Mount Kirkup And Grey Mountain

BOU AVENUE
Mount Kirkup And Grey Mountain

Taking advantage of some fine weather on 29 June 2025, Zosia Zgolak and I ascended Mount Kirkup and Grey Mountain near Rossland, British Columbia (BC). Although both mountains are ideally suited for winter ski ascents, they make perfectly fine hiking objectives without worries about avalanches. Furthermore, most of the peaks in this area are easily accessed via a network of maintained trails usually starting from a paved highway--a rarity for BC peak-bagging!

Starting from the trailhead (49.14602, -117.85294) along Highway 3B, Zosia and I walked a short distance and soon reached a signed junction. Turning left, we ascended Old Glory Trail for the next three kilometres or so to its junction with Seven Summits Trail. Forested the whole way, Old Glory Trail is somewhat monotonous to hike, but it is easy to follow and presents no technical difficulties. Intersecting Seven Summits Trail, we turned left and followed it for another 1.6 kilometres to the col between Mount Kirkup and Grey Mountain. A sign marks the turnoff to Mount Kirkup, and we left the trail here to hike northward along a cleared corridor evidently designed as a skiers' access route. Despite the lack of a defined trail, travel was fairly easy, but as we bypassed an unnamed bump, we had to thrash through a bit of bush before gaining the crest of Mount Kirkup's summit ridge. From there, we had no further trouble walking to a large summit cairn.

	Zosia reaches an important junction early in the hike.
	Old Glory Trail is well-maintained and easy to follow but completely viewless the entire way.
	After connecting to Seven Summits Trail, Zosia arrives at the turnoff to Mount Kirkup.
	The final approach to Mount Kirkup is largely off-trail.
	Zosia breaks out of the trees and ascends the rocky summit ridge of Mount Kirkup.
	A large cairn sits atop Mount Kirkup.
	Sonny and Zosia stand on the summit of Mount Kirkup (2068 metres).
	In this view to the south, Grey Mountain is visible but difficult to differentiate from Record Mountain which is right behind it. Also visible at far left is Red Mountain and its ski runs.
	Here is the view to the northwest.
	Some peaks in Valhalla Provincial Park are likely visible on the distant horizon to the north.
	The city of Trail is visible to the east.
	Ladybugs congregate on a rock not far from the summit. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak

Zosia and I took about a 40-minute break on the summit of Mount Kirkup before turning our attention to Grey Mountain. Backtracking along Mount Kirkup's summit ridge, we stuck close to the crest and inadvertently went over the unnamed bump we had bypassed during our ascent. We were surprised to stumble across the ruins of a yurt here, but at the same time, we were also dismayed how little has been done to clean up all the detritus at the site. I guess it is easy to forget about all the garbage when snow blankets everything in winter.

From the ruins, Zosia and I descended to the south and easily re-connected with Seven Summits Trail at the aforementioned col. Continuing southward, we crossed the col and took a brief short cut up a boulder slope before finishing the ascent of Grey Mountain on a service road. The top of Grey Mountain is part of Red Mountain Ski Resort and includes a chairlift station and a ski patrollers' hut. We poked around a bit inside the hut before going outside to tag the actual summit. Grey Mountain turned out to be Zosia's 1000th career summit--an amazing achievement!

Since we had already taken a lengthy break on Mount Kirkup, Zosia and I did not bother to linger at the summit of Grey Mountain. We promptly dropped back to Seven Summits Trail and retraced our steps back to the junction with Old Glory Trail. From there, it took us another hour to return to the trailhead, but other than fighting with pesky mosquitoes, we had an otherwise uneventful descent.

Shameful to see all the garbage and crap here. On the way down from the summit of Mount Kirkup, Zosia passes by what appears to be the ruins of a yurt.

Hard not to go bag the peak when it's so close! Back on Seven Summits Trail, Zosia heads toward Grey Mountain.

To get here, we took a short cut which required a little boulder-hopping. Zosia follows a service road to the top.

Nice shack for an après-ski party! Sonny relaxes inside a ski patrollers' hut near the top of Grey Mountain.
Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak

Simply amazing! Congrats, Zosia!

Zosia stands atop Grey Mountain (2053 metres), her 1000th career summit!

	Here is a look back at Mount Kirkup from the top of Grey Mountain.
	The top of Grey Mountain grants a view of a couple more peaks to the south which are not visible from Mount Kirkup.
	Total Distance: 15.2 kilometres Round-Trip Time: 7 hours 26 minutes Cumulative Elevation Gain: 739 metres GPX Data

	On the way down from the summit of Mount Kirkup, Zosia passes by what appears to be the ruins of a yurt.
	Back on Seven Summits Trail, Zosia heads toward Grey Mountain.
	Zosia follows a service road to the top.
	Sonny relaxes inside a ski patrollers' hut near the top of Grey Mountain. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak