Mount Grant

Mount Grant above Eaton Lake is one of the nastiest grinds in the Hope, BC area, and that’s exactly why strong hikers seek it out. The stats tell the story: 12.1 km out-and-back, about 1,721 m of gain to roughly 2,127 m, usually taking 7–9 hours. It’s extreme, remote-feeling, and way more about suffering on the climb than casual sightseeing on the way up.

The approach to Eaton Lake is the fun, civilized part: a steep but well-defined trail with waterfalls, creek crossings, and a great alpine lake that’s warm enough for a quick swim in summer. From there, the Mount Grant route turns into a relentless slog up loose rock, dry dirt, and an 80% grade gully, with faint flagging and scattered cairns that are easy to miss, especially in the trees and boulder fields. On a clear day, the summit view pays off hard with full 360-degree sightlines over Eaton Lake, Swanee Lake, Silver Lake, the Coquihalla peaks like Vicuna and Outram, and Mount Baker on the horizon.

Recent hikers describe the trail from Eaton Lake to Mount Grant as poorly marked, overgrown in spots, and very easy to lose, so an offline GPS track is basically mandatory. Expect sketchy or washed-out creek crossings, slippery log bridges, loose descent, bugs that can be brutal at the lake and higher up, and lingering snow and cornices near the top early in the season. Road access to the Eaton Lake trailhead has also been on-and-off with construction closures, so check current conditions, bring poles, long pants, bug spray, and plan this as a full-day push or, better yet, an overnight with camping at Eaton Lake to break up the effort.