First Brigade Trail | Fraser Canyon

This trip and the Gate Mountain hike are tied together since they both played an important part in the Fraser and Cariboo gold rushes. A.C. Anderson of the Hudson bay Company established a fur trading route to the north and east from Yale in 1848. By setting out on these trails you are retracing the steps of some of the Interior's earliest pioneers!

Getting There

Take Highway 1 north through the Fraser Canyon. After crossing the Fraser River drive 2.3 km (1.4 mi) and park at Alexandra Lodge. This used to be 14 Mile House and is now a heritage building. This is where the original trail started and the current owners of the lodge are allowing it to be used again. There is an alternative starting point for the hike just 450 m (1475 ft) further up the highway.

The Hike

The trail starts out by zig-zagging upwards to the east. You'll pass a rockslide before reaching an open bluff with some nice views of the peaks on the west side of the canyon. The trail then continues along the bluff before swinging towards the northeast and reaching a fork. Here you will find a metal sign. If you go straight ahead you will get to "Lakes and Anderson River". The route to the left will be labelled "Bluffs Trail used by miners to Boston Bar and Lytton, 1858." You can actually do a loop from here and take in both trails so go straight and head for the lakes. You will pass through a blackened area which was destroyed by fire in 2004. Watch for the flagging tape which leads the way. You will then rise steeply to the highest point of the hike before continuing along the ridge past the lakes. Somewhere, near one of the lakes, was Lake House. This was the first stopping point for the brigades and it is believed to have been built somewhere close to the second lake you will pass.

Once you've passed the lakes you will leave the Brigade Trail and go left to come out on a high bluff overlooking the canyon. You will meet the Bluffs Trail and turn to follow it southwards. There is a campsite here which was built back in 2006. It has a picnic table, outhouse, metal fire pit, and benches for sitting around a fire.

You will now be heading back to the First Brigade Trail and will pass through the burned area once more. You will also pass by a few more lakes before making your way down to Alexandra Lodge.