Stormy clouds swirl over Mt Winthrop as seen from Monument 83 ridge leading to the US-Canadian Border
East, Main, & North Peaks of Mt Winthrop viewed from Monument 83 Ridge

Monument 83 Ridge Ski Tour via Monument Creek Valley (Chuchuwanteen Mountains, BC)

Jim Brisbine·
Chuchuwanteen MountainsSnow Tours in British Columbia
·25 views

Trip Date: March 15, 2013

WSTC SPRING SKI OUTING:  MANNING PARK RESORT

Monument 83 Ridge Ski Tour

Chuwanten Creek
Monument Creek Bridge
Monument 83 Ridge
(Note: “Chuchuwanteen” is spelled “Chuwanten” in Canada)

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Trip Report Summary

Region: Canadian Cascades (British Columbia)

Sub-Region: Chuchuwanteen Mountains

Area: Manning Provincial Park

Starting & Ending Point: Monument 78/83 Trailhead on Highway 3 (Elev. 3750 feet)

Way Points: Similkameen River Pedestrian Bridge & Chuwanten Creek Bridges & Monument Creek Bridge & Monument 83 Ridge crest (ski tour via Monument 83 Trail)

Approximate Stats: 14 miles traveled; 2500 feet gained and lost; 5.6 hours up; 3.3 hours down.

Canadian Cascades Region Map
Chuchuwanteen Mountains Location Map

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Monument 83 Lookout Ski Tour – March 17, 2018

Chuchuwanteen Backpacking Loop + Monument 83 – October 2012

Full Trip Report

During our stay at Manning Park Resort last weekend, Chris and Eileen (and Jay for part of it) joined me on an attempt to ski up to Monument 83 Lookout at the international border. This is the lookout that Eileen and I visited on our Pasayten backpacking trip last fall. We didn’t quite make it all 9 miles to the lookout—our turnaround point was near Mile 7—but we had a nice ski tour and gained a lot of beta for another attempt next spring.

There was only about 1 foot of snow at the Monument 78/83 Trailhead, and the snow was pretty well crusted over. This made for reasonably fast travel over the first 3 miles of road-trail. From there up to the Monument Creek Bridge, we were slowed by numerous logs that had fallen across the trail. (On our return, I counted 88 fallen logs between the bridge and the trailhead!)

Beyond Monument Creek, there was much less blowdown and better snow, so we reached the crest of Monument 83 Ridge by mid-afternoon (5.6 hours up). A sunny clearing on the crest gave us nice views of Mt. Winthrop and The Chuchuwanteen Parks.

I measured a surprisingly skimpy snow depth of 26 inches on the 6000-foot-high ridge crest. At this same time last year, I measured a snow depth of 8 feet on a nearby 6000-foot peak. What a difference a year makes!

For our return trip, we savored each and every one of the 88 fallen logs all over again, reaching the trailhead just before dark (3.3 hours down).

Click to enlarge…

Eileen on lower trail
Chris, Eileen, and Jay near Monument Creek
Mount Winthrop from Monument 83 Ridge
East, Main, & North Peaks of Mt Winthrop viewed from Monument 83 Ridge
The Chuchuwanteen Parks and High Parks Peak from the ridge