Comments

Allison Dempsey from Vancouver writes:

We visited this Saturday June 12th. Callaghan Lake was not accessible by vehicle. Around 5km marker - the FSR became impassible due to snow coverage on the road. Several other vehicles parked up and people were walking (and skiing) in and out to the lake. No vehicles made it to the lake. Campground was blanketed by a decent snow coverage and the lake itself had some traces of snow and ice. The snow was soft and definitely melting - maybe another couple weeks it will be clear? Still beautiful!

Posted: June 14, 2021 09:11:32 AM PST

Tara from Burnaby writes:

We did this hike on the last weekend of October and while it was still doable in hiking boots, there was a good foot of snow on the ground. There are a few very small creek crossings, but the walk is mostly flat and in the forest, save for the last few kilometres along a FSR. While the trail to Conflict Lake was better marked than I expected, we elected not to proceed to Ring Lake as we weren't confident about wayfinding (there were no tracks ahead of us) and it took a lot longer to trudge through snow than we expected. Overall, the walk, scenery, and lake are absolutely stunning and I would definitely recommend it as a beautiful day out.

Keep in mind that as with most places in the area, you are in grizzly bear country and we definitely saw black bear tracks. I've also been in Callaghan Provincial Park in the summer and seen 10+ bears along the side of the road in.

Also, the FSR to the trailhead is definitely 4WD/high clearance- we barely made it in a RAV4.

Posted: November 1, 2020 07:20:52 PM PST

Jay MacArthur from North Vancouver writes:

The gravel road past Alexander Falls can be pretty rough.

Posted: March 2, 2020 06:55:26 PM PST

Janita from South Surrey writes:

Star rating does not reflect the hike. We TRIED to do this hike today, but needed a vehicle that is suitable for off road conditions. Pretty frustrating that this is not mentioned anywhere in the description. Not the first time our plans have been derailed due to incomplete information regarding road conditions on getting to a trail head. (Ancient cedars trail had the same challenge).

Posted: September 1, 2018 10:53:08 AM PST

Kate from North Vancouver writes:

No snow on the trail, but a couple of snow patches remaining off the trail. Lovely hike, gorgeous terrain. Took us 1.5 hours to get to the lake, and 1 hour 45 minutes to get back. All in all can be done in 3 hours if you don't stop for photo ops like we did :)

Posted: July 14, 2018 10:05:11 PM PST

Andre from Vancouver writes:

June 10, 2017: Snow on Callaghan Road was so deep I had to park 5km away from the trailhead (4runner with snow tires). Come back in late August or September to hike this trail without snow, up to 3 feet in some places still. Spikes/snowshoes not required to get to Conflict lake, but definitely an asset as the snow is very soft in many places and the stability of a wider footprint will be appreciated regardless. Saw one set of black/brown bear tracks as well as one pile of bear poop, bring a noise maker and bear spray for sure, keep your head on a swivel. Keep LEFT at the big trail division near the cabin to get to the cabin. Not a very great hike in the snow as you're just following cross-country ski trails. The hike to Ring lake beyond is probably much nicer.

Posted: June 11, 2017 05:35:45 PM PST

Brad from Vancouver writes:

I did this on May 15th, 2016 and there snow everywhere. We had to park 4km away from the trail head as the snow was so deep.

The trail has pretty compact snow so it's not too difficult to trek through, however, the 4k walk to the hike was a pain.

Conflict Lake wasn't that appealing, however, Callaghan Lake was way nicer and it was right at the trail head, lol. Don't bypass it.

Posted: May 25, 2016 03:31:09 AM PST

Peter from Burnaby writes:

This is a wonderful hike and well worth the trip. Should point out that while a 4 wheel drive with high clearance is recommended, the road in was not as bad as I had anticipated. Drive time from where you leave the paved road to Callaghan Lake was probably about 30 minutes or so, and while there are some tough patches, it wasn't horrific (this may depend on how recently the road has been graded). Looking forward to going next year and getting up to Ring Lake.

Posted: October 14, 2015 11:25:07 AM PST