Hiking Trails 3 Edition
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REVISED AND EXPANDED TENTH EDITION HIKINGTRAILS Northern Vancouver Island Northern Vancouver 3 Note: for copyright information, IsBN and disclaimer see back page. HIKING TRAILS 3 Northern Vancouver Island Great central lake to cape scott featuring strathcona Park plus malcolm, Quadra, Nootka, Hornby Islands and new trails everywhere Revised and expanded by Gil Parker TENTH EDITION, 2008 VaNcOuVEr Isl aND Tr aI ls INfOr m aTION sOc IET y ( VITIs) Contents Key map and legend 8 Hints and cautions 12 map Notes 10 creatures Great and small 15 How to use this Book 11 strathcona Park 17 1 Forbidden Plateau 6 Comox Glacier 38 (Wood Mountain) 19 map M6 40 map M1 20 a. Century sam lake 38 a. Mount Becher 22 b. Comox Glacier 39 c. Kookjai mountain 42 2 Forbidden Plateau d. Cliffe Glacier to (Paradise Meadows) 23 Flower ridge 43 map M2 24 a. Paradise meadows loop 23 7 Rees Ridge 45 map M7 46 b. Helen macKenzie loop 23 c. Kwai lake loop 26 a. Mount albert Edward to d. Mount albert Edward 26 Rees ridge 45 e. Castlecrag loop 27 b. Carey lakes 50 f. Mount Becher to Della Falls 51 Paradise meadows 27 8 map M8 54 g. Gem lake 28 h. Sunrise lake 28 a. Drinkwater creek 51 map M8A 52 3 Comox Creek 29 b. Della lake, Nine Peaks 56 map M3 31 map M8 54 a. Alone mountain 29 c. Love lake 58 b. Idiens/capes lakes 29 map M8 54 4 Forbush and d. Price creek, cream lake 58 Willemar Lakes 32 map M8 54 map M4 33 e. Bedwell lake 61 map M8 54 a. June, Junior and Toy lakes 32 b. Forbush and f. Thelwood lake via Willemar lakes 35 Jim mitchell lake 63 c. Puntledge river 35 map M8 54 5 Oshinow Lake 36 9 Bedwell Sound map M5 37 and River 64 a. Oshinow lake and a. Bedwell river 64 Red Pillar 36 map M9A 68 b. Bedwell lake to Thelwood mountain 70 map M9B 66 10 Mount Thelwood 72 d. Crest mountain 106 map M10 74 e. Big Den mountain 106 a. Mount Thelwood to f. Lady falls (no map) 107 Phillips ridge 72 g. Donner lake (no map) 107 11 South Buttle Lake 76 16 Gold River Area 108 map M11 78 a. Gold lake 108 a. Upper myra falls to map M16A 109 Thelwood meadows 77 b. White ridge b. Tennent lake, mounts Provincial Park (no map) 110 Myra and Thelwood 77 c. Victoria Peak 112 c. Myra creek to Phillips ridge 80 map M16C 113 d. Flower ridge 81 d. Upana caves 114 e. Shepherd and Henshaw map M16D 115 Watershed 83 f. Lower myra falls 83 17 Hornby Island 116 map M17 117 12 Central Buttle Lake 84 a. Mount Geoffrey map M12 86 Escarpment 116 a. Ralph river to b. Helliwell Park (no map) 116 Rees ridge 84 18 Beaufort Range 118 b. Shepherd creek loop 84 c. Karst creek loop 85 a. Mount Joan 120 map M18A 119 d. Augerpoint fire loop 85 e. Augerpoint to b. Mount curran 120 Mount albert Edward 85 map M18A 119 f. Lupin falls (no map) 88 c. Mount clifton 121 g. Marble meadows 88 map M18B 122 d. Mount chief frank 121 13 Golden Hinde 90 map M18B 122 map M13 92 e. Mount clifton to a. Marble meadows to Mount Joan 123 Mount Phillips 90 b. Phillips ridge to 19 Seal Bay Burman lake 91 Regional Park 125 c. Burman lake to map M19 126 Elk river Pass 96 20 Quadra Island 127 14 Elk River (Landslide Lake) 99 a. Morte lake 130 map M20A 128 map M14 100 . Maude Island/ a. Upper Elk river 99 b Seymour Narrows 130 15 Lower Elk River 102 map M20A 128 map M15 105 c. Chinese mountains 131 map M20A 128 a. Lower Elk river 102 b. Kings Peak 103 d. Beech’s mountain 132 c. Elkhorn mountain 104 map M20A 128 e. Mount seymour 133 23 Sayward Forest map M20A 128 Canoe Route 160 f. Hope spring 134 map M23 161 map M20A 128 24 Nootka Island 162 g. Thompson road 134 north map M24A 164 map M20A 128 south map M24B 166 h. Blindman’s Bluff/ Eagle ridge 134 25 Schoen Lake map M20A 128 Provincial Park 170 i. Shellalligan Pass 135 map M25 172 map M20A 128 a. Schoen creek route 171 j. Stramberg lake 135 b. Nisnak lake route 171 map M20B 136 k. Newton lake/small Inlet 138 26 Nimpkