Joffre Group

The Joffre Group is a concentrated group of moderate peaks, and ideal for novice mountaineers. This area features alpine rock, snow climbing, and scrambling with fantastic scenery. Most of the peaks are located in BC provincial park.

Matier, Spetch, and Hartzell from the Upper Matier Glacier

Access

There are two easy access routes from highway 99 (Duffey Lake Road).

From Joffre Lakes

Drive: From Vancouver, drive north to Pemberton, and continue on the Duffey Lake Road (Highway 99) towards Lilooet. Approx 40 minutes from Pemberton, pull out right at the parking lot for Joffre Lakes Provincial Park.
Hike: A 5.5km well-travelled trail takes you through the forest past three lakes, each one more scenic that the last. At the end of the third lake, there are designated campspots, with the prime spot being a small pennisula on the south end of the lake. This is a very popular hiking destination in the summer, so don't expect solitude on a sunny long weekend.

From Cerise Creek

Drive: Follow the driving description above, but continue for 7.5km past the Joffre Lakes parking lot (check your odometer). Cerise creek is the next large valley over. The pull out off highway 99 is just before an obvious "avalanche" sign. If you don't mind paint scratches on your car, you can drive up the Cerise Creek Main logging road (follow highway 99 for some more kilometers, and turn right just before the Van Horlick Creek Bridge). Expect paint scratches, and very bushy conditions while driving this badly overgrown road. Cross the Casper and Cerise creeks. There is a parking spot (2WD, moderate clearance and good suspension only) where a steep and rough spur road branches left (shortly after Cerise Creek bridge), a HC-4WD car can continue up this spur road for a couple of hundred meters untill the end of the road (HC-4WD trailhead).
Hike: From highway 99, follow a trail down to the creek below, cross the creek (bridge) and a second creek (logs). The trail goes up through the forest, reaches a clearcut, and follows the western side of the clearcut towards the Cerise Creek Main logging road (30mins). Go right and follow the logging road for about 5-10 minutes. After crossing Cerise Creek, there is a steep and rough road on the left (2WD parking). Follow this branch for about 5 minutes (HC-4WD trailhead). From this trailhead, continue along the trail to the moraines below the Anniversary glacier or Keith's hut (1.5hr).

Routes

Tszil Mountain

At the junction before the Upper Joffre lake campground, take the right path and head southwest towards the Tszil-Taylor col. The trail crosses boulders, trees, and more boulders to the top of the col. Turn left and follow the stepped and zigzag ramp to the summit. The route consists of mostly hiking, with some short sections of scrambling.

Mount Taylor

From the Tszil-Taylor col, ascend boulders and heather to the summit of Taylor.

Slalok Mountain (Rex's Pillar)

From the summit of Tszil Mountain, descend over boulders to the Tszil-Slalok col, and continue up the south-west ridge. There is apparently some exposed scrambling here.

Another route is via the Stonecrop Glacier, which is the promiment face visible from the first and second lake. The route is supposed to be straightforward glacier travel.

Duffey Peak

Duffey Peak is visible from the top of Tszil Peak. Drop down from the summit to the Slalok-Tszil col, and continue down towards the very distinct north ridge of Duffey Peak. The route finding is straightforward, and is mostly hiking. This peak makes for a long day from the lakes, since you have to climb Tszil Peak twice.

Mount Matier

Matier is the highest peak in the Joffre Group, and can be acessed from both sides. From Upper Joffre lakes campground, cross a creek, and continue up a long moraine towards slabs. Scramble up through the slabs, and continue up towards the icefall, keeping it to your right. Once you reach snow, this would be a good idea to rope up. Continue along the flat Upper Matier Glacier, towards the prominent peak. The easiest route is via the Northeast spur, which consists of 30-40 deg snow, and a final scramble. For more experienced parties, the Northwest face offers straightforward 50 deg snow climbing early in the season, and 400m of ice later in the season. From the top of this face, scramble towards the summit of Matier, and then descend the northeast spur.