Brandywine Mountain

August 11-12, 2023

Distance: 16km round-trip

Elevation gain: 1464m

Time required: 9-10 hours total

I did an overnight backpacking trip to Brandywine Mountain with my twin sister.

There are two parking lots/trailheads on the Brandywine FSR: the lower elevation one that requires less vehicle clearance and more hiking; and the upper one which requires a 4x4 vehicle.

My stats for this hike are for starting at the lower trailhead parking lot. If starting at the upper trailhead parking lot, this cuts the hike to Brandywine Meadows down to about 15-20 minutes only.

The hike climbs through the forest, gaining elevation steadily, until reaching Brandywine Meadows after about 2 hours. These meadows are beautiful: a tributary of Brandywine creek runs through endless fields of wildflowers and dense shrubs.

A tributary of Brandywine Creek that acts as a water source through the meadows

The meadows below Brandywine Mountain, which is the peak above the glacier in the middle

Indian paintbrush and fringed grass of parnassus are just a couple of flowers to be found within the meadows.

There are many places to set up camp on either side of the trail. My sister and I set up our camp and ate a quick lunch before continuing on our way to Brandywine Mountain.

The trail continues through the meadows before starting to climb rocky slopes that take you onto the ridgeline before finally reaching Brandywine Mountain. This portion took about 2.5 hours.

The ridgeline, Brandwine Mountain pictured in the back right

The views of the glaciers below the summit are amazing! There are several glaciers surrounding Brandywine.

Brandywine glacier

My sister staring ominously into the foggy distance on Brandywine Mountain

Mountain ranges west of Brandywine Mountain

Looking down into Brandywine Meadows

We had passed by a couple of backpackers camped on the ridgeline who were exploring it. They told us they had made it almost to Mount Fee.

My sister and I spent a wonderful night camped at the meadows. They are very peaceful and beautiful. There were several other groups of campers there.

Enjoying a nice cup of tea after our hike

I would highly recommend Brandywine Mountain, and at the very least the meadows. The reward to effort ratio is very high, especially if you park at the upper parking lot.