Mount Brunswick BC — Monday, Feb. 16, 2026

Hi, we're the Mountain Goats, and today I (Terrence) climbed Mount Brunswick in British Columbia. Brunswick is the high point in the North Shore Mountains, which overlooks Vancouver.

We (my father and I) left Bellingham around 5 pm, heading north. We rolled into the trailhead around 8 pm (we stopped for dinner) and hunkered down for the night. We figured it would take us 8-10 hours up and down, so we set our alarms for 5:15 am. Our tranquility was interrupted by a stream of cars rolling in increments of 30 starting at 3:30 am. By 5 a.m., we were up anyway and started packing up. We were on the trail by 5:45 am.

This trail doesn’t pull any punches. We started up an old logging road as it winds through the woods through a series of switchbacks. Just over a mile in, the switchbacks ended as we turned back N towards Brunswick. Another .7 miles later, and we reached Magnesia Creek (2,050 ft). Magnesia cascades all the way down to Howie Sound. We crossed Magnesia Creek courtesy of the double-log foot bridge. 2 Miles in, and we reached the major trail split. Stay right as the trail leaves the wide logging road behind and transitions into a traditional hiking trail.

Here, the trail steepened as we pushed upwards through a series of switchbacks, and glimpses of Howe Sound slowly began to peek out. Just before we reached 3000 ft, patches of snow began to appear on the trail, quickly becoming a snowpack. Here, the trail becomes vertical as, within the next 1.5 miles, you’ll climb 2,800 ft to Brunswick’s summit. We continued trudging upwards under the trees' cover. Many put on micro spikes here, but we didn’t feel it necessary on the ascent.

This section was maddening. The sun constantly shone through the trees, hinting at the barren terrain above, yet the trail refused to break out. At around 4,800 ft, we reached a small viewpoint overlooking Howe Sound and the peaks lining the Tetrahedron Plateau. I’d recommend throwing on your gear here (micro spikes/crampons, ice axe, helmet). The trail continues to steeply ascend through the woods before finally breaking out as you stare up at a steep snowy slope. We put on our gear here.

I highly recommend crampons and an ice axe for this section here. Luckily, the snow was soft, and the group ahead had already cleared the route. Nonetheless, a fall without at least an ice axe would be unfortunate.

We ascended the steep snow and were finally face-to-face with the vastness of the Coastal Range. The morning sun bounced off the snow, making the slopes glow. Here (5,500 ft), the trail splits; the summer route continues heading NE, the winter route travels SE, wrapping around to the southern face of Brunswick Mountain. We took the winter route, quickly traversing the upper slopes on Brunswick's south side. The final challenge was one final steep snowfield on Brunswick’s South Face. The soft snow was perfect, and we made quick work of this section. Once above the snowfield, the route continues along the ridgeline to Mount Brunswick’s true summit. It took us 4 hours to reach the summit.

Brunswick’s title as the tallest peak in the North Shore range offers stunning 360–degree panoramic views of BC's Coastal Range. Being from WA, the number of mountains in every direction was almost overwhelming. I didn’t even try to name any. Howe Sound glistened—Brunswick’s close vicinity allowed for boat watching, possible from 6000 ft above. Cornices lined the whole ridgeway, so we were careful to stay on the footpath. Brunswick’s prominence didn’t allow any nearby peaks to block the wind, so our time up top was short.  

The descent was without trouble. The soft snow, combined with our crampons, allowed us to plunge-step most of the way down. That said, attempting this without crampons would undoubtedly make the whole section up top more difficult. We ran into 8-10 groups attempting to go up Brunswick on the way down (we were the 2nd group to summit that day; the first we never saw after the parking lot), with a range of gear. Some brought a rope for practice and crampons; others, micro spikes; others, just their boots. Most seemed unprepared for the conditions up top.

3.5 hours after leaving the summit, we reached our car. This is an awesome winter climb, and the current conditions are nearly perfect. Please bring adequate gear; attempting this climb without at least an ice axe and spikes is just bad practice and puts you and others at unnecessary risk. Like always, stay safe and happy hiking.

Final Stats: 9 Miles - 5,100 Elev Gain - 7 Hours 50 Minutes Car to Car