Raft Mountain is a mountain in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located north-east of Clearwater and just outside the south boundary of

Wells Gray Provincial Park Wells Gray Provincial Park is a large wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia, Canada. The park protects most of the southern, and highest, regions of the Cariboo Mountains and covers 5,415 square kilometres (541,516 hectares or ...

. The Clearwater River flows to the west,

Raft River The Raft River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 4, 2011 tributary of the Snake River located in northern Utah and southern Idaho in the United States. It is par ...

to the east, Spahats Creek to the north, and

North Thompson River The North Thompson River is the northern branch of the Thompson River, the largest tributary of the Fraser River, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It originates at the toe of the Thompson Glacier in the Premier Range of the Cariboo M ...

to the south. Raft Mountain is part of the

Shuswap Highland The Shuswap Highland is a plateau-like hilly area of in British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the P ...

. There are five summits in the group and the highest is . Trophy Mountain is the closest summit to the north. Neave, Roland (2023). ''Exploring Wells Gray Park'', 7th edition. Wells Gray Tours, Kamloops, BC. .

Access

The Raft West and Raft Peak Forest Service Roads provide access to the south side of the mountain. Check in advance for logging activity. Some sections of this road require four-wheel drive and a high clearance vehicle. It is nearly to the end of the road at . A hike of about 2.5 hours goes up the meadows to the west ridge, then to the summit. An all-day hike crosses the five summits. The north face of Raft Mountain can be reached via Spahats Creek Road which turns east off Clearwater Valley Road (also called Wells Gray Park Road). A good clearance vehicle is recommended, but four-wheel drive should not be necessary. After , watch for the sign "Cirque of Tarns Trail" at the pass. The trail was rebuilt in 2023 and several sections of boardwalk were added by BC Parks. The 2.3 km long trail bypasses Caligata Lake and ends below the Raft Mountain cliffs. Cross-country hiking routes lead from there to the nearby Cirque of Tarns. A more rigorous hike ascends to the east ridge of Raft Mountain from where a skyline walk can go in either direction to Raft's multiple summits. Road and hiking directions for both routes are essential and can be found in ''Exploring Wells Gray Park'' (7th edition). Groomed cross-country ski trails are located on the lower slopes of Raft Mountain and are maintained by the Wells Gray Outdoors Club. A network of snowmobile trails on Raft Mountain is maintained by the Clearwater Sno-Drifters Club. The group also operates two warming huts near treeline.

Naming

The Overlanders expedition to the Cariboo goldfields rafted down the

in 1862. When they arrived at the mouth of the Clearwater River, they noticed this prominent peak and named it for their rafts. They also named the Clearwater River for its distinct clarity compared to the muddy North Thompson and the nearby Raft River.

Gallery

Raft Mountain.jpg, Raft Mountain from Trophy Meadows Raft summits 2 and 3.jpg, Raft Mountain summits 2 and 3, seen from summit 4

References

*{{cite bcgnis, id=23217, name=Raft Mountain Two-thousanders of British Columbia Wells Gray-Clearwater Kamloops Division Yale Land District