PEAK 5040
Contributed by Hans Roemer, Rick Avis & Ken Wong
FACTS
Country: Canada
Location: Vancouver Island
Round trip: variable
Start elevation: 620m
Final Elevation: 1,536m
Maps: NTS 1:50,000 92F/03
GETTING THERE
Access from Highway 4
on Vancouver Island. See detailed description below.
Check the road status before you leave.
Marion Creek road is currently deactivated and has several water bars. It requires at least an all-wheel drive with good clearance or a 4 x 4 vehicle to access the trailhead. The Alberni Valley Outdoor Club might be able to provide current informationon the road:
https://albernivalleyoutdoorclub.wordpress.com/
From Port Alberni on Vancouver Island
Set your odometer in Port Alberni at the T-junction by the river at the foot of Johnston Road. Turn right on Highway 4 (the Pacific Rim Highway) and follow it west from Port Alberni past Sproat Lake and over Sutton Pass. The distance from Johnston Road to the Marion Creek turn off is 56 km – approximately 6km beyond the highest point on Sutton Pass. Marion Main is on the left just after a sharp bend in the road and directly opposite a “Slow” sign. Follow Marion Main for approximately 6.3 km to the Cobalt Lake trailhead.
Trail Description
Cobalt Lake is located 800 m SSW and 400 m below the summit of 5040 Peak. The trail head is on the left side of the road just beyond a small creek and should be marked by a ribbon. The trail sets out through a clear cut before entering an old growth forest and starting to rise fairly steeply. It parallels the creek for part of the way and opens out into series of rock bluffs just below the lake. Although the trail is not marked, it is relatively easy to follow until it reaches Cobalt Lake (approximately 1.5 – 2 hours hiking time).
From Cobalt Lake a less well developed “route” leaves the northwest corner of the lake and ascends through heather to just below the summit. Although there is no formal trail to the summit, most people approach it from the saddle on the southeast side of the mountain.
Peak 5040
This mountain derives its unimaginative name from its summit elevation of 5040 feet. Strong hikers are known to ‘do’ 5040 Peak as a day trip from their vehicle. However, the elevation difference from the trail head to the summit is more than 900 metres and it is recommended to carry camping equipment to stay one or two nights at or near Cobalt Lake. This way one can take the time to enjoy the mountain flowers and the spectacular scenery this hike offers. Cobalt Lake is located on the SW side of the mountain, just above tree line at 1,130 metres elevation. But flora highlights are distributed on all sides of the mountain and make more exploration time desirable.
Getting around on this mountain requires reasonable fitness, alpine hiking skills and experience with navigating mountainous terrain during poor visibility, as the clouds are quick to move in. There are no well established trails beyond Cobalt Lake.
Six ridges radiate out from this broad peak, the most prominent easterly one connects it all the way to the 6 km distant Nahmint Mountain. Two other ridges, one to the south-east and one to the north, are of interest to flora enthusiasts due to their limestone occurrences. The remainder of the mountain and its ridges are made up of non-calcareous volcanic and minor intrusive rocks.
The winter snow pack on 5040 Peak is very high in most years, except in extreme El-Ninjo years. As a result, the emergence of alpine vegetation is often very late in the summer, with August and even September being the best months to see the plants in bloom.
Floral hotspots are distributed all around this mountain, not only on the special limestone geology, but also on the more common volcanic rocks. Starting on scree slopes above Cobalt Lake and along many small streams and meltwater seeps all around this peak, pink and yellow monkeyflowers (Erythranthe lewisii and E. caespitosa) are more abundant than on most other mountains. On the limestones several species occur that are otherwise not known to occur on Vancouver Island or are primarily found on limestone, such as arctic willow (Salix arctica), male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas), corrupt spleenwort (Asplenium abulterinum), mountain death camas (Anticlea elegans) and American sawwort (Saussurea americana). Generally, alpine plants descend to lower elevations on the more barren east- and north-facing slopes of 5040 Peak. Eight species rare-listed for the province have so far been found around 5040 Peak, among them smooth douglasia (Douglasia laevigata), Olympic mountain aster (Eucephalus paucicapitatus), and corrupt spleenwort (Asplenium adulterinum).
References:
Pojar, J. and A. MacKinnon 2013. Alpine Plants of British Columbia, Alberta and Northwest North America. Lone Pine Publishing. 527 p.
Roemer, H., K. Wong, R. Avis and J. Holm. 2010. Alpine Flowers of Vancouver Island. Fold-out pamphlet on water-proof paper featuring colour images of 87 alpine flowers. (see also www.islandalpineflowers.ca)
PEAK 5040 GALLERY.
Click the arrows to start the slideshow or click on an image to expand.
Alpine & Subalpine Plants
PARTIAL SPECIES LIST ON & AROUND PEAK 5040
Achillea millefolium-- yarrow
Adiantum aleuticum-- northern maiden-hair fern
Agoseris aurantiaca-- orange agoseris
Agrostis scabra-- hair bentgrass
Anaphalis margaritacea-- pearly everlasting
Anemone multifida-- cut-leaved anemone
Anemone occidentalis-- western anemone
Anemone parviflora-- northern anemone
Antennaria alpina-- alpine pussytoes
Aquilegia formosa-- Sitka columbine
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi-- kinnikinnick
Arnica lanceolata ssp. prima-- streambank arnica
Arnica diversifolia-- diverse arnica
Arnica latifolia-- mountain arnica
Asplenium adulterinum-- corrupt spleenwort
Asplenium viride-- green spleenwort
Athyrium alpestre-- alpine lady fern
Boechera lyallii-- Lyall’s rockcress
Botrychium simplex-- least moonwort
Caltha leptosepala-- white marsh-marigold
Campanula rotundifolia-- common harebell
Carex hoodii-- Hood’s sedge
Carex kelloggii-- Kellogg’s sedge
Carex nigricans-- black alpine sedge
Carex phaeocephala-- dunhead sedge
Carex pyrenaica-- Pyrenean sedge
Carex scirpoidea-- single-spike sedge
Carex spectabilis-- showy sedge
Cassiope mertensiana-- white mountain-heather
Castilleja hispida-- harsh paintbrush
Castilleja miniata-- scarlet paintbrush
Cirsium edule-- edible thistle
Claytonia multiscapa ssp. pacifica--
Rydberg’s springbeauty
Crytogramma acrostichoides-- parsley fern
Cystopteris fragilis-- fragile fern
Diphasiastrum sitchense-- Alaska club-moss
Douglasia laevigata-- smooth douglasia
Dryopteris filix-mas-- male fern
Elliottia pyroliflora-- copperbush
Empetrum nigrum-- crowberry
Epilobium anagallidifolia-- alpine willowherb
Epilobium glaberrimum-- smooth willowherb
Erigeron glacialis-- subalpine daisy
Erysimum arenicola-- sand-dwelling wallflower
Erythranthe caespitosa-- mountain monkey-flower
Erythranthe lewisii-- pink monkey-flower
Erythronium grandiflorum-- yellow glacier lily
Eucephalus paucicapitatus-- Olympic mountain aster
Fauria crista-gallii-- deer-cabbage
Gaultheria ovatifolia-- western tea-berry
Hedysarum occidentale-- western hedysarum
Heracleum maximum-- cow-parsnip
Heuchera glabra-- smooth alumroot
Hieracium gracile-- slender hawkweed
Hippuris montana-- mountain mare's-tail
Hypericum scouleri ssp. nortoniae-- western St.John’s wort
Juncus drummondii-- Drummond’s rush
Juncus mertensianus-- Mertens’ sedge
Juniperus communis-- common juniper
Leptarrhena pyrolifolia-- leatherleaf saxifrage
Lewisia columbiana var. rupestris-- Columbia lewisia
Lomatium martindalei-- Martindale's lomatium
Lupinus nootkatensis-- Nootka lupine
Luzula multiflora-- many-flowered woodrush
Luzula spicata-- spiked woodrush
Micranthes ferruginea-- Alaska saxifrage
Micranthes nelsoniana ssp. cascadensis-- dotted saxifrage
Micranthes odontoloma-- stream saxifrage
Micranthes rufidula-- rusty-haired saxifrage
Micranthes tolmiei-- Tolmie's saxifrage
Mitella breweri-- Brewer's mitrewort
Mitella pentandra-- five-stamened mitrewort
Oxyria digyna-- mountain sorrel
Parnassia fimbriata-- fringed grass-of-Parnassus
Pedicularis ornithorhyncha-- bird's-beak lousewort
Pedicularis racemosa-- sickletop lousewort
Penstemon davidsonii var menziesii-- Davidson's penstemon
Penstemon serrulatus-- coast penstemon
Petasites frigidus var. nivalis-- sweet coltsfoot
Phleum alpinum-- alpine timothy
Phlox diffusa-- spreading phlox
Phyllodoce empetriformis-- pink mountain-heather
Poa stenantha-- narrow-flowered bluegrass
Polystichum lonchitis-- northern holly fern
Potentilla glaucophylla-- diverse-leaved cinquefoil
Ranunculus eschscholtzii-- subalpine buttercup
Ribes lacustre-- black gooseberry
Romanzoffia sitchensis-- Sitka mistmaiden
Salix arctica-- arctic willow
Sanguisorba stipulata- Sitka burnet
Saussurea americana-- American sawwort
Saxifraga bronchialis-- spotted saxifrage
Saxifraga mertensiana-- wood saxifrage
Sedum divergens-- spreading stonecrop
Selaginella wallacei-- Wallace's selaginella
Sibbaldia procumbens-- sibbaldia
Silene douglasii-- Douglas' campion
Sorbus sitchensis-- Sitka mountain-ash
Symphyotrichum foliaceum-- leafy aster
Triantha glutinosa-- sticky asphodel
Trisetum spicatum-- spike trisetum
Vaccinium caespitosum-- dwarf blueberry
Vaccinium deliciosum-- blue-leaved huckleberry
Vaccinium membranaceum-- black huckleberry
Vaccinium uliginosum-- bog blueberry
Vahlodea atropurpurea-- mountain hairgrass
Valeriana sitchensis-- Sitka valerian
Veratrum viride-- Indian hellebore
Veronica wormskjoldii-- alpine speedwell
Viola orbiculata-- round-leaved violet
Zigadenus elegans-- mountain death camas
Plants of the Mountain Forest
Trees
Abies amabilis-- Pacific silver fir
Abies lasiocarpa-- subalpine fir
Pinus monticola-- western white pine
Pseudotsuga menziesii-- Douglas-fir
Thuja plicata-- western redcedar
Tsuga heterophylla-- western hemlock
Xanthocyparis nootkatensis-- yellow cedar
Shrubs
Alnus viridis ssp. sinuata-- slide alder
Gaultheria shallon-- salal
Oplopanax horridus-- devil’s club
Rubus spectabilis-- salmonberry
Sambucus racemosa-- red elderberry
Vaccinium alaskaense-- Alaska blueberry
Vaccinium ovalifolium-- oval-leaved blueberry
Vaccinium parvifolium-- red huckleberry
Herbaceous Plants
Achlys triphylla-- vanilla leaf
Athyrium filix-femina-- lady fern
Blechnum spicant-- deer fern
Clintonia uniflora-- queen’s cup
Coptis asplenifolia-- gold thread
Corallorhiza mertensiana-- Merten’s coralroot
Cornus canadensis-- bunchberry
Dryopteris expansa-- spiny wood fern
Goodyera oblongifolia-- rattlesnake plantain
Gymnocarpium dryopteris-- oak fern
Hemitomes congestum-- gnome plant
Linnaea borealis-- twinflower
Listera caurina-- oval-leaved twayblade
Listera cordata- heart-leaved twayblade
Luzula parviflora-- small-flowered woodrush
Lycopodium annotinum-- stiff clubmoss
Maianthemum dilatatum-- false lily-of-the-valley
Osmorhiza berteroi-- sweet cicely
Platanthera stricta-- slender reinorchid
Polystichum munitum-- sword fern
Prenanthes alata-- western rattlesnake-root
Rubus pedatus-- five-laeved bramble
Maianthemum racemosum-- false Solomon’s seal
Maianthemum stellatum-- star-flowered false solomon’s seal
Streptopus amplexifolius-- clasping twistedstalk
Streptopus lanceolatus-- rosy twistedstalk
Streptopus streptopoides-- dwarf twistedstalk
Tiarella trifoliata-- foam flower
Trautvetteria caroliniana-- false bugbane