Trip Report & Landslide: Blanca Lake, Squamish BC

We got it all over 14 hours: rain that soaked through all our clothes, mud that seeped into our boots from our ankles, snow, slush and high winds freezing us out, and a landslide that left us stranded on the wrong side.

Stat Summary

Date hiked: September 14, 2024

Distance: 11.6-13km / 7.2-8 miles

Elevation gain: 667+m / 2188+ feet

Time: 2.5 hours to lake, 5 hours round trip

Season: July - September

Permits: None required

Camping: We didn't stick around to find the best spots, but you'd be able to find some flat areas to set up your tents. Full exposure, nowhere to hide from the wind or elements.

Popularity & Parking

This trail isn't very popular and requires 4x4 to get to. To our surprise, one other group showed up and started the hike at the same time as us, but we saw no one else on the trail. There is no parking lot, just pull over to the side of the FSR.

Getting there: Follow Squamish Valley Road then turn left onto Elaho Mainline at about km 32. Then take a right at km 35 onto FSR 300. Until now the FSR has been well graded and relatively easy-going. FSR 300 becomes steep in some sections with mild washouts, larger potholes and some trees down across the road that have been bucked to clear passage. The trailhead is at about km10 of FSR 300, however due to the rain saturating the ground we were unable to pass a washout just past km 9 so we parked there and hiked the extra 500 or so meters. If you've downloaded the AllTrails map you'll be able to find the trailhead without any problem. If you haven't, you may spend quite some time finding it.

On our way back out, part of the road was completely washed out due to a landslide on Squamish Valley Road at about km 21-24. Apparently landslides are common in this area and happen once every couple years at that exact spot. It would be wise to reschedule any plans you have past that location if it's been raining heavily or steadily, or if there's heavy rain forecasted during your activities. More on this washout below.

Conditions

As with any trail, conditions vary throughout the year. This trail is best hiked July through September. On our hike it had been raining enough to saturate the ground and make the hike very muddy and slippery throughout. Some parts of the trail were complete mud pits that we had to skirt around. Monitor trip reports and comments on AllTrails and other local hiking group pages leading up to your trip. If going in the winter, be avalanche aware and check avalanche.ca for avi forecasts.

The Trail

This out-and-back trail is mostly incline on the way to the lake, and therefore mostly decline on the way back to the vehicle. There isn't much up-down-up-down, but thankfully if you've managed to drive right to or close to the trailhead then it's a relatively short hike. To the lake from the trailhead is 5km and about 500m elevation gain and 150m elevation loss. We did not go to the Mount Blanca summit, but from what we saw and what we've read from other people's reviews there isn't a distinct trail and it is about a 2km scramble to get to the top, so you'll be choosing your own route to get there.

With the recent rainfall the trail was very muddy. As stated above, some sections of the trail were mud pits that we had to walk around, unfortunately by walking on small bushes. At about 3.5km you'll come to some beautiful meadows, though unfortunately with the rain they were more like bogs. There was a river crossing which we were able to rock-hop to get across with our shoes barely going in the water.

Once you've reached the lake you'll be impressed by the view of the surrounding mountains. As much as we hated the rain, snow and slush, the fog that came with it made for a beautifully moody scene. We were glad we pushed through to see the lake, took some photos and videos, then promptly changed out of our wet shirts and put on some dry layers for the hike back down, then left.

Views

I can't speak to the views from the summit, nor much of the views on the trail as we were socked in with fog and didn't make it to the summit. The view at the lake itself was stunning with mountains surrounding the pristine blue lake which had an outflow pouring over rocks and down into the meadows. This outflow is what makes the river that we crossed. You could also see the Squamish Ice Fields from the South end of the lake as well as from the meadows at km 3.5, and you'd likely get a better view of them from the summit.

Aside from the trail, the view along the FSR to the trailhead was also beautiful. I was lucky enough to actually be a passenger on this trip rather than being the driver and was able to look over the edge of the road to the raging teal waters below, across to the mountains and forests on the other side and at times we got glimpses of the Ice Fields from the road!

Camping

You could certainly camp here, and we had planned on it, but there won't be many great locations for it. You'll be fully exposed to the wind and likely set up on top of the rocks, so I hope you've got a good sleeping pad. I also wouldn't count on there being more than a couple spots to set up your tent. While the area around the lake is large, it's not very flat and doesn't lend well to group camping.

Water While on the trail I drank about 1 liter of water. Again, this was September 14th and it was not hot or sunny, so we weren't feeling dehydrated like we might be during July or August. There was a stream crossing right at the beginning of the trail and a river crossing at about km 4, then of course you make it to the lake at km 5. The stream and river likely had higher flow due to the recent rain, and perhaps the stream might be dry in August, but I don't believe that river would dry up during the summer. Regardless of how pristine the wilderness is and that the water is flowing, always filter your water. You never know what may be upstream.

Facilities

None. No outhouses along the FSRs, so go before you leave town and bring a wag bag with you. Don't forget to pack out your TP.

The Landslide

Location: Squamish Valley Road, mud creek (appropriately named), about km 21.

We were relieved to be back at the truck and putting on dry clothes and boots for our 3 hour drive home. As we were talking about how ridiculous that weather was, how tired we were and how excited we were to get home and shower, we came upon a lineup of vehicles pulled over and parked on the right side of the road. There's lots of camping along this road, so we thought this might be a popular camp spot. Once we got to the end of the lineup we were confused as to why multiple ATVs and dirt bikes were blocking the road, until we realized that beyond them, there was no road.

We had crossed this location on our way in around 10am, and apparently the road was washed away between 1-1:30pm. It took several minutes for us to process what had happened and start making a plan for how to get ourselves out. After talking to a few other people, here's what we had learned:

• The road washed out around 1-1:30pm

• This is a common spot for the road to wash out

• It was going to be at least 24 hours before anyone came to help

• It was going to take at least 3 days for the road to be fixed, and crews would not be arriving until Monday

• There is a way to climb down the bank, cross the debris, and climb back up the other side

Thankfully, I had my Garmin inReach with me and was able to send a message to my safety contact. I told him we were stuck, the road had washed out, help wouldn't arrive for at least 24 hours, and asked him if he could come pick us up. I had shared my tracking link with him when we started our hike and let him know both when we decided to call it quits and head down to our vehicle and when we got back to our vehicle, so he was aware of where we were and had been able to track us throughout the day. Upon receiving my message requesting help, he got in his truck and came to get us.

A little feature flaw of the inReach that we didn't know until now is that although messages I send include a link to a map that shows my exact location, you can't utilize that location by means of getting directions to it. It's literally a pin on a photo of a map, but you can't transfer that pin to Google or Apple Maps to get driving directions. Since messages can take quite a while to send and receive on satellite devices, my safety contact looked up the Mount Blanca and Blanca Lake trail on AllTrails and used the AllTrails "Get Directions" feature to figure out where to go until he received my message with the kilometer marker that we were at.

While we were waiting we chatted with some of the other people who were stranded and used my inReach to send out some messages to people they know, as they didn't have any means of contacting anyone. After we crossed the debris outflow we set up a spot to sit at and wait, then made some food with our burners and backpacking food. By the time we left there were still many people stuck on the other side, some with plans and some without. Many decided to camp out overnight and re-assess in the morning, and others who were already camping likely didn't even know the road was washed out.

As usual, the community of people stranded together were able to help each other out as much as possible. We met up with the people who we met on the trail and they gave us their phone number and offered to come get us if my contact wasn't able to. When we got across to the other side there was a family who had been trying to get to a camping spot further down the FSR (but obviously couldn't) and they hung around to help others. They had Starlink set up and allowed anyone who crossed the debris field to use it to contact their people and get help, they gave us water, offered us food, and had a small pellet fireplace that we all sat around while waiting for our rides. We even got to play with a puppy that someone else had, and that felt like it made the whole day worth it.

All in all, it was a pretty positive outcome for something that could have been disastrous. A huge thank you to everyone involved for helping each other out, and a reminder to always be prepared - have extra food and water in your vehicles, and a means of communication for when you're out of service.

What To Do

If you ever find yourself in a situation like this, don't panic. Thankfully there was a good amount of people around us and this FSR is relatively heavily used, so even if there wasn't anyone there when we arrived, it would only be a matter of time. If that weren't the case, then thank goodness I had a satellite device. Newer iPhones can now send SOS messages via satellites but they're not as reliable as designated satellite devices, which aren't 100% reliable either.

If we weren't able to get across the debris field, the SOS feature on the Garmin inReach would be the next step. From what I've been told, RCMP will be going out to the site on Monday but it is likely that the local Squamish Search and Rescue might make it there sooner to help people cross the debris and shuttle them back to town.

As stated above, if you're ever going out of service or onto FSRs, be sure to carry some emergency supplies with you for situations like this. Have some food and water stashed, as well as means of making a fire, a first aid kit, and a blanket. This will help make your night a lot more comfortable if you have to camp out to wait for help. If you're in an extremely remote region it's likely to take some time for help to get to you, so that's more reason for you to be even more prepared. Having a few days worth of food and water as well as other comforts like more blankets and pillows would be very useful. Of course, I can't emphasize this enough, get a satellite device such as a Garmin inReach or a Zoleo.

Sources

Mount Blanca and Blanca Lake on AllTrails

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