Summit Toad Mountain

Mia Large

Summit Toad Mountain

06/04/19

As you are driving through the old Silverking Mine area of the road, the road has collapsed at the edge. Now it would only be safely passed by quad bikes or smaller. If you come across this hole and cannot pass, there is another (sketchy) route: (Apologies for lack of km specifics) There is an uphill left turn prior to the old mine area which zig zags up a heavily forested section of the hill. Take this, and then take the first right (which goes back on itself, along and into the woodland). This road will eventually emerge on the original route, above the area where the road has collapsed. This route should only be done by small to medium sized off-road vehicles (our truck is a longbed 500 GMC Sierra and it was very difficult getting through this section due to its size). Awesome hike though! Still snowy as of yesterday, so we parked about 1km below the trailhead and walked up.

5.0

Carlo Alcos

Summit Toad Mountain

09/25/17

I think it's worth pointing out that after the right turn 7km past the first turn (as other commenters have pointed out) it's another 5-6 kms to the trailhead (so about 13-14 kms in total from the highway turn off)...and shortly before the trailhead there's one more fork that can be confusing. One road goes to the right and starts downhill, the other goes to the left and climbs further. Stay left. I was there late September 2017...there were three vehicles parked just below the actual parking lot because the road becomes almost impassable unless you have a serious offroad vehicle. I was able to squeeze behind a vehicle pulled off to the side as much as possible, with just enough room for vehicles to go by...but it would be a challenge to find somewhere to park if more than a handful of vehicles were there. The road was a lot gnarlier than I expected...I did see an older model Subaru Outback there but I imagine it bottomed out a couple times getting there. It's a beautiful and very steep hike; hiking poles wouldn't be a bad idea...

4.0

Melacious Fortune

Summit Toad Mountain

10/04/16

Poorly signed on the drive up, so pay attention to the tree with the signs on the left of the road (7km) and turn right. (Main sign at this turn says SOFT ROAD-unmaintained, along with a small realty sign pointing up the road, and you will continue to see this same realty sign on the way to the Silver King Parking lot). Many hikers overshoot this turn if going by the old directions citing to stay on the "main road" after the Gold Creek FSR turn off. A bit baffling why there would be no Silver King/Toad Mountain signage at the most important intersections but now you know. Turn left at Gold Creek FSR at 1.6ish Kms, continue on Gold Creek road and turn right at 7km where you will see the tree on the left with the SOFT ROAD signage. There can also be some confusion at the parking lot, so continue up the road to the trail head for around 500 metres and you will see an actual, real life Toad Mountain Trail sign. This is an excellent ridge hike considering the proximity to Nelson (You can make it to the trail head parking lot from Nelson city limits in under an hour in an AWD vehicle with decent clearance). There is a cool little alpine lake to check out adjacent to the Toad Mountain trail head, and the views are great at the top of Toad and along the way. Clear cuts and active logging detract from the experience somewhat, but the ridgewalk(s) and view more than make up for it. While steep at the beginning, the trail undulates and is not overly arduous. Just bring food, water, proper clothing and take breaks as needed. I came across seniors (fit) and families with children ranging from teenagers to under 10 on this trail, so it can be done by most people with a moderate level of fitness.

4.0

Bryan Reid

Summit Toad Mountain

07/29/16

There is no map of the road into the parking lot near the head of the Trail. Lots of logging roads lead off in different directions.

3.0

andrew creighton

Summit Toad Mountain

07/18/16

I was up at Toad yesterday and met at least 4 parties who'd overshot the right turn at 7K. Loggers have built out the road such that it appears the "main" road continues left at 7K --and the road to Toad is right. Look for the tree with all the signs on it. Unfortunately, none of the signs say anything about Toad Mountain or the Silver King mine. Such is the nature of backcountry travel but, if possible, this review could use an update.

3.0