Mill Lake

 Just past the tree nursery in Harrop, there is a gravel road that heads up the mountain. At about 4.5km, keep right, then climb to the end of the road. There begins the trail to Mill Lake.

Google Maps

It took me an hour and 45 minutes to get to the lake. The trail starts below the parking area, and is well defined. The area was burnt in 2017. The trail passes across three slide paths. It is moderate in difficulty.

There were people camping when I got there, and quite a few people were heading up when I came down. It is a busy spot. There are campsites and an outhouse.

It is quite lovely. Towards the east and north of the lake it is open and wet, meaning the flowers and vegetation are plentiful. Surprisingly few mosquitos; the campers said the bats were busy after dark keeping them under control. There were Pikas and Ground squirrels in the rocky slopes above the lake. Prepare for bears; the huckleberries had attracted one who left marks of it's presence.

Once at the lake I followed the trail on the west side and climbed to the top of the ridge. From there you can see Mt Laska and the east edge of the West Arm Wilderness area. There are three lakes around Mt Laska that would be a few hours hike from where I was.

It is a bit busier than I like, but definitely a way to get onto the network of ridges towards the west and south. A very ambitious hiker could explore all the way to the Whitewater ski area from here.

The 2003 fire burnt leaving the remains of burnt trees. After 17 years it is remarkable how little vegetation has come back at altitude. There are a few scattered bushes, but not much else. At lower altitudes there is vegetation, lots of huckleberries and fireweed, but no coniferous trees yet. Some fires rejuvinate the forest and leave mature trees standing. This one didn't. It will take a long time to see forest again in this area.

Correction: The fire in this area was 2017. 2003 was the valley to the west. I happened to be on the opposite side of the lake exploring an area above Kokanee Park, and got this shot. That ridge with the fire extends back to the lake on the west side. The fire burnt back to the lake, went east over the relatively flat are, then came north down the valley towards the farms near Sunshine Bay.