While we were visiting Smithers for a wedding, we hiked some trails in the area.    My favorite was Hudson Bay Mountain.    It is a skiing area in winter, accessed by a 20 km gravel road.   Smithers lies at an elevation of about 500 m.    The ski Village is at about 1426m.     The summit of Hudson Bay Mountain is 2590m.     A trail goes up through the meadows, past Crater Lake, up a steep slope, then follows a ridge to a twin summit overlooking two north-aspect cirques with glaciers.   The final section is a scramble requiring caution.     The hike up and back is about 12 km.     It can be summer in Smithers, but winter at the summit so it is important to check the conditions and prepare well.

The lower end of the hike was dry and straightforward to hike.

The upper part of the mountain required hiking on snow.    It was windy and colder.   There were some fine viewpoints, but clouds drifted in and out.    The final short section was “iffy” and best done with safety gear.    It was a solo hike so went as far as I could, then returned the way I came up.

This was an outstanding hike and highly recommended if the conditions are right.   Shared here is an album of photos from that hike – link

Embedded here is a slideshow from that album: