Mt Cokely via Old Ski Route (Mt Arrowsmith Attempt #1)

Clouds parting over the Bumps on Arrowsmith's ridge.

Mt Arrowsmith is the tallest mountain on Vancouver Island outside of Strathcona Provincial Park, and offers pretty much anything an alpine climber in-training would wish for. I was looking to gain experience navigating off-route scrambling adventures in the Island alpine, and the Arrowsmith massif is the perfect place for that introduction.

Scroll down to hear about...

• Overview (Trip Rating)

• Getting There

• Map

• Trail Description:

  • Old Ski Route trailhead - Mt Cokely Summit

  • Mt Cokely - start of the Bumps traverse

Above the clouds on Mt Cokely.

Trip Rating: 4/5 STARS

The original plan was to start at the Old Ski Hill trailhead, hike ~3 km (according to AllTrails) to the summit of Mt Cokely, and then traverse down the saddle and onto The Bumps to access The Nose, a direct 5.5 scramble to the summit of Mt Arrowsmith. While October conditions did not allow me to summit Arrowsmith this time, the hike was incredible and I will certainly be back to explore more of this alpine hiking/multipitch mecca.

The first leg of this hike was not a very difficult one, and I would say it is technically doable for most people with a good fitness level comfortable with long uphills on scree. However, descending from Cokely to the saddle junction (Rosseau Route intersecting the Saddle Route) involves downclimbing rather complicated rock. I cannot speak for the rest of The Bumps, as the ramp was frosted over and we did not feel like scrambling in icy conditions.

Mt Arrowsmith boasts great climbing opportunities, including "Time Machine" 6P 5.10b, and "The Jowl" 4P 5.9. The Judges Route, Saddle Route, Rosseau Route, and others around Jewel Lake are great options to train subalpine endurance. Quality mountaineering objectives would be linkups throughout the massif or lines like the Lost Gully and Main Gully in both winter (snow/ice climbing) and summer (roped traverses/scrambling).

Looking back on Mt Cokely from halfway up the ramp to the ridge. The trail follows the left-most bump before the ridge, and descends steeply to the saddle.

Getting There: 

From Victoria, follow Trans-Canada Hwy/BC-1 N to Nanaimo, then merge onto BC-19 N (Inland Island Hwy) towards Parksville. Take exit 60 onto BC-4 W (Alberni Hwy) towards Port Alberni until an unconspicuous left turnoff onto Cameron Connector/Loon Lake Main. From there, turn left onto Cameron Main, keep left to cross the bridge, and turn another left onto Pass Main. Continue past the switchbacks until a right turn onto the Old Ski Hill Road for roughly 6 km to the parking lot.

Be aware that all logging roads on Mt Arrowsmith are active throughout the week (Monday to Friday) and closed for general public. You can access them on weekends during set hours, controlled by the gate off Hwy 4. Season-specific gate closings can be found online on several sources, including Backcountry Road Atlas. These FSRs are very rough and can only be accessed by 4WD/AWD vehicles. If you are worried about navigating this complex maze of logging roads, you can check https://backroadstatus.com/ for updated information about most FSRs in BC.

Driving directions as of Sunday evening from Swartz Bay ferry terminal to the Old Ski Hill trailhead.

Trail Description:

1. Old Ski Route parking lot/trailhead (Pass Main)

2. 0 - ~2km: Follow wide tracks of steep, loose scree through subalpine meadows. Navigation is difficult in whiteout conditions.

3. 2 km: Meandering paths and faint trails through heather and rock slabs. Unrelentless uphill angle.

4. ~3 km: Easy 4-metre Class 3 gully to the summit ridge.

5. 3 km: Two gently rolling bumps to a 2-metre 4th-class bluff.

6. Mt Cokely summit and radio tower

7. 3 - 3.5 km: Backtrack along ridge through unmarked choss/bush down a Class 2 scramble over a bump. Briefly join the Rosseau Route, turning left at the fork (dotted route on map below).

8. Short uphill before descending a steep 90m wall of Class 3/4 scrambling and loose choss. The crux is often referred to as "The Chute."

9. 3.5 km: The saddle (junction with Saddle Route)

10. 3.5 - 4 km: Steady elevation gain through meadows to base of the ramp.

11. ~4 km: Join the gully and head steeply up the bushy ramp. The ramp features several airy, exposed 3d-class scrambling sections on stretches of chossy rock.

11. This traverse continues on to crest The Bumps and eventually lead climbers to The Nose, a 50m Class 5 scramble/pitch. We were not able to summit The Pillar, let alone the first bump, due to heavy frost on the ridge.

Map of the trail. We took RED and BLUE. The rest of the traverse is PINK leading up to The Nose. (The summit of Arrowsmith can be descended via the Judges Route, or backtracking along the ridge). Click to view larger size.

Old Ski Route trailhead - Mt Cokely Summit

3 km round trip

We left Victoria with some friends at about 5:20 am and made the drive out in about 2 hours. Conditions were a lot colder than I expected at least, 4° celsius at the trailhead and windy on the summit.

The Arrowsmith massif seen from Pass Main in early morning light.

Trailhead photo, almost 9:00 am. Left to right is me, Mom, Annmarie, and Emmett.

The first part of the trail is a meandering connection of paths through heather meadows. It occasionally joins old ski slopes, steep roads of loose scree.

Still very foggy. On a clear day, the Cokely summit is easily visible throughout the whole trail.

Found these cool frost formations that grew in spikes along branches and leaves in the direction of the wind. Well, it was cool until this very frost stopped us from summiting the ridge 😅.

By 10 am, we were almost above the clouds, and this cool rainbow formed.

Everything was frosted over.

Interesting wintery landscape...

Aaand the clouds were back again. Making slow and steady progress up the hill.

Emmett on the gully. The summit can be approached through several ways off the plateau (like scrambling a slabby face) but this gully is the standard, and likely easiest, route.

Steep drops to the left. The photo doesn't really do it justice.

Annmarie on the ridge, 10:00 am.

First view of the summit cell tower! (the farthest bump through the fog).

I guess I would've been less impressed by the frost if I actually hiked in the alpine more in October 😜

Until... we were above the clouds! The photo doesn't really show that we had clear view of the Coast Mountains right ahead of me.

Summit now in clear sight.

Selfies! The bright colours were a good choice, in my opinion...

Looking back on the ridge from the summit. The trail from the parking lot exits down to the right.

Cell tower and whatever this box is for. Looking a lot 'higher altitude' than it actually was thanks to all the frost.

This unusual doghouse structure and the radio repeater in the background. I am looking out west to Parksville/Nanaimo/Vancouver direction.

The Bumps poking through the clouds. The highest "bump" is actually the summit of Mt Arrowsmith and is not directly connected to the rest of the ridge.

Bright sun at 10:15 am. I was very happy with how this backpack carried all my stuff throughout the day, as it was one of the first times I was testing it in an alpine environment.

This backpack, the Ortovox Trad Zero 24, is an ultralight alpine pack designed for multipitching and 'fast and light' style mountaineering. It sits very close to one's back, therefore making it a smart choice for big climbing days when you'll need to pack a little more than just approach shoes. However, it maxes out at about 8kg, and the lack of proper hip straps is definitely a make or break for hiking-specific adventures. Keep an eye out for an upcoming review about this pack's technical specs, or read my other adventure with the Trad Zero, a failed attempt to summit Castlecrag Mountain in Strathcona HERE. (link valid when blue).

It was very cold and windy on the summit of Cokely.

Me scoping out the cell tower (it's actually climbable by a rung ladder).

Clouds parted over the bumps and here's me and Mom.

Full group summit photo!

Overall it took us about 1.5 hours to reach the summit of Mt Cokely at a relaxed pace. It's definitely a good approach option, being relatively easy, and getting you up into the alpine in almost no time.

Mt Cokely - Saddle - Ramp (start of The Bumps traverse)

5 km round trip

Looking out from the summit of Cokely, The Bumps were frosted over and we weren't sure how this would impact the scrambling difficulty. We decided to make it a goal to simply get as far as we could safely, without rushing for the summit of Arrowsmith.

Mom and Annmarie downclimbing the short bluff from the top of Mt Cokely.

Off the Rosseau Ridge there was this short section with a few technical moves, easily escaped by walking around to the left.

Emmett and The Bumps. Most of the clouds were finally gone, as the forecast promised, so it was looking good. A close eye will notice the 'snow dust' on the ridge, which turned out to be slippery frost.

Mom looking tough withstanding "strong alpine winds." 👏

Gentle heather meadows before the steep descent to the saddle.

Based on everyone's fitness, our group decided to split up here, and three of us kept going to the downclimb towards the saddle. While it certainly is a fairly exposed stretch of loose rock, it is nothing to rope up for and can certainly be navigated safely. After all, we saw somebody wearing Adidas street shoes... not the smartest choice, to be honest.

Mom downclimbing the "crux" of the Class 3 descent from Rosseau Ridge, with the saddle visible below. I believe this section is referred to as "The Chute," however mountains do seem to be prone to have several locations called the same thing... don't quote me on it.

Looking back up at the direct line from the ridge. There is no formal trail, pick whatever direction looks least chossy. Unfortunately the phone camera doesn't quite portray perspective.

Down in the saddle by noon and this is the view out west with Mt Cokely's cell tower in the top left corner.

Jewel Lake below the scree. I believe there are several trails that can be taken to descend to the basin, where informal camping is permitted.

Approaching the ramp, with The Pillar visible centre-left in the photo. This angle allows one to clearly see the amount of frost/ice on the Bumps. I can only imagine how slippery the traverse would have been.

Emmett navigating another easy 2nd/3d class scrambling section. Thought this was a cool photo.

Mom approaching the same location as photo above, but with a much more dramatic perspective on Rosseau Ridge behind. Rock texture was really cool up here... funny how iPhone photos tend to flatten everything down so much, doesn't quite show the steepness. Alas.

Cool perspective on Jewel Lake and the ocean far under the clouds. I wonder if we could have seen Parksville from up here...

And more scrambling shots. Notice how the tree in the corner was covered in frost.

Our approximate route in RED, looking back on Mt Cokely and Jewel Lake from about halfway up the ramp.

Although we didn't make it to the ridge this time, and had to turn around because of how icy it was looking up there, I still had a very productive day. Gaining scrambling experience in subalpine environments is not very easy for somebody who lives in Victoria, because all our mountains are so far away up Island. That's why every trip out to the mountains lets me learn something new, and I think that's pretty cool.

By 1:00 pm we were turned around and heading back to the summit of Mt Cokely.

Perspective onto the Alberni Inlet/Port Alberni in the distance, plus Strathcona Park on the skyline.

And the long way back. I forgot how short the days were in October, and was taken by surprise how the just-past-noon sun here looked like 4:00 pm on my summer backcountry adventures.

Re-ascending the "wall" from the saddle was much, much easier than getting down. We were not moving very fast, but I think an efficient party could easily get up this in about 15 minutes at most.

The Bumps looking prominent under midday sun. The red dot is where we decided to turn around.

Almost at the top. 1:40 pm.

Helicopter in-training (nobody was getting rescued) taking apart the 'doghouse' structure on the summit of Mt Cokely, not sure why. I think they were replacing it.

It was pretty straightforward from here on, with our group back together we plodded downhill for the rest of the way. Zero technical challenges on the way down, except that one gully to be descended from Rosseau Ridge (photo below).

Emmett, Mom, and Annmarie climbing down this gully, 2:30 pm.

The views we didn't get to see in the morning. Looking towards Parksville and the Salish Sea, with the mainland in the distance (particularly Squamish/Sea to Sky area).

About halfway down by now. Here I am looking northwest towards interior Strathcona, Alberni Inlet, and Sproat Lake.

Those old ski track scree slopes I was talking about earlier.

We were back at the parking lot just past 3:00 pm, totalling at over 6 hours of hiking.

Final views of Arrowsmith on the way back from the logging road.

Overall it was a fun 14-hour day (including the drive) and getting a little taste of what Mt Arrowsmith has to offer was the best thing ever. I find it really cool that we are able to get out to amazing places like this in a single day, living on Vancouver Island. There will certainly be more Arrowsmith-centered hiking and climbing blog posts in the future... I'm looking to summer of 2027!

Thank you so much for reading my post and making it to end! It means a lot to know someone took the time to read this!

✉️ Email sophia.roukhlova@gmail.com for any questions, inquiries, or collabs!

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Enjoy your hike!

-- Sophia