Toad Mountain via Silverking Mine
Legend has it that Toad Mountain got its name when a prospector was staking his land claim, looked down, saw a toad, and… that was that. Nevertheless, Toad is a legendary ridge-line hike just outside of Nelson. And the view from the summit? Toad-ally awesome.
Distance, round trip:Â 8km
Elevation: +555m
Season: late June to early October
Difficulty:Â
 Moderate
Trailhead
This trail starts near the Silverking Mine and is the original route to Toad Mountain. There is a newer trail via Giveout Creek that is shorter with better driving access, though the ridge-line views aren’t quite as long and epic. Check out Toad Mountain via Giveout Creek for more info.
Driving to Toad via the Silverking mine requires courage and 4×4. Find driving directions on Rec Sites & Trails. The access road via Gold Creek is becoming increasingly challenging with deep ruts, steep sections, and a partial road collapse into an old mine. Better access is up Toad Mountain via Giveout Creek.
Up to Summit One
The trail climbs up to Summit One, along to Summit Two, and then edges a ridge to Summit Three: Toad Mountain.
The climb up to Summit One is the most challenging parts of the hike. The trail is well-defined, but involves steep, vertical stepping through the forest. Eventually, the trees break away into rocky outcroppings.
Once you get to the top, the views start in full force! You’ll be able to see Kokanee, Nelson, Ymir, and up ahead: Toad Mountain!
Summit Two
Now that you’re up high, you’re ridge-line hiking! Enjoy the views!
The trail dips down before it starts to climb Summit Two, and it was here that we saw the namesake of our hike:
The fall colours were in full-force for our sunny September 26th day:
The Final Ridge
There is something exciting about summiting! The final ridge to Toad levels out for a while, giving you a chance to recover before the proper summit:
Toad Mountain Summit
The summit, like most summits, is spectacular. The nice thing about Toad though is that you can look around and scry plenty of local landmarks, the geography is an epic twist on a familiar landscape. Nelson with its Big Orange Bridge, the Kokanee mountains, distant Valhallas, nearby Ymir and Whitewater. It’s all there.
We had lunch at the summit, spotted as many peaks as we could remember, then headed back down the ridge for the return home.
Amazing pictures! 🙂
[…] to access the summit from the northern ridge. The ridge line ascent is a little less scenic than the standard trail from the Silverking mine, but much easier for hikers and vehicles alike! The summit of Toad offers epic views of the Nelson […]