the rock slopes above the (left) west side of the creek. The original, muddy trail followed the creek bottom on the east (right) side (Oct 2010).
A rocksilde blocked the High Falls Creek in the summer of 2008, however it has now been cleared (July 2009). Thanks Scott Webster for the update.
Simon Grada provided the following update in July 2012: "I couldn't use the approach described in the book, since the road is way too overgrown, I was pushing 2-3″ trees with the bumper of my truck. Finally I used branch 270 (going left at the second intersection after the bridge over high falls creek) and parked 100m before the end of the road on a small pullout (829334) at 1120m of altitude. The route finding was very straight forward afterwards. there is a faint trail leaving the other side of the pullout that leads to the top of the cutblock. I then angled south-east and found a nice shelter in case of emergency (831333). After the shelter I went south-west untill the next drainage, wich was easily ascendable. I followed it to the shoulder at it's top which connected to the summit ridge. Branch 270 (which is new since I wrote the description). Branch 200 is very bushy at first (expect pain scratches) but clears up shortly after. Cloudburst can also be ascended by a slighly different route from Branch 270".
I believe that there is a new road/junction on the access road for this route, thought I am not 100% sure (recently people have not been able to find the parking area I suggest).
Older Updates: The Ashlu road is getting worse. Click here for a recent description of the road condition (August 2008).
Apparently some work has been done on the Ashlu road and the slide at about 7 km along the Ashlu Creek Road (23 km before the trailhead) is passable, but possibly requires agressive driving. Rich So explains " We managed to get to within 3km with the lightly modified Subaru Loyale, with some agressive driving. We actually saw a Grand Vitara parked within 500m of Shortcut creek." (10 Sept 2007). One truck that managed to push through the washout found the road beyond had a bad sinkhole (click here).
Old update: There has been some road work done along the roads used to approach Cypress. A few new forks now appear along the way. Click here for updated road infomation. Thanks to Brock Wilson and Scott Nelson for this update. Dana Nohynek reported that in July 2006 it was possible to pass through the waterbar at ~9 km with a 4wd high clearance and drive to the trailhead at 11.2 km. This has been confirmed again in July 2007.
The access to the service road is changed from your description, since they built an athletes village at the turnoff. Still fairly straightforward to find the right parking lot though.
Reportedly this road is currently gated quite low. With the gate closed at a low elevation, this is not a good access route to Black Tusk. (20-oct-2006) Still gated as of July 2007.
The road is blocked where it meets Highway 99 (likely due to highway construction). It is still possible to access the Brandywine road by driving a little further north on Highway 99 and turning left onto the Callaghan Lake road, and then taking the first left off the Callaghan Lake road (July 2008).
Yoel Guttmann provided the following update on conditions on Rainbow Mountain: Route #1 is sketchy. Glacier is showing lots of crevasses and huge moat on the upper edge. (Sept 09). The description of route #2 (non glacier) is accurate. The gully after the crux is easy. The crux is going around the Pinacle (moderate). It is faster to reach the Pinnacle from bellow. ie. follow the edge of the glacier all the way to the base of the pinnacle and climb up. The route is easy and obvious.
When accessing the Russet Lake area across the Musical Bumps from the top of lifts on Whistler Ski Resort there is a new trail option to consider. The new trail is called the 'High Note Trail' and reportedly provides good views of Cheakamus Lake. The new trail is probably a bit longer but more scenic. Check Whistler-Blackcomb trail map and the Whistler-Blackcomb hiking trail descriptions.
BC Parks staff have indicated that camping is not allowed at Decker Lake. "Decker Tarn is in Garibaldi Provincial Park. Long standing regulations prohibit any camping in the park except in designated sites, which Decker Tarn is not, and except at a minimum distance of one hour's hike form the nearest kept trail." Thanks to John Ince for the update (August 2012).
The access road is reportedly still in 4WD-HC to the trailhead as described in the route description (June 2008).
On page 151 there are references in the text and on the photo to the "lake east of Mystery". This lake is actually located to the west of Mystery.
There is a new placer claim along that [Roxey Creek] road and the claim owner, Joe Feltren of Merritt, is building a cabin at the junction just before the first ford. He is asking people to park at the "Keep Out" sign on the edge of the claim, where there is a pullout with room for 2 cars. He doesn't seem to mind hikers and climbers walking across the property, just stop and ask his permission (July 2009). Thanks Helen Habgood.
The FSR is washed out at 2.4 km. Impossible to pass with any vehicle except with an ATV. This adds 5km of walk and 500 meters of additional altitude. Someone has cut the trees that grew along the road but left them in the path, which makes it difficult to walk through. The bridge over Spetch is in great shape, so no problem with crossing it. Thanks to Sylvain DesBiens (August 2012).
This road is reportedly very bushy now. Alders will scratch your car on the approach (Summer 2007). By the summer of 2009 the road has gotten more bushy, thought people are still able to drive to the trailhead, however there are no large waterbars so a 2wd can make it to the trailhead Thanks to Michael for the update.
The road access description contains an error. At the junction at 3.3 km you should take the right fork, not the left fork as indicated in the text. Thanks to Chris Kiely for catching this one.
The Phelix Creek Hut area should not be used between August 15 and October 15; it is a used by grizzly bears during their mating season.
The "Blackwater Creek-Phelix Creek Branch" is currenlty 4wd-HC access to the trailhead, due to work being done on the ongoing rockslide at 0.5 km. In addition, the road was brushed out slightly to reduce the carwash effect (July 2008). A new access trail has been constructed to the hut from the same trailhead by the VOC. It heads up the west side of Phelix Creek. Details from the VOC wiki: "The new trail stays on the west side of the creek, more or less following the traditional winter route. The trail has been meticulously flagged, and permanent trail markers will be installed in spring 2008. The constructed trail ends at the east end of Long Lake. From there, the best route is to follow discontinuous trails around the south side of the lake to the cabin." The trail has seen improvements in the summer of 2009 including permanent markers and a good footbed. (July 2009). Thanks to Scott Webster for the update.
Reportedly people have been driving a ways up the access road towards Cayoosh from from the Duffey Lake highway. This road is described as the start of the hike in the Scrambles route description since it was not driveable during research. The road is reportedly very bushy and may not actually be worthwhile driving on (July 2008).
The summer access road is no longer available to vehicle traffic. There is now a locked gate 100m off Duffy Lake Road at the old Van Horlick Creek start point. The gate protects the FSR gravel pits which have seen recent use for supplying aggregate to complete highway work. One can still use the summer access road on foot or bicycle, and although the FSR has been decommissioned beyond the gravel pits, brush cover is not a problem for either method of approach. The overgrown brush must have been taken care of when they removed the cross culverts and decommissioned the road. The shorter access route from the highway (418810) to the connection with the Cerise Creek FSR (419798), begins at 30.4 km from Mt. Currie where there is a small, paved pullout section for parking on the south side of the highway. Look for an "End Avalanche Area" sign on the north side of the highway directly opposite the trailhead if there aren't already vehicles parked there. Once you get to Cerise Creek on the FSR, you'll find a log crossing just up from the old FSR bridge. It may be a bit sketchy for those with balance issues (and a full pack) during periods of high stream flow. On our descent from Keith's Hut we moved the ropes from the upper 2 log crossings to this lower crossing, as the upper crossings aren't nearly as hazardous. Don't count on the FSR log crossing being there terribly long, as the bottom end of the main log is not secure against the right bank of the creek. Wading across is not advisable during high stream flow (bank full width). Thanks to Howard Ratzlaff and Penny for this update (Spet 2009).
The bridge over cerise creek on the FSR is now gone. You must wade, cross on another log, or follow flagged route from highway (July 2009). Thanks to scott Webster for update.
The first bridge over Cayoosh Creek has been washed out, and there is a foot bridge in its place. It is necessary to walk the entire logging road. (August 2009). Thanks to paul Talbot for the update.
A bridge on the access road for this area at approximately 0.5 km from the Duffey Lake highway was burned recently. It sounds like this might make the access roads undriveable for regular vehicles. (1-august-2006) Also, there is a mistake in the first paragraph of the access description. It should say "Turn left roughly 47 km from Mount Currie" not right as indicated. Thanks to Chris Kiely for catching this one.
On Boulder Creek Road a rock fall about 1 km in has blocked road to all except real high clearance and 4WD. (August 2009) Thanks to paul Talbot for the update.
Pardeep Longia provided the following update/correction (Aug 2012): The directions " Follow the main road for 5.7km to fork (595044) and go right." is incorrect and should indicate to to left at that junction. The road should be driveable with a 2WD; just be slow and cautious. Also at the 4.4km mark, the road is washing out.
The map for this area is 92 J/9 Shalalth, not 92 J/8 Duffey Lake as stated. Thanks to Bryan Preston for catching this one.
