From the parking lot, the trail begins to the right of the Hot Springs Pool complex. A steady ascent through moderate forest cover will be quite a grind on a sunny summer day. After about 45 minutes, the grade relents somewhat before reaching the Shuey Pass junction (2.2km). A right turn at the junction leads to switchbacks as the trail steepens. Forest cover on the north side provides relief from the sun. For your effort though, the views start opening up. At tree line, another 20 minutes up a scree slope gets you to the top. In the photo, the lefthand skyline ridge is the ascent route.
Once on the summit, be prepared for wind gusts. After 10-15 minutes, you may need to
put on a light jacket even on a warm summer day. This is a fairly busy trail on a good day,
so don't expect any isolation on top. On my July 1997 ascent, more than a dozen people made
it to the top in the course of an hour.
The summit provides good views of the Fiddle River valley below you. There is no summit register
-- hardly a surprise given it's rather easy ascent and popularity.
Since I had made this hike before in 1990 and returned the same way I hiked up, I decided
to descend to the Skyline Ridge (from where the first photo on this page was taken). Descend
the grassy slopes on the left (bypassing a group of mountain sheep in my case!), to reach
a visible trail leading to Skyline Ridge. Some of the elevation lost will need to be regained
but it's hardly as strenuous as the ascent to the Sulphur Skyline.
Follow the trail as it makes its way to the end of the ridge. At this point, the trail peters
out and you will need to select a descent line that suits your fancy. I decided to tackle
the gully shown in the photo. There are no real difficulties as you make your way back to
forest cover. Once back in the forest, bushwack more or less straight ahead where you
will eventually run into a boardwalk beside a creek taking you back to the parking lot.
Once you return to the trail head, a relaxing soak in the Hot Springs Pool (42C/108F)
is well deserved.
