| goldenhikes.ca | Hikes around Golden, B.C. | ||
This list is entirely arbitrary. It has little rhyme and no reason, but contains hikes I've done and think are worthwhile. You don't have to study it too closely to figure out my travel patterns. I will add to it occasionally.
Coquihalla HighwaySynopsis: A pleasant half hour stroll on the forested hill above the rest stop and Visitor Information Centre in Merritt, at the junction of Highways 5 and 97C (the Coquihalla and the Okanagan Connector.)
Access: On the Coq, north or southbound, take the 97C exit for Kelowna. At the traffic light, pull into the information centre parking lot. From Kelowna, turn left at the bottom of the hill when you get to the traffic light.
Trailhead: The trail starts at the south end of the drivearound. Look for an old forestry sign that says Godey Creek Recreation Area, and follow the path through the livestock gate.
Trail: This is a loop trail, so it doesn't matter which way you go. From habit, I stay right and climb the hill first. When you reach the fence at the top of the area, head left on the dirt road which leads to a high point overlooking Merritt, and then meanders back down the hill. This was at one time a demonstration forest, so there are lots of numbered brown posts around that used to hold information signs.
You never quite escape the highway sounds, but surprisingly there are never many people on the path. It makes a pleasant break from driving, and a good place to walk the dog. Part of the trail is now marked as a BCFS bike trail.
Synopsis: A welcome respite from the horrors of the Coq. Millions of people drive by the exit for Falls Lake, about 3 kilometres south of the tool booths. Only a handful ever turn off and check it out. It's a lovely mountain lake, far enough off the highway you can't hear the traffic. Definitely worth a stop. This is an easy hike.
Access: Falls Lake is at Exit 221, the first exit south of the toll booth on Highway 5. Southbound, look for it just after you cross the Dry Gulch bridge. Northbound, keep an eye peeled after you get to the top of Snowshed Hill. The exit is well marked. Once off the Coq, follow the narrow road west for about 1 kilometre. There is a parking area at the end of the road.
Trailhead: The trail starts west of the parking area, and (the last time I used it) was marked by a sign. (This is a former Forestry rec site.) Follow the path under the power lines and up the slight hill to reach the sign.
Trail: The trail is a bit under a kilometre long, with very little change in elevation. The trial is well built and moves through a mature forest before reaching the lake. There is a small beach at the lake, and a pleasant view. This is an easy hike.
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Synopsis: An easy and very interesting walk, this trail follows the old roadbed of the Kettle Valley Railway through the Coquihalla Canyon. There are five tunnels in all, and it is astounding how they line up. If you've been driving by for years and always wondered, it's worth the stop.
Access: Take Exit 183 for Kawkawa Lake Road. This is the first exit north of the junction of Highways 5 and 3. Follow Kawkawa Lake Road for about 4 kms, until you reach a Y. Take the left fork, following the signs for Othello Tunnels. You have to park in the lot and buy a ticket, unless you have Provincial Park parking pass. Do not park on the roadway before the park. According to the signs, you will get towed.
Trailhead: The trail begins at the east end of the parking lot and is well marked.
Trail: The trail is a few kilometres long and has basically no elevation change. It follows the old railbed, so it is like walking on a sidewalk. It leads through the five tunnels, and has information plaques on the way that are well worth reading. Once through the fifth tunnel, most people turn around, although the trail continues for eight kms into Hope.
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Synopsis: Bizarre. That's the only word for this thing. Of course, it helps if you don't think of it as a wilderness experience, but rather as the world's longest vertical singles bar. Originally built as a conditioning trail for alpine climbers, it now attracts literally thousands of people a day. The original trail has been replaced by a seemingly endless bank of steps. But everybody should hike it once, just so they're thankful for what they have at home.
Access: From downtown Vancouver, cross Lion's Gate Bridge, take the North Vancouver exit, and turn left at the first intersection (Capilano Road.) Follow Capilano all the way up the hill to where it ends in the parking lot for the Grouse Mountain Skyride. Park here, and make sure you buy a ticket.
Trailhead: Walk back out the way you drove in. On the left is a chain link fence. The trail starts at the gate. If the gate is locked, the trail is officially closed.
Trail: The trail starts fairly level but soon begins its inexorable climb, mostly on stairs. It is impossible to get lost (or even out of sight of other people.) The trail climbs 935 metres and is just over 2 km long. It is a difficult hike.
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Synopsis: There are more than 30 named trails in Pacific Spirit Park, located near the UBC campus. Salish Trail forms the backbone of the trail system, running more than 7 kilometres in a northwest line from 41st and Camosun to Northwest Marine Drive at Spanish Banks Extension Beach. While few people will walk the entire trail, it is unlikely you can walk very far in the park without following part of the Salish trail.
The trail moves through several different ecosystems. Large parts are in a cathedral-like cedar hemlock forest. This is not old growth, but rather 100 year old trees in a temperate rain forest. You can see the old cedar stumps with the springboard notches from when the area was logged in the early 1900s. Other areas are alder stands. There are a number of creeks in the park, and an effort is being made to reestablish fish populations in them.
Access: There are many access points to the trail system. Salish trail can be reached at 41st and Camosun; 16th Ave just west of the park office; University Boulevard just west of the golf course office (or across the street, east of the church parking lot); at Chancellor Boulevard west of University Hill Elementary School; and at several spots west of the Spanish West concession stand at Spanish Banks beach.
Trailheads: All trailheads are marked with green signs, and many trailheads have dispensers with trail maps in them. The maps are very useful if you are not familiar with the trails. There are also signs with trail maps painted on them at many trailheads.
Trail: Trails in the park range from those recently hardened with crushed gravel to those turned into bogs by bike traffic in a rain forest. The only hills to speak of are those coming up from the beach at Spanish Banks. Salish Trail tends to be muddy in spots.
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Synopsis: This hike is fraught with memory for me... it's the very first hike I ever did, on an altar boy picnic around 1967. But I wouldn't call it a stroll down memory lane. This is a brutally steep climb from near tidewater at Lions Bay to the Howe Sound Crest Trail. You will be using your hands on about a quarter of the hike.
Access: From Vancouver, drive west on Highway 1 to Horseshoe Bay. Stay in the right hand lane to avoid the ferry traffic, and take the infamous Sea to Sky Highway towards Whistler. Be aware this highway will be in a constant state of construction until the Olympics in 2010. Drive 12 kilometres north to the village of Lions Bay. Take the second exit, turn right at the stop sign, and follow Oceanview Road for one kilometre, all the way to the end. When you get to a gate with a large water tank visible, turn around and park on the north side of the road, in between the two signs allowing parking. I gather parking for this hike is a matter of heated debate among the local residents. Expect ugly glares from the neighbours.
Trailhead: Walk past the gate and up the road. There are a number of signs warning hikers they are entering the watershed. Pass the dumping ground of broken asphalt and follow the road as it curves left. When you get to a sign that says "No Trespassing", you will find the trailhead in the bushes just to the right of the sign. There is a small notice in felt pen on the signpost that says "Trail."
Trail: The trail starts pleasantly enough, passing through some enormous timber before starting its unrelenting upward climb. It is well marked and easy to follow, although not easy to do. No views to speak of for the first thousand metres of elevation gain, but you'll be too busy putting one foot in front of the other to look around anyway. Finally, the trail levels out and breaks into a beautiful section of rocky alpine meadow, and you can see the west Lion to your left. Beware on this section. Both left and right are sheer dropoffs.
You are about the same elevation as the base of the west Lion here, but as is obvious, you can't get there from here. There is one more steep climb to the top of the ridge at Unnecessary Mountain before you reach the Crest Trail. From here, the west Lion is about a kilometre north on the ridge, with some serious elevation loss and gain before you get there.
The views up here are stunning... unless, of course, you did it on a rainy day, in which case you can't see your hand in front of your face. I probably hiked this two dozen times as a teenager, and we did it in some brutal weather.
The west Lion itself is a scramble.
The descent will take longer than you might expect, because the trail is so steep you have to be careful where you put your foot with every step.
Synopsis: A very pleasant urban hike along the bank of Mission Creek. The second part of this trail opened in the spring of 2005, making it a 16 kilometre hike from end to end. The first 12 kilometres are quite level, mostly on the river dike. There are a couple of sections that detour into city streets.
The last four kilometres, in Scenic Canyon Regional Park, are very different. In this stretch, you climb out of the canyon three times.
Access: There are many spots to access the Greenway. They are all marked on the Greenway maps available in Kelowna, so I will only describe the Lakeshore Road access here. From downtown Kelowna, head south on Pandosy. Eventually, it turns into Lakeshore Road. If you turn right at Cook Drive, there is public parking in a lot on the left. Walk another block south to the north bank of Mission Creek.
Trailhead: Lakeshore where it meets Mission Creek. There is a plaza and a number of interpretive plaques here.
Trail: The trail is on the dyke on the north side of Mission Creek. You will cross three roads and, after 6.2 kms, reach the Environmental Education Centre of the Okanagan (EECO) in Mission Creek Regional Park. There is no elevation gain to speak of. The trail continues for another 1.3 km to Ziprick Road. From here, the trail detours via city streets twice in the next three kilometres. Once you cross East KLO Road at 10.5 km, you enter Scenic Canyon Regional Park. The trail is flat for another 1.5 km, until the first bridge at 12 km. After the bridge is the first of three ascents up to the lip of the canyon. Two more bridges follow, then at 13.5 km you climb out a second time, skirt a housing development, and descend once more to the valley floor. The final climb brings you to the parking area at 16 km.
The most curious part of this trail occurs at about 11.8 km. On the creek side of the trail, you will see a tree with a very straight branch sticking out of it at an awkward right angle, about three metres off the ground. Take a closer look. This used to be a fence rail nailed to the tree. The tree has grown around the rail, and raised it quite a bit. NOTE: Okay, Anders Oseychuk pointed out that trees don't grow up from the base, but from the tip... so that the rail couldn't have been raised by the tree growing. I'm stumped. Any other ideas?
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Synopsis: The Pacific Ocean at its best. Secluded coves, pounding surf, fantastic rock... and not much in the way of crowds, especially not during the off-season. And this is the warmest spot in Canada in the off-season.
There are three parts to this trail: the Amphitrite Lighthouse loop, the Big Beach to Pacific Rim Highway section, and the walk between, which happens on roads. The middle, connecting section can be eliminated by driving.
The trail is mostly a gravelled path, with stretches of boardwalk. There is some up and down, but the elevation gain is negligible. This is an easy hike.
Access: Follow highway 4 west from Parksville, through Port Alberni, and keep going until you reach a T (about 90 kilometres from P.A.) Turn left for Ucluelet and follow the Pacific Rim Highway for 8 kilometres. Note that Highway 4 west of Sutton Pass is extremely narrow with many curves.
Trailhead: For the Amphitrite Lighthouse loop, drive down Peninsula Road (the main road in Ucluelet) past the commercial district. The two ends of the loop are about 100 metres apart. Just past Terrace Beach, on the right, there is a driveway with a huge sign indicating He-tin-kis Park. One end of the loop starts here. If you miss this, you will soon come to Coast Guard Road. Peninsula Road is marked here with a "No Thru Road" sign. There is a parking lot at the trailhead on the southwest corner of the intersection.
For the Big Beach trailhead, turn west off Peninsula Road either at Matterson Road (where the elementary school is) or at Marine Drive. The trailhead is at the west end of Matterson Road. Park by the side of the road or in the gravel parking lot.
If you want to start the Big Beach section from the north end, the trailhead is just behind the large blue sign announcing Ucluelet as you drive into town.
Trail: From the corner of Coast Guard Road, the Amphitrite loop follows the top of the bluff around to Amphitrite Lighthouse, and then returns via the boardwalk through He-tin-kis Park. There are two branches to the boardwalk. The northern side is closer to the water. At one point, you can descend a long series of stairs to the beach. The loop is 2.5 kilometres long.
From Big Beach, the trail heads up a series of steps, and then is rerouted by several new subdivisions. Follow the boardwalk that descends into a gully and climbs the other side. You then get routed through a construction zone and along a sidewalk in a new development before regaining the shoreline. After the detour, the gravel path follows the shoreline for 4 kilometres. There are numerous side trails to take you to viewpoints and coves. After 2 kilometres, you can leave the trail via Forbes Road, but you'll miss the best of the trail. The trail mostly follows the top of the cliffs, so you should be safe from rogue waves. There are a few spots where you can reach the shoreline.
This section of trail ends when it meets the Pacific Rim Highway, about 1 kilometre north of town. You will need to walk back to Ucluelet on the bike path that parallels the highway. If you parked at Big Beach, it's about 3 kilometres to your car. Or, you can just turn around when the trail heads into the forest away from the water, and retrace your path to the car.
There is a plan to extend the Wild Pacific trail further along the coast as far as Florencia Bay in Pacific Rim National Park. If that section is completed, it will be possible to hike from Ucluelet to Schooner Bay, at the north end of Long Beach.
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