Thanks to Devin McKay for the following update: "Went up Downton Creek on August long weekend. The road marked "Branch 2″ now has significant water bars, requiring a high clearance vehicle." (Summer 2010).
Access to Statlu Lake using the approach described in the book is still not possible (August 2012). Thanks to Mark Finn for the update.Repotedly there is another access route that can be used to reach the Upper Statlu Lake area which is described on clubtread.com (click here to see).
The Airplane Creek FSR is gated at the turnoff from Foley FSR (apparently at 8PM on weekdays and throughout the weekend). This will add several extra kilometeres of road hiking and elevation gain to the approach. It may be possible to borrow the key to the gate; the new number for Tamihi Logging is 604.796.0314. There is also a new fork on this road due to new logging road construction. The new fork is ~2.2 km up the Airplane Creek Road. Go right at this fork. Thanks to Brock Wilson and Daniel Durocher for the updates (10-july-2006). The gate has been reported open and closed at different times during the summer of 2007.
Here's a road update from Darren Abramson for the summer of 2009: I did the Williamson Lake approach route yesterday (July 26). The road is presently driveable to the gate, and the gate was open yesterday. I don't have the number on the sign at the gate, but it's Tamihi Logging, so probably the same number as other references on your site for getting the key, if necessary. If not concerned about the gate (sign says it closes at 2pm, it was open when we returned to our car around 6:30), cars should be able to make it to the lower landing on the road, but due to steep sections, some 2wd may not make it, especially if the road is wet/muddy. The route is in "good" condition, except for the necessity to cross a steep slide, which may turn back inexperienced hikers. Ski/hiking poles are recommended.
Reportedly it was possible to drive past Foley Lake last fall but the road condition is degrading. It is hard to say how much longer this access route will be viable (Summer 2008).
Apparently there is a new gate on the Foley Creek FSR. Reportedly it is quite low on the road which would make for a long hike on logging roads if it is closed. I don't have contact info for the key as of yet. If you know where to get the key please email me. It has reported as opne and closed at different times.(23-oct-2006).
It has been pointed out to me that the description for this peak is confusing at the point where you must leave the trail to cross the rocky basin below the summit horn. Photos and a description of this section of route can be found in a discussion on clubtread.com (click here).
The bridge over the Chilliwack River at the end of Paulsen Road has been removed making it unsafe to access the Radium Lake Trail and Macdonald Peak and Mount Webb from the trailhead described in the book. To reach the trail it is now necessary to park at the Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park campground where the Radium Lake trail begins. To reach the parking area continue driving down the Chilliwack Lake Road and ignore the turnoff for Paulsen Road. A marked trail leading to Radium Lake starts from within the camprground. Thanks to jsadowski for pointing this one out.
Julia (www.mountaingirl.net) emailed me a suggestion for a better route from the road to Daiphy Lake. Check out the description and photo. The access road is currently in better conditions than it has been in the past couple years. A 4WD-high clearance should be able to make it to GR 959842, which is 8.6 km up Talc Creek road. Park here and walk the remaining 2.7 km of logging road. (1-aug-2006). In July 2007 the gate at the start of the Talc Creek road is reportedly being locked on weekends and a log is being placed across the road. The caretaker has not been giving out the key for people to drive up the road. Call Lakeside Pacific in Chilliwack before going here.
One other note regarding The Old Settler: the scramble route described in "Scrambles in SWBC" leads up the central summit of hte massif. The north summit is apparently higher than the central summit, but I have not climbed the north peak and can't vouch for the difficulty.
The Silver-Skagit road which leads to the Eaton Lake trailhead was damaged and closed over the winter of 06-07. It has now been repaired and access is back to normal (August-2007).
It has been pointed out to me that my hiking description for the first part of the Tomyhoi Route can be confusing. There is a major fork in the trail below Gold Run Pass where you must go to the left towards Yellow Aster Bute. Do not go right towards Tomyhoi Lake.
I erroneously called these peaks "North Twin" and "South Twin". They are actually named "North Twin Sister" and South Twin Sister".
In addition, for the North Twin Sister access, reportedly one of the junctions on the bike ride to the two peaks has changed due to reactivation of one of the roads. The description in the book does not reflect the improved road and may be confusing. Click here for an updated description of this approach provided by Yoel (Sept 2007). It is at a junction where you are supposed to go right onto what was previously an old road. One more note is that it appears a different access road which leads to the junction between the routes of the North and South Twin Sisters has been reactivated. This may provide a new driving route to considerably shorten the approach, but I do not have specific information. (July 2007).