This trail – the only route up the upper Woodbury Creek drainage – travels through a luxuriant forest cut by numerous open avalanche paths into the subalpine basin below Woodbury Glacier. The semi-open forest, with its abundance of food and cover, makes the valley an ideal refuge for both black and grizzly bears, and mountain goats roam the peaks of the upper reaches.
Rating: ♦♦♦◊◊
Difficulty: C1 Moderate
Elevation gain: 762m (2500′)
Key elevations: TH 1341m (4400′); Woodbury cabin 2070m (6790′)
Distance: 8 km one-way
Time: 3-4 hours one-way
Season: June (lower elevations) or mid-July to early October
Access: Moderate on Woodbury Creek FSR. Last 2kms of road high clearance.
Map: 82F/14 Slocan
Drive: Woodbury Creek FSR (high clearance, 4WD)
From Balfour (ferry): Drive 23.5 km (14.6 miles) north on Hwy 31 and turn left. Zero odometer.
From Kaslo (Esso station): Drive 10.2 km (6.3 miles) south on Hwy 31 and turn right. Zero odometer.
0.0 Start on the Fletcher Creek FSR, signed “Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park”. The old south road access is very rough.
1.1 km. Go left for Woodbury. (right ascends the unmaintained Fletcher Lake Trail (not recommended due to high concentration of grizzly bears.
2.4 km. The old road comes in from the south. Go right, then bear left. 7.4km, cross a bridge.
11.8 km. Just after crossing a stream, at the height of the road, a branch goes up and left to Sunset Lake and Pontiac Peak 1296m (4250′). This is the trailhead as this road was washed out in 1998 and can’t be driven. Descend steeply on the narrow, overgrown and eroded road. Takes 20 minutes to walk so can park here.
13.4km Park 1341m (4400′). The last two km require four-wheel drive.
Trail: Hikers heading to Silver Spray Cabin or Woodbury Cabin start on the same trail. It leads west from the BC Parks kiosk, is level and usually rather wet and thick with annual growth, especially in the early morning. Soon cross a bridge to the north side of Woodbury Creek.
1.6 km. Bear left for Woodbury Cabin. Right leads NW to Silver Spray and the cabin. Once this poor section is negotiated, the hike up the valley is a pleasant one.
Woodbury Creek basin nestles in the eastern flank of the rugged Sawtooth Ridge while the Woodbury Glacier sprawls down the side of Glacier View Peak to the south. Just below is Wolf Cascade, where Woodbury Creek drops suddenly and dramatically on its way to the forested valley below.
From the basin, the trail climbs up the hillside in a series of switchbacks to reach the Woodbury Hut. A cabin built partly of natural rock and partly of timber, accommodation is available for 6-8 people. Please observe the posted cabin rules and enjoy the best view from the outhouse. Compared to the beautiful Silver Spray Cabin, the Woodbury cabin is darker, older, much smaller and has a more spartan attitude.
An old unmaintained trail climbs steeply up the basin behind the cabin to some old mine workings and a tarn perched on a bench at 2341m (7680′). Worth the effort for the views west and south.
What to do?
1. Climb any of the many mountains around the cabin: Moonlight Peak, Mt Kemball, or Artist Point behind the cabin. Sawtooth Ridge to the west is rugged with confusing ridge lines. The closest “peak” gives poor views. Head SW, circle to its south flank and climb up to a tarn at 7675′.
2. Traverse to Silver Spray. Usually done in the other direction, it is only more exercise this way.
3. Climb Glacier View Peak 9100′.
