If you’re up for a serious off the beaten path Canadian Rockies adventure, then you just found the right blog post! Mummery Glacier hike near Golden, BC is an incredible trail through British Columbia’s rugged wilderness featuring glacier, waterfalls, stunning peaks and alpine meadows. It is not a one for the faint of the heart, but we consider it as one of the most rewarding hikes we’ve done during our 3 years in the Rockies.
When we hiked Mummery Glacier in summer 2023, we honestly didn’t fully know what we’re going into. Even though we did our homework and tried to research as much information as possible, there simply isn’t a lot of resources about this trail. That’s why we decided to write this detailed trail guide as one of the first posts on our blog! So let’s dive into it.
KEY HIKE STATS
Lenght: 9.5 km round-trip
Elevation gain: 906 meters
Duration: 5-7 hours
Difficulty: Hard
If you’re confused from seeing different stats for Mummery Glacier hike, it is because there is an official and unofficial part of the trail. While the first 2.5 km (“official trail”) is an easy short hike on a well built trail, there is an option to cross the river at the end of it and continue another 2.25 km to get to the toe of the glacier. This is the “unofficial” and challenging part of the trail, which is a technical scramble pretty much the whole time. And that’s the option we’ll be talking about in this blog post.
Personally, we wouldn’t recommend coming to Mummery Glacier trail if you only plan to do the official part. What we’re guessing is that some time ago, you could get a great views of the glacier from the end of this trail. Unfortunately, as glaciers shrink and disappear, that is no longer the case. Unless you decide to do the scramble up, you’ll only see the glacier in far distance. We just don’t think the long gravel forest service road leading to the trailhead is worth driving for doing the official trail only. Especially when there is plenty other beautiful trails near Golden with better accessibility. That being said, if you decide to do the whole thing, you’ll want to reserve the whole day for this adventure, as driving the gravel road to and from the trailhead takes a chunk of your day.
To close this section, we want to emphasize that even though we call it “unofficial” trail, it is not forbidden to hike to the toe of the glacier. You should just be aware that the unofficial part of the trail is unmaintained and requires some route finding. Good news that this post is here to guide you!
BEST TIME TO HIKE MUMMERY GLACIER TRAIL
Best time to hike Mummery Glacier trail is from late June to early October. We wouldn’t recommend attempting it earlier in the season since the glacier as well as the trail might still be covered by snow at parts. Besides that, Blaeberry Road which is an access point to the trailhead, is prone to washouts that are more likely to occur during the early season.
We hiked the Mummery Glacier trail at the beginning of July and there was no snow whatsoever. The road was in a decent condition, however we honestly didn’t feel that comfortable driving it in our small 2WD vehicle. But more about that in the next section.
GETTING TO MUMMERY GLACIER TRAIL
Mummery Glacier Trail is located in the beautiful Blaeberry Valley, approximately 56 km northeast of Golden, BC. The trail was inaccessible until the summer of 2018 as Blaeberry Road was washed out in several spots. With new logging activity past the trailhead, the road access has been re-established. That being said, it is still a very remote area with poor or no cell service and barely any traffic/people going through even in the peak summer months.
To get to the Mummery Glacier trailhead, we followed the description from Recreation and Trails BC and it was accurate. We highly recommend you to save this description and forget about using the GPS. Lots of newly established roads in the area is not marked properly on Google Maps. Drive west on the Trans Canada Hwy (Hwy 1) from the junction of Hwy 95 and Hwy 1 in Golden. After approximately 11.6 km, turn right to the Moberly Branch Road. Go approx. 2 km up the hill to a T-crossroad, and turn left on Golden Donald Upper Road. After 0.9 km, keep right on to Oberg Johnson Road, and follow it 1.9 km to the end, where it forms a T. Turn left on Moberly School Road and follow it for 0.5 km until it curves to the right and becomes Blaeberry Road. You can now follow the road for 6.7 km until you reach a bridge that crosses the Blaeberry River to the left. DO NOT cross the bridge. Instead continue straight. You’ll pass a campground on your left right after the bridge and the road has now became the M Forest Service Road. Set your odometer to zero by the campground. After 5.3 km, you will pass the turnoff into Thompson Falls. 10 km, proceed straight. Do not cross the Blaeberry River. 12 km you will pass the Split Creek Recreation Site picnic area. 15.5km turn left and cross the Blaeberry River. 32.5 km look for a few strands flagging at the entrance to an old logging road on your left. This is where the trail starts. Now you can either park here or drive another 1 km up on this old logging road which saves you 1 km of walking uphill. There is another small parking lot at the end of it. The road is however quite rough and we’d only proceed with high clearance vehicle.
We drove the road to the trailhead in a small 2WD vehicle and while it was doable, we probably wouldn’t do it again. Considering there is no service in the area and barely any traffic, high clearance vehicle is much safer option. You’ll definitely want to carry a spare tire.
MUMMERY GLACIER HIKE DESCRIPTION
Mummery Glacier hike starts with steep 1 km uphill on the old logging road. However, as we mentioned in the previous section, it is possible to drive it if you have a high clearance vehicle. You might appreciate having your car 1 km closer on your way back.
You’ll soon find yourself hiking through a beautiful old growth cedar & hemlock forest for about 1.5 km. This is a well marked part of the trail and it almost feels like somewhere on the West Coast. Once you come to the old washed out bridge, you reached the end of the official trail. Continue a little further up to the right of the creek, then find a way across it via the fallen trees. We found one with a rope that helped us to go over easier. The water moves pretty fast, so take your time and be careful.
Once on the other side, it’s about following the inukshuks (piled stones) all the way up to the ridge and toe of the glacier. It’s a steep and exposed climb up that eventually turns into a scramble on the east side of the glacier. The inukshuks made it pretty easy to follow, however some parts on the slope with loose rocks were quite hard to get through. We found out there is an easier way that we took on our way back. Up the bank, there is a trail to the right, that stays in the trees on the ridge above you. There were even some ropes to get through the steepest parts and overall we found it much better than the going through the exposed rocky slope below. Both ways will lead you to the final scrambling part which is well marked with inukshuks.
WHERE TO STAY NEAR MUMMERY GLACIER TRAIL
There is a few simple campgrounds along the Blaeberry River, but we believe none of them has any services. Blaeberry area and Golden provide more accommodation options:
» Camp Moose Trail
Camp Moose Trail is a beautiful glamping spot near Blaeberry Valley. The location is perfect as it’s closer to the trailhead. This is where we stayed when we did Mummery Glacier hike and it has easily became one of our favourite stays in Canadian Rockies! Book on hotels.com if you’re looking for a unique stay.
» Basecamp Lodge Golden
While we didn’t stay here, we had a chance to stay at multiple Basecamp Resorts properties around Canadian Rockies and it was always such a great stay. We can highly recommend their hotels for your stay in Canadian Rockies. Book on Booking.com.
» Golden Tiny Homes
Tiny modern chalets near Golden with outdoor hot tub & sauna. What else could one need. See on Booking.com.
» Palliser Lodge
Beautiful lodge 10 minutes from downtown Golden. Breakfast included! Book on Booking.com.
» Private rentals
Browse AirBnB or Vrbo to find private rentals in Golden, BC.
WHERE TO EAT NEAR MUMMERY GLACIER TRAIL
As you probably know by now, Mummery Glacier trailhead is in a pretty remote area. Your closest option to grab something to eat, whether it be supermarket or restaurant, is in Golden, BC. Here are some options you can check:
» Reposados
If you love Mexican food, then you shouldn’t miss this spot! We grabbed some burritos here after we spent the next day hiking near Golden and everything was so GOOD! Make a reservation as they get busy and no wonder why!
» Whitetooth Brewing Co.
Most of the small mountain towns in Rockies has their local brewery and Golden is not an exception. Stop by for a pint or beer flight.
» Red Tomato Pies
This is your place to grab some pizzas in Golden, BC!
» Bluebird Café
Delicious coffee & homemade breakfast options.
OTHER THINGS TO DO NEAR MUMMERY GLACIER
Golden, BC is such a fun little mountain town! If staying for few more days, consider adding these activities to your stay:
» River Rafting
The Kicking Horse River offers some of the best white water rafting in all of BC! So if you’re thinking to add rafting to your Canadian Rockies trip itinerary, Golden is a place to do it. We did the Kicking Horse classic rafting tour with Hydra River Guides and it was so much fun!
» Golden Skybridge
Did you know that Golden, BC is a home to Canada’s highest suspension bridges? That’s correct! You can walk across them at Golden Skybridge adventure centre. Honestly, we don’t know that it took us so long to visit this place. Besides the suspension bridges, there are so many other fun activities like zip lining over the canyon, mountain roller coaster or canyon edge challenge. And if you’re up for a real adrenaline experience, you can add the giant canyon swing! We did and it was the most thrilling part of our visit (check our video if you want to get an idea)! We have a full blog post about visiting Golden Skybridge.
» Horseback riding along Blaeberry River
Bear Corner Bed & Bale offers guided horseback riding tours along the beautiful Blaeberry river for all experience levels!
» Thompson Falls
Thompson Falls is a moderate trail along the Blaeberry river. If you don’t mind early starts, Mummery Glacier hike and Thompson Falls hike can be combined into a full day adventure. Long summer days in the mountains are good for the soul (:
» Boo Grizzly Bear Refuge
Meet Boo, the grizzly bear at his 20-acre home near Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. The Boo Grizzly Bear Refuge is a sanctuary dedicated to the protection and rehabilitation of orphaned grizzly bears. The interpretive centre provides guests with the opportunity to observe an adult grizzly bear in his daily life.
» Northern Lights Wolf Centre
Unique facility that provides the opportunity to observe and learn about wolves in a natural setting. Take interpretative tour or walk with wolfes!
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Things you should keep in mind before you hit the Mummery Glacier trail:
» There is no gas station or other services in Blaeberry Valley, fill up your tank in Golden, bring plenty of water and snacks.
» You’re in a bear country, always carry bear spray, know how to use it and keep it easily accessible at all times!
» Mummery Glacier hike is located in a remote area of Blaeberry Valley with poor or no cell service. Have an offline map downloaded in your phone and make sure your battery will last. We recommend using AllTrails offline maps. Consider carrying satellite communicator such as Garmin inReach (shop on Amazon Canada or Amazon US).
» Mosquitos can be really bad during the summer months, make sure to pack mosquito repellent.
» The scrambling part of the trail is exposed, so cover your head, wear sunglasses and apply sunscreen if going during the hot summer day.
» Once you get to the toe of the glacier, DO NOT go too close to the glacier. Seracs (hanging ice) can fall without any warning.
» Proper hiking shoes are neccessary and hiking poles are recommended.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you still plan to hike Mummery Glacier even after reading this blog post, we’re so glad you do! It is an incredible journey into the stunning backcountry of Canadian Rockies and we promise you’ll be rewarded for your efforts. We hope this blog post helped you to set expectations and feel prepared to tick this beautiful hike off your bucket list. Let us know how did you enjoy the hike in the comments section below.
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Paul M.
Your instructions were priceless for our group of 4 finding the trail. Thank you! We didn’t make it to the glacier, but got to about 3000 ft before we all bonked. Old guys all living at sea level 🙂
Jana & Matej
Happy to hear that the article was helpful! 🙂 The elevation gains in Rockies are no joke haha, but any day outside is a good day! Take care