I was also keen to get a good view of this mountain that meant so much to him, so we decided to do the Mount Slesse Memorial hike, a moderate hike which culminates at Propellor Cairn, well below where the technical climbing route begins. Hike another 1.5 miles on the road to the trailhead. Slesse is also home to a rock climbing route that was first climbed on the East face in August of 1963 by one of the most prominent rock climbers in world history, Fred Becky. Note: this trail is different from the Slesse Memorial Trail. Ryan Mountain is one of the tallest peaks in Joshua Trees National Park of the southern California and itself is also the most popular “summit” in the park thank to the amazing 360-degree views and a well-constructed trail. Some pieces went there right away and others were carried there via slides, avalanches and spring run off. The trail passes through second growth forest cedar trees which are massive, some 3-1/2 feet in diameter. The Slesse Memorial Trail is taken to the first memorial site and plaque. The Slesse Memorial Trail provides access to climbing routes on the east side of the mountain and leads you directly to the propeller cairn. This trail is also steeped in history. This trail starts with a decent to a stream that must be crossed for the hike to be possible. Set you odometer to "0" at the Vedder Bridge. The North East Buttress of Slesse is still heralded as one of Fred greatest first ascents, even with his undisputed title as being the all-time world-record holder for the number of first ascents credited to one man. We Hiked up the east route up through the memorial (In the 50s a plane crashed into the mountain, leaving a "debris bowl" where some of the debris slid down the glacial slope) and continued up the trail … Fixing the flat as we look for the Slesse Mtn trail head. Slesse Memorial Trail with a handful of people to assess some of the work that needs to be done to make it … From mountain peaks to valleys and creeks (heyyy, see what we did there?) Please submit any useful information about climbing Slesse Peak that may be useful to other climbers. It truly is a mass grave in a very, very beautiful setting. Slesse at a small trailhead with flagging tape. In December of 1956, a TransCanada airplane slammed into the mountain in bad weather. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. At this point the trail turns uphill. Very, very steep climbers' trail. I was actually quite happy that I had decided last minute to wear hiking boots instead of trail runners. Slesse Memorial Trail 6 1/2 Hours 1000 Meter Gain (3280 Feet) 13 KM (8 Mile) Round Trip Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. Slesse Mountain Routes : SummitPost.org : Climbing, hiking, mountaineering Duration: 17km Difficulty: Moderate Distance from Vancouver: 1hour 45 mins. You then start to climb, and it is all up hill. Travel beyond the bowl requires scrambling, gradually turning into climbing as you approach Slesse. After the plaque the road continues up the mountain until you turn and hike up a well defined ridge until you get to the propeller cairn. I think Canadian Rockies is becoming a wet mountain … The name means "fang" in the … You top out on a grassy knoll above treeline, at an elevation of 1770m, with great views of the Border Peaks and Slesse looming above. The hiking trail continues up to the base of Mount Slesse, known as the Propeller Cairn, where a piece of one of the propellers from the plane is propped up by rocks next to other artifacts. After the plaque the road continues up the mountain until you turn and hike up a well defined ridge until you get to the propeller cairn. Mount Slesse Memorial Trail is a 9.5 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Fraser Valley E, British Columbia, Canada that features a waterfall and is rated as difficult. Mt. Although it is officially decommissioned, the road can be followed for 2.5 km in most vehicles. The hike up to the memorial plaque is an easy walk. Just a few days after Steven climbed Slesse via the standard route, Itai (my friend from Israel) and I went up to climb it via the classic NE buttress. Get Started Park on the side of the road. You want the road on the east side of Slesse Creek (The west side road, the Slesse-Borden FSR, goes to McGuire). From Vancouver take Hwy 1 to Chilliwack, take the Vedder Road exit and continue on Vedder Road until just before the Vedder Crossing Bridge and turn left onto Chilliwack Lake road. About half way through the hike you reach the memorial plaque commemorating the people who died in the crash of Trans Canada Airlines Flight 810. Be the first to submit your climbing note! 400 meters after turning onto the forest service road, turn right at the t-junction. June 7, 2012 2728m Kananaskis - Elbow Area, AB This past Thursday was probably the only reasonable day for scrambling in this week... We got downpour and downpour. Now you will gain ~1100m in less than 2 km, with no switchbacks, no rests, and no water. Turn left onto Chilliwack Lake Rd. My runners would have been massacred on the trip. This is the (partially hikeable) climbers trail located on the West side of the mountain. It is notable for its large, steep local relief. Sharing my personal hiking & climbing experiences, photos, other ‘s excursions, upcoming hiking events mainly in So Cal, other blogs mainly in the news plus links to information of interest to all hikers, mountaineers & mountain lovers. As well although they are rotting away there were a few prayer flags on the cairn. A grassy bowl between the knoll and Slesse can be used for climbing bivouacs. Take the right fork for 2.5 miles (4 km) to where the road is washed out. It's a weekday, so I went to the Rockies by myself. No water. Also bring bug repellent as there lots of biting black flies that make it hard to have a rest without getting bit. At top of hill turn south on Slesse Creek FSR and drive for around 6kms to a potential parking spot. After approximately half a kilometer to get on to an old, very overgrown logging road. Mt. SLESSE MEMORIAL TRAIL. Slesse Memorial Trail leads to a memorial to those who perished in 1956 in the crash of the Trans-Canada flight 810 between Vancouver and Calgary, when the aircraft smashed into Slesse Mountain. I was looking under the assumption that the trail started before the turn off for Slesse Memorial Trail, but that was not the case. Slesse Mountain/Northeast Buttress The Notheast Buttress of Slesse Mountain is a Grade V, 5.10- alpine rock climb in the rugged Chilliwack region just north of the United States-Canadian border. Five months later climbers found the crash site near the summit of Slesse mountain. For the NE Buttress bypass route continue up the trail and look for cairns. It is also famous for its huge Northeast Buttress; see the climbing notes below. Alarms were ringing around 4am and we were up and going by 5am by head lamps. This is the (partially hikeable) climbers trail located on the West side of the mountain. Cross the bridge and turn left 400m after the bridge. Located southeast of Chilliwack, the Slesse Memorial Trail is a testament to incredible hikes outside of the Whistler area. If you decide to venture onto the foot of Mount Slesse, take caution as a rock side could occur at any time and without warning. The wreckage and bodies were never recovered, and have long since been swallowed up by the Slesse Glacier. On the cairn you will find one blade from a propeller and multiple other pieces of debris. Dogs are also able to use this trail. For example, its west face drops over 1,950 m to Slesse Creek in less than 3 km. Mt Slesse lies at the end of Nesakwatch FSR which parallels Nesakwatch Creek. there is a memorial to the crew and passengers on the approach hike. Consider things such as access and accommodation at the base of Slesse Peak, as well as the logistics of … Go south on Vedder Rd. We decided to hike to Propellor Cairn, but if you prefer a shorter hike, you can make the memorial plaque that is perched in front of Mount Slesse your destination. Updates to Hiking & Mountaineering are expected almost daily, so please check back often. From the 8km mark on the Slesse FSR, continue on a footpath following an old logging road, south for 3 km. 1. Sharing my personal hiking & climbing experiences, photos, other ‘s excursions, upcoming hiking events mainly in So Cal, other blogs mainly in the news plus links to information of interest to all hikers, mountaineers & mountain lovers. The Slesse Memorial Trail in Chilliwack is steeped in history as the route passes a memorial plaque remembering the victims of one of Canada's worst aviation disasters. This trail is famous for its huge Northeast Buttress that can be climbed, but is a very special place to hike for an entirely different reason. This could make or brake your hike considering the crossing is dependant on a fallen log that could easily be taken out by next years spring run off. 1 review of Slesse Memorial Trail "In 1956, Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810 crashed on Mount Slesse, located in Chilliwack, killing all 62 people aboard. Follow this road for 31 Km and turn left immediately after the Riverside Recreation Area onto (?). until you reach the Vedder Bridge. A 4x4 is recommended on Nesakwatch Creek Road as it has multiple areas where washouts have come across the road and left behind large rocks and there are large dips in the road that may damage low clearance vehicles. The Slesse Memorial Trail is nestled in the Cascade Mountains near the town of Chilliwack, BC. this hike will not disappoint. From here you have a view of the "debris bowl" where the majority of the debris from the plane that crashed, a Canadair Northstar, ended up. Suffering. Please login and have credits (add 1 to get 3) or be a subscriber in order to download GPS. Slesse Mountain - 8002' - NE Buttress Class 5.8 August 2019. Even though you do not come close to summiting the mountain you get great views of amazing vistas of Mount Rexford, Mount Slesse and The Illusion Peaks. The trailhead is a short distance ahead to your right, look … Turn right at 31km, just past the Riverside Recreation Site, onto the Chilliwack South Forest Service Rd. 4x4s or vehicles with moderate clearance should be able to follow the road for a total of 5.3 km, eventually reaching the site of the old Slesse Memorial Trailhead. This is a photo of where the Slesse Mountain Trail comes out, 7.9km up the Slesse Creek logging road. The Sasse Mountain Trail begins at Forest Road 4305-118 and ends at an intersection with the Jolly Mountain trail. It was a long, uneventful descent, followed by a flat walk back to the Slesse Mountain Trail trailhead. If you have sensitive legs you may want to consider wearing pants as low vegetation continually brushes against your legs the entire time you are on the old logging road. Even though you do not come close to summiting the mountain you get great views of amazing vistas of Mount Rexford, Mount Slesse and The Illusion Peaks. Slesse Mountain, usually referred to as Mount Slesse, is a mountain just north of the US-Canada border, in the Cascade Mountains of British Columbia, near the town of Chilliwack. Slesse Peak Climbing Notes. Highway 1 Exit 119A (Sardis/Vedder). Updates to Hiking & Mountaineering are expected almost daily, so please check back often. The elevation gain is less than 400 m which means attaining the summit is a very reasonable goal for pretty much anybody. "0" your odometer again, cross bridge and at 400m turn right. At this point the trail turns uphill. The trail follows a roadbed for the 3km leading to the road. Go up the severely washed out forest service road and turn right at the next fork. From Chilliwack Lake Road, cross Slesse Creek bridge and go up the hill past the fish hatchery. Now you will gain ~1100m in less than 2 … At the first fork, turn left (follow signs for slesse and rexford). Follow this road (Nesakwatch Creek Road) for 5.6 Km until you see a log marked Mt. Slesse Memorial Trail The other day I had the privilege to hike the amazing Mt. From the 8km mark on the Slesse FSR, continue on a footpath following an old logging road, south for 3 km. William’s Ridge was a tricky hike to find just on the basis of some hiking descriptions. Copyright © trailpeak.com & trailpeak.ca 2020. This entry does not have any waypoints available for it. You may be able to 4wd drive, or mountainbike, another 2km. Park at the end of the drivable road and start walking. We were hoping someone would be there, and you'd never guess who we found! After driving a small loop on the road, we made the decision to attempt Ford Mountain instead and hope for the best. Its an easy trail to follow with a new'ish bridge over the Nesakwatch river and follows an old logging road for about 1/2 the distance. I had never heard about this crash, one of the worst aviation disasters, or of Mount Slesse, until my friend invited me to go hiking on the Slesse Memorial Trail with a Meetup group yesterday. There is a log and flagging in the corner of the parking area. Initially the trail crawls along the river until the lovely bridge. However, with the right vehicle, hikers can drive to the end of the forest service road, making for a much-shorter, more scenic hike. The first business was to cross the Nesakwatch Creek and the cold water ensured that we would not be sleepy for the rest of the approach. The trail is primarily used for hiking, rock climbing, and snowshoeing and is best used from June until October. After the bridge the trail takes a steep climb upward and becomes quite muddy. This was our first hike after several years, and it was a good one. The two we met at the Memorial TH were there with their car, and offered to drive us around. 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