The Tragic Story Behind Evans Peak
If you walk along the West Canyon Trail in Golden Ears Provincial Park, one of the first views you’ll see is a rounded mountain to the northwest, heavily forested below and sparse enough on top to afford stunning views of the surrounding peaks and the Coast Mountains. At 9 km round trip, the hike to Evans Peak is a difficult grind, but nonetheless extremely popular. Though thousands of people make their way up the gruelling trail to the summit each year, many don’t know the tragic story behind the mountain’s name.
Both Evans Peak and the nearby Evans Valley were named for Lesley and John Evans, a father and son who went missing in the area in 1966. At 39 years old, Lesley Evans was an experienced outdoorsman who often led youth groups on hikes in the area and knew it very well.
One Saturday in June 1966 Lesley Evans and his 13-year-old son John headed into the park to explore potential routes a summit. Back then, the area was still a part of Garibaldi Provincial Park. Golden Ears Provincial Park would not be segmented off and created until the following year.
Father and son were equipped with warm clothes, sleeping bags, and enough food to last until the following day, Sunday, when they were supposed to return. When they didn’t return, a search was launched.
Initially it was thought that they went towards Alouette Mountain and Blanshard Peak, but later some campers came forward to say they’d met the pair as they were heading out, and the father and son had told them they were going to climb Edge Peak.
In the days that followed, an extensive search was launched, involving hundreds of volunteers, including the RCMP, a mountain rescue team, personnel from CFB Chilliwack, scouts, mountaineers, friends, relatives, and coworkers.
The search area was treacherous, heavily timbered with rock slides, undergrowth, sharp rocks, and gulleys. One of the rescuers was taken to hospital after he was hit by a falling rock that broke his leg. Several gulleys could not be searched at all, because they were full of melting snow up to 60 feet deep and there were fresh avalanches in the area.
Rescuers were flown by helicopter to the east ridge of Edge Peak, where tracks had been spotted in the snow, but these were later identified as old animal tracks. They also found a length of rope on the peak, but it was determined not to belong to the missing pair.
Rescuers speculated that they might have fallen into a gully or crevasse, slipped from Edge Peak, or become lost and succumbed to hypothermia and exposure. In the end, after two weeks of searching, no trace of the missing pair was found and the search was officially called off.
A memorial service was held for the father and son later that month, and family and friends petitioned the government to name a peak in the park after them. In 1969, this petition was granted, and Evans Peak got its name. Some years later, a wooden cross with a placard was mounted on the mountain. More recently this was replaced with a metal placard that stands in memoriam of the missing father and son.
Lesley and John Evans remain missing to this day and are presumed dead. It’s unlikely that we will ever know the exact circumstances that led to their disappearance. To this day, no trace of them has been found. The mountain and the valley below it stand as a memorial to them. May they rest in peace.
Cory is an outdoor writer and adventurer from British Columbia. She has worked as a kayak guide and wildlife rehabber, experiences that deepened her love for wild places and the creatures that call them home. Whether she’s hiking remote trails, paddling along the coast, or setting out on her next backcountry trip, she finds inspiration in nature’s untamed beauty. Through her writing, she shares stories of adventure, resilience, and the deep connection between people and the wilderness.
