Heather Trail

Heather Trail (aka Three Brothers Trail) in Manning Park is a very popular hike. Manning Park is a Provincial Park and covers an area of 70,844 hectares (175059 Acres). It is known for its amazing scenery and alpine flowers. To get to Heather trail, follow Highway 3 for about 65 km east past Hope. Turn off the highway and head up an asphalt – then gravel road to the parking lot. To take 1 km off your hike, park at the north end of the parking lot if possible. There are pit toilets at the trailhead. The day we went was hot and sunny. The wild alpine flowers were still in bloom and looked marvelous ! The first 4 km of the trail are downhill (so you know what that means for the last 4 km !!). The grades aren’t too steep on the entire trail – the steepest section is on the approach to the first Brother (of Three Brothers Mountain), which was our destination.

The Stats:

Distance: 19 km (return)
Time: 7.5 hours
Low point: 1793 m
High point: 2272 m
Elevation gain: 479 m
Cumulative Elevation gain: 930 m

Trailhead: 49° 6’ 12” by  120° 45’ 32” (Google Map)
Location to turn off Hwy 3: 49° 3’ 47” by  120° 46’ 57.5” (Google Map)

The route…

Here is the ridgeline to the 1st Brother peak..

IMG_8018

On the ridgeline, you can see this interesting colour change on the ridge…

IMG_8026

Here is a little stream crossing the trail…

IMG_7963

Here is a trail pic…

IMG_8102

Here is a gully by the peak…

IMG_8021

We saw some smoke in the distance today…

IMG_8122

Me at the 1st Brother…

IMG_8040

And here are some wildflower photos…

IMG_8067cr

IMG_8093cr

IMG_8099cr

IMG_8103

IMG_8126

IMG_8130cr

IMG_8132cr

IMG_8147cr

★★★★★★★★★★★

Before heading out on your hike, make sure you are well prepared. This means, having the TEN ESSENTIALS. It is also important to leave a trip plan (route details and estimated return time) with someone you trust.

Bring your smartphone, fully charged and put it in airplane mode while hiking. I always bring back-up battery packs for extra piece of mind. It is highly recommended that you bring a GPS device; I use my smartphone with a GPS app (Backcountry Navigator). The GPS will work in airplane mode. Learn how to use it before your hike.

For anyone new to hiking, there is a rule to which hikers follow; it is called “Leave No Trace” or LNT. The concept is generally to pack out what you pack in and respect nature, so all future visitors can enjoy what you have enjoyed.
To learn more about LNT, please check out this BLOG by a certified LNT Trainer.

★★★★★★★★★★★

15 thoughts on “Heather Trail

  1. Your style is so unique compared to many other people. Thank you for publishing when you have the opportunity,Guess I will just make this bookmarked.2

  2. Thanks for any other fantastic article. Where else could anybody get that type of info in such an ideal method of writing? I have a presentation next week, and I am at the look for such information.

  3. Thanks for some other magnificent post. Where else could anybody get that kind of info in such an ideal manner of writing? I’ve a presentation next week, and I am at the search for such information.

  4. What i do not realize is actually how you’re now not actually much more neatly-appreciated than you may be right now. You’re very intelligent. You realize therefore significantly when it comes to this matter, made me personally imagine it from numerous various angles. Its like men and women are not involved until it¦s something to do with Lady gaga! Your individual stuffs great. Always handle it up!

  5. Hello there! Quick question that’s completely off topic.

    Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly?
    My site looks weird when browsing from my iphone4.
    I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to correct this
    problem. If you have any suggestions, please share. Many thanks!

  6. Hey there! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new apple iphone!

    Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look
    forward to all your posts! Keep up the fantastic work!

  7. Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article.

    I’ll make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful
    information. Thanks for the post. I’ll certainly return.

  8. hello there and thank you for your info – I’ve certainly picked up anything new
    from right here. I did however expertise some
    technical points using this web site, as I experienced
    to reload the site a lot of times previous to
    I could get it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your hosting is
    OK? Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will very
    frequently affect your placement in google and could damage your quality score if ads
    and marketing with Adwords. Well I am adding this RSS to my email and could look out for
    much more of your respective fascinating content.

    Make sure you update this again very soon..

    My web page – http://uniqueketochoice.net/

  9. Hello, this weekend is pleasant for me, for the reason that this occasion i am
    reading this fantastic informative piece of writing
    here at my house.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *