So I'm planning my second trip to the Chilcotins this year and am looking for a route recommendation. Last year we did one float plane drop to Warner Lake and then two and half days of riding the "local" trails. The plan is similar this year but the thought is that for our float plane drop we'd like to do a drop at Lorna Lake.
Looking at the maps, it appears that there are three main options:
1. Lorna Pass, Deer Pass to Trigger Lake and then do much of the ride we did last year via Gun Creek Trail
2. Lorna Pass, Tyax Trail to Spruce Lake, then down to Gun Creek Trail
3. Lorna Pass, Tyax Trail to Spruce Lake, High Trail/Windy Pass and then out via something like Lick Creek (which we did on a different ride last year).
Any thoughts on these routes? I want to do it in a day with a group of fit skilled riders, mixed males and females.
I'm thinking that #3 might be a bridge too far with Windy Pass being a high climb relatively late in the ride. So #1 and #2 are my favorite options but I'm torn. How good is the Tyax trail? Is the Deer Pass descent worth the extra climb over riding Tyax trail?