#7 Swift Mt. Summit Trail
Consists of a bulldozer trail through subalpine fir and pine forests to the timberline on an unnamed ridge between Swift Creek and Crooked Creek in the Rocky Mountains overlooking the Rocky Mountain Trench. There is evidence of old-time hunting camps near timberline. The fireguard was built in 1994 when a forest fire up Swift Creek began to look as if it might threaten the town of Valemount. Extreme elevation gain of 3000'. Wildflowers in the area include some pink lupines as well as the more common blue ones. Allow 3 - 5 hours hiking time from the end of the Forestry road to the alpine ridge top. Getting There Travel north from Valemount on Highway 5 for 1 Km. then turn right on Loseth Road. Watch for railroad tracks paralleling the road on your right, then take the first side road which crosses the tracks, Swift creek Forest Service road for about 10 km. Keep right at all major intersections. The road climbs the mountainside, bearing northward into Crooked Creek valley, then looping back in an easterly direction toward Swift Creek. Once out of the Crooked Creek drainage and with the main Robson Valley (Rocky Mountain Trench) on your right, Take a relatively new looking left fork up the hillside. Good clearance and 4 wheel drive is needed if you want to drive further, since"water bars" have been built to reduce erosion along this road. Park at a landing at the top of the road (or sooner) and find the fireguard going up the slope at the same point where the road enters the top landing.