Mount Begbie

Overview

Mount Begbie is a popular and easily accessible peak located next to Highway 97 (a.k.a. Cariboo Highway) in central British Columbia. Due to its location adjacent a major highway, its short hike, its fire lookout, and its far-ranging views, this peak is visited by thousands of people throughout every year.



The mountain was formed during the Jurassic Age over 140 million years ago on what is now referred to as the Interior Plateau. The peak has long been a location for abundant wildlife. Despite a modest clean prominence of only 116 meters, the peak has far-ranging views reaching just under 9 million hectares. This is a major reason a fire lookout was constructed on its summit, first during 1923.



Mount Begbie is named after Judge Begbie, who during the height of the Gold Rush era of the mid-1800s was known as the "Hanging Judge." As legend goes, the judge hung uncountable numbers of people for all types of crimes varying from petty theft to murder. With the peak named Begbie and having far-ranging views, it is almost as if the judge still watches over the region.

Getting There

From 70 Mile House:
1) Drive north on Highway 97 (a.k.a. Cariboo Highway).
2) After 20.4 km, onto Lookout Road. The southern cliffs of the peak can be seen shortly before the turnoff.
3) The access road for the peak is gated. Park in the parking lot and hike/walk from there. The peak is only for day use only.

Route

There are three routes to the summit of Mount Begbie from the parking lot:

ROUTE 1: Mount Begbie Summit Road (left route when looking at the mountain; accessible by anyone).



ROUTE 2: Mount Begbie Summit Trail (right route when looking at mountain; short hike up steep trail but with decent scenery).



ROUTE 3: Scramble Route (center route when looking at mountain; leads to a communications tower complex west of summit; not recommended due to being unofficial trail that has slippery rocks and dirt).


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The Mount Begbie Summit Road and Mount Begbie Summit Trail each have similar distance and elevation gain, with 0.6km roundtrip distance and 61m elevation gain.

Red Tape

Mount Begbie allows public access for day use only.
No special permits or permissions are required.

When to Climb

Mount Begbie can be visited during all seasons.

Camping

Mount Begbie is for day use only. No camping is allowed.Add External Links text here.

Images

View Mount Begbie Image Gallery - 9 Images