Skagit Bluffs Trail - Manning Park Located in the Fraser Valley

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Skagit Bluffs Trail - Manning Park

Back Country Trail
The Skagit Bluff Trail is a connector trail between the Dewdney Trail and Hope Pass Trail. Best time to go is June to October. Red Rhododendrons bloom mid June. The Skagit Bluffs Trail parallels the Hope Princeton Highway between the Cascade Recreation Area parking lot and Cayuse Flats parking lot.
Hope, Princeton, Manning Park
Dewdney Trail-Manning Park, Hope Pass Trail
5.6 km - 7.5 km
225 m
2 - 4 hours out and back
49.2305
-121.057
Yes
Start of Trail: Cascade Recreation Area parking lot (12 km east of the west portal to the park or 30km west of Manning Park Visitor Centre) OR Cayuse Flats parking lot (17 km east of the west portal or 25 km west of the Visitor Centre).
Yes with BC Parks permission at the Cascade Parking Lot.
As the trail rises above the road the rider is rewarded with occasional good views. Little traffic noise is heard as the trail climbs and heads deeper into the forest on a trail that is often softly padded with needles from the trees towering overhead. For a good stretch of this trail you will actually be riding along the old Dewdney Trail which is part of, or parallel to, today’s Hope Princeton Highway. The Dewdney is a heritage trail that was constructed in 1860 by Edgar Dewdney on the request of Governor Douglas. This trail was originally called "Mule Road to the Similkameen" and later known as the "Canyon Trail". Cascade Recreation Area parking lot start: The trail commences within 50 m of the entrance to the parking lot. You will need to drive into the parking area and backtrack along the driveway to the posted trail head. The elevation gain begins almost immediately. For the first 10 minutes the trail skirts along and gradually rises above the highway. You will soon begin to notice an abundance of Red Rhododendrons. These shrubs put on a spectacular display around mid-June. The trail levels out for about 100 m and then starts to climb. A further 15 minutes of uphill will bring you to a rock slide area. This scree area continues for a few hundred metres. After this the trail descends for a brief minute break and then starts a brief and easy uphill climb (30-35 minutes from the trail head). Continuing along, the trail starts to descend and reaches the first creek crossing which is dry in summer and even into early September. The next creek is reached about 2 minutes later and generally has plenty of water. A further 200m brings you to the 3rd creek crossing, which while not as full, will probably have water in the summer and early fall providing the summer has not been too hot and dry. You then begin a slight ascent which gradually becomes more strenuous but only for a short time and then begins to descend to a fairly strong large creek which is a good supply of water (about 45-50 minutes along the trail). This creek is not bridged so caution must be used in crossing it. At this point the trail is rolling along up and down, and then ascends for a short distance (1 minute) and for the next 10-15 minutes you can enjoy a more or less downhill journey. For information on trail conditions see Manning Park on BC Parks website at http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/ecmanning/
Off Hwy 3. See Location Map at http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/regional_maps/hope.html The BC Parks site also provides more information about the area.

Legend

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Linda B

Skagit Bluffs Trail Restoration Project posted on: 10 / 09 / 2026

As of October 8, 2026 the Skagit Bluff trail restoration project is complete. Open to hikers and horseback. The trail has been cleared of all windfall and has some new additions such as a viewing point along the trail. The connection to the Hope Pass trail is not open at Skaists.

HCBC Recreation

Trails Closed to Horses posted on: 05 / 25 / 2015

As of May 6, 2015: Please be aware, due to unstable terrain, the Skagit Bluffs Trail is closed to horses. To view current Visitors Notices regarding this trail, visit the BC Parks website at http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/ecmanning/

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