Rampart East Bump And Tank Hill

BOU AVENUE
Rampart East Bump And Tank Hill

Kicking off our spring break on 3 April 2026, Zosia Zgolak and I drove to the outskirts of Cranbrook, British Columbia and climbed a small unnamed hill known unofficially as “Rampart East Bump” according to AllTrails. The hill is easily accessed via good trails starting from Rampart Rest Area (49.55009, -115.64716) which presumably is the source of the unofficial name. Although the hike is, by itself, much too short to warrant devoting a full day’s commitment, it makes for a perfect leg-stretcher to help break up a long drive.

From the Rampart Rest Area’s parking lot, Zosia and I followed a signed trail westward past an unnamed pond and through light forest to a well-marked intersection with Chief Isadore Trail, a major recreational thoroughfare that follows an old railway. With a slight jog to the left (south), we crossed Chief Isadore Trail and took a fainter trail which rises up a short but steep slope. We soon gained the crest of Rampart East Bump’s south ridge. Turning right (north), we followed the ridge crest but inadvertently missed the turnoff to the high point. Rather than backtrack, we simply bulled our way up the remaining steep slope to the top.

With a lot of driving left ahead of us, Zosia and I did not linger at the top for long before commencing our descent. We took a more efficient route back down the south ridge, and eventually retraced our steps back to the Chief Isadore Trail intersection. The remaining hike back to the trailhead was uneventful.

	Zosia begins her hike to "Rampart East Bump" from the trailhead at Rampart Rest Area.
	The route crosses Chief Isadore Trail here and into the forest at left.
	Zosia grinds up the steepest part of the route.

On a clear day, the views of Mount Fisher and The Steeples would be stunning from here.

Zosia enjoys some far-reaching views from the top of Rampart East Bump (967 metres).

	Mount Baker dominates the view to the south.
	Here is a partial view of the pond near the trailhead.
	Total Distance: 4.3 kilometres Round-Trip Time: 2 hours Cumulative Elevation Gain: 128 metres GPX Data

After crossing the Canada-US border, Zosia and I drove to Dover, Idaho for a very short ascent of officially-named Tank Hill. The hill is little more than a rock outcrop surrounded by luxurious residences located on the north side of Lake Pend Oreille's outlet. From the ostentatious trailhead (48.24501, -116.60532) along Lakeshore Avenue, we made short work of a well-constructed trail and reached the high point without any issue. We then completed a traverse by descending an alternate trail which pops out onto Shannon Lane—a residential access road (public parking is not allowed here). A short stroll out Shannon Lane easily led us back to the trailhead to wrap up this ridiculously short hike.

	The trailhead for Tank Hill includes a sign carved on a stone monolith and a rockbound pond. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Parts of the trail are on bare rock.
	Zosia stands on the high point of Tank Hill (670 metres).
	Lake Pend Oreille is visible beyond the roof of a private residence.
	Total Distance: 566 metres Round-Trip Time: 24 minutes Cumulative Elevation Gain: 39 metres GPX Data