steep hike/ scramble to a fire lookout

trailhead:
13 km north of Grande Cache on Highway 40, turn left onto 4×4 track, soon banking left alongside a powerline. Continue 400 m to the trailhead on your right.

route:
Follow the approach trail through aspen forest, a cruel juxtaposition compared to the terrain just ahead. Just as you approach Hells Creek turn right and begin a very steep hike / scramble up a rocky ridge. In a few hundred meters you reach a conglomerate rock wall, the NE ridge of Mount Hamell. To gain the ridge easy scrambling is found to the climbers right, while more challenging terrain can be tried straight ahead.

Now that you’ve gained the ridge the way is clear for the next km or so as you follow open slopes and pieces of goat and sheep trail. Hells Canyon drops away to the south while the layered east face of Mount Hamell stands large in front of you.

The ridge peters out at an orange colored scree slope. Make your way straight up, finding the odd red marker, until you hit the treed ridge. Continue left along this ridge on a sheep trail until more open terrain exists on climbers right, including an old mining exploration road. continue uphill, keeping Hells Canyon on your left and follow the road as it loses elevation towards Hamels east face. As the road bends right, away from the canyon, look for game trail that heads straight, and left, back towards Hells Canyon. This trail skirts the edge of the ridge and the last of the subalpine schnarb. Follow grassy slopes up, alongside the east face until topping out on the summit ridge. Depending where you topped out on the ridge it is a few hundred meters more to the summit.