Mt. Midgeley

This is a very pleasant trail located at the west side of the valley north of Highway 3 on Mt. Midgeley with views of the Creston Valley for much of the way.   There has been a trail here for many years to a trapper’s cabin originally built in the 1980s.  It is now owned by the Ministry of Forests and the Trails for Creston Valley Society is granted permission to use it.  The cabin can be booked via the webpage https://www.crestonvalleytrails.ca/midgeley-cabin.

There is a licensed trapping line in the vicinity of the cabin so no other hunting is allowed in the area.  Motorized vehicles being used for hunting purposes are not allowed past 12.5 km on Topaz road.

Hiking to the Summit

Day hikes to the summit of Mt. Midgeley can be easily accomplished using the cabin as a base camp.  The route to the summit (2150M) has not been cleared yet but is a fairly obvious bushwack to the left (south side) of the Mt. Midgeley Ridge which is clearly visible from the cabin and once on the ridge it is an open walk to the peak which has views of Kootenay Lake and almost as far as Bonners Ferry.

How to Get to the Trail

Mount Midgeley trail head is about an hours drive from Creston. A 4-wheel drive vehicle is strongly recommended. Travel west from Creston on highway 3 and, after crossing the Summit Creek bridge, turn right immediately after the bridge onto Topaz Creek Forest Service Road.
Set your vehicle’s odometer.
Stay on the main road and turn left at 3.4 km (at Newington Road sign). This is an active logging road so use Huscroft Channel if you have it in your vehicle and drive with caution as logging trucks may be coming down.
Continue on Topaz Creek logging road..
At 13 km the road has three forks. Continue straight ahead on the middle fork.
At 15 km the road forks again. Stay left (look for a “TRAIL” sign high in a tree).
At 16.5 km there will be a level landing with ample room to park and turn around. You should see a trailhead sign post there.

Please note that current Google Maps satellite imagery is out of date and does not accurately show recent logging.

The Trail

When you start the trail you will be walking through an old clear cut and the trail is flagged but not actually built.  It is only about 75 M until you reach the real trail which has a very comfortable grade with views of the valley.  This trail and the land adjacent is crown land and is clear the whole way.

The trail into the cabin usually becomes snow-free in early July and autumn snows may begin in October.  Late fall is a nice time to visit with alpine larch trees turning golden and biting insects becoming less bothersome.

Please note that access to Midgeley Lake is not available from this trail as the lake is located on private property (Nature Conservancy of Canada; please refer to their website for permission to enter Darkwoods lands.)