GDT

Distance: 9km. Elevation gain: 500m Elevation loss: 560m. Trail is marked with orange blazing and cairns. Two blazes indicate a change in direction. There is no water available for most of this section.

From the bridge over Cache Creek, begin the climbing up an old and rather boggy cutline. The trail then turns right and climbs on up, very steeply at times, through switchbacks. The upper part of the last switchback has been partially blocked with windfall, and the very direct detour trail created by horses and (illegal) motorbikes is not very hiker-friendly. It's still possible to use the original switchback on foot, with its far more reasonable grades.

Emerge into the open on the ridgeback, to be greeted with more views of the Elevators and the cliff wall that makes up so much of the High Rock Range portion of the Divide. The Trail turns left and climbs the ridgeback. Occasional cairns and blazing give reassurance. Re-entering trees, the trail goes right and transfers to another ridge, seeming to follow the demarcation line between larch and fir forests.

The Trail swings left to reach the second ridgewalk section. (This spot may be a bit hard to find when going south-to-north. If you have been following the spine of the ridge, head left where trees block further travel north, and look for a broken cairn and tree blazing. The trail may be further left than you expect.)

The Trail starts well below the spine of the ridge. Either follow the faint path straight ahead, or climb up to the and follow the knife edge of the ridge, with great views south to Tornado Mountain and east to an unnamed ridge that looks promising as another ridgewalk. The occasional cairn dots the ridgetop. If travelling in a group, spread out where the trail fades away, to reduce impact on the alpine vegetation. The wildflowers along the ridge are fantastic early in the summer.

After crossing the high point, the Trail stays in the open briefly, before moving back into open forest, and begins the descent down the toe of the ridge. This descent is very steep in places. After traversing through forest lower down, cross several boggy sections (old corduroy, heavily damaged by dirt bikes) then follow the high banktop of a creek. Reach an old logging road, now bike/ATV trail, in a small clearing about 8km from Cache Creek. Not far to the right is a creek (last water if headed the other way). The Trail turns left. This road section is not blazed.

South-to-north: The trail is obvious as it splits off from the road. However, the first blaze is not visible from the road. If you reach a creek running across the road, you've gone too far.

The road reaches a campsite across from a hillside cutblock, at a junction with another logging road coming in from the left (When going north,take the road on the left at the campsite and immediately cross a side creek.) Not much further on is a large hunters' camp to the left. The logging road is only remarkable in showing how much effort some ATV riders will put into avoiding a puddle.

Reach a road fork by an snowmobile sign reading "115". Right, the Trail crosses the north fork of Hidden Creek on a decaying log bridge hidden in bushes downstream of the ford. Straight ahead is the Hidden Creek access trail.