Elevation Gain: 1,253m
Distance: 11.89km
Total Time: 4 hours 58 minutes
Date: March 22nd, 2026
Alex, Trevor and myself were keen to get out for a single day trip and I threw out Mount Varley as an option. The weather was fickle on our chosen day, but Varley seemed like it had an okay window and it was close to home. A perfect match given the three of us had done a few too many large drives this season.
We left early on the Sunday and caught the first ferry to Gibsons and took the now snow free Rainy River all the way to our planned spur. I managed to drive a decent way up Branch 39, but opted to stop before the rough creek crossing and spare the truck some wear. Thankfully, it was just a short walk to the actual impassible section of the 39A spur.
The spur turned into a bit of a car wash with the brush, but we hit continuous deep snow after a welcomed distance and it was easy plodding from there. At the end of the cut blocks we booted up through the logged extent and into phenomenal old growth forest. Seriously, the trees in there were huge! This made for a lovely ascent up to the ridge and then a short section of steep snow gave way to the summit.
Clouds swirled in and out of the valley, obstructing more distant views. However, we caught a glimpse of the McNab Lions and Box Canyon Peak making up for it. With the weather not relinquishing its hold on the scenery any time soon, we headed down slip and slide fashion to the lower angle forest. The rest of the journey was uneventful, but it made for a pleasant outing overall.
