In June 2025 Cathedral Provincial Park reopened after the devastating Crater Creek Wildfire of August 2023. The fire burned most of the trees in the park and destroyed trail and road infrastructure. Over the last two years BC Parks has put in a ton of work to make the area safe and accessible again. Before the fire most people took a 4×4 shuttle up the FSR to Cathedral Lakes Lodge. That ride shaved 16 km and about six hours of hiking off your trip, but at a cost of $168 per adult. This option is still unavailable, as the fire wiped out many of the bridges along the FSR. Right now, the only way into the heart of the park is on foot, either the 16 km Lakeview Trail (one way) or the 20 km Wall Creek Trail (one way). I took the Lakeview Trail up on Friday afternoon, starting around 3 pm.

The trailhead is easy to find on any map app. Just search for Lakeview Trailhead and click here. Ashnola Road is in good condition aside from a few washboard stretches, nothing that will wreck your vehicle. Just slow down a bit. The spur road to the trailhead is rougher, but I would have taken my old stock Subaru Legacy wagon down it without a concern.

Do not be like me. I thought the Lakeview Trail was only 7 km, so I packed heavy. Turns out it’s 16 km with 1,450 m of elevation gain. Add in the stiff neck I’d been dealing with all week and the hike turned into a fight for my life. At one point I seriously thought about turning back. After a few obscenity-filled pep talks I dragged myself and my massive pack to the top in about 5.5 hours. The whole way up you’re walking through burnt-out forest. I kept thinking how incredible it must have looked before it burned, but even in destruction there’s beauty. Wildflowers and fresh growth have pushed through, making for a colourful but eerie climb to Quiniscoe Lake. The trail is basically uphill the entire time with hardly any flat ground to catch your breath. Just take it slow and you will get there.

The only campground open as of this trip was at Quiniscoe Lake. From June 27 to September 20 you need to book through BC Parks’ reservation system. Outside that window you just need a backcountry permit. Every other campground burned down, and honestly it’s a miracle this one survived. Quiniscoe has 30 sites, each with a picnic table, level tent pad, and fire ring. There is a bear pole for food and an outhouse. Even with all that, I was the only one there the whole weekend.

That night I slept like a brick. I was exhausted from the climb and from the busy week before. I even slept in until 7 am, which if you watch my YouTube videos know I never do when I go hiking. After coffee, oatmeal, and topping up my water I set out on the Cathedral Rim Trail, a 20 km loop around the park’s alpine core. I hit the trail at 8 am. The sun was shining but the wind was howling. The Rim Trail climbs 1,100 m over its 20 km and took me about seven hours. You can follow the route on AllTrails or Gaia if you like, but it’s not necessary. The trail is well flagged through the burn and marked with cairns once you’re up in the alpine.

I had never seen any photos of this place, but people had told me for years to check it out. Holy shit, it did not disappoint. The lakes are clear and crisp, the cliffs jagged, the boulders rounded and massive. At times I felt like I was looking at Mars rover shots, and at other times like I’d been dropped into Sedona, Arizona having an out of body experience on the astral plane.

I hiked clockwise, passing Lake of the Woods first, which meant tackling two steep slogs that could have been avoided. If I did it again I’d go counterclockwise for the more gradual climb. Still, one foot in front of the other got me to the top. The photo ops are endless. This is where having at least two people in your group would come in handy, at the cliffs you can shoot amazing pictures of each other from across the gullies. Just watch your footing, its a long fall to the bottom.

I would suggest hiking out to the area right before Grimface Mountain, as it gives you insane views of the peak. If exposed scrambling and climbing are your thing you can go all the way to the top of Grimface as well. Continuing clockwise on the route takes you through Stone City, an area where it looks as if giants placed huge boulders out of nowhere. You then ascend and descend Quiniscoe Mountain and Red Mountain, getting great views of the lakes you passed earlier in the hike. The clockwise route finishes by following the ridgeline back down onto the Lakeview Trail and back to camp.

On the way back down to the truck I took the access road, as I wanted to see its condition. Let’s just say there is a lot of work to be done before the 4×4 Mercedes shuttle will be able to ferry people again. I talked with the resort owners at the bottom of the hill. They are hoping to open back up next season but said it has been tough dealing with erosion of the road after the fire. They were very nice fellas, and I hope they can get their livelihood back up and running as soon as possible.

If you want to be completely alone in a usually busy park, 2025 and 2026 are the years to visit. I saw one other person the entire weekend who ran the whole thing in one day (ABSOLUTLY INSANE) and as the season comes to an end there will be fewer and fewer people. What a pleasure it was visiting a unique and beautiful area of British Columbia. I highly recommend this if you are up for a challenge. The peace and solitude are worth the effort to get here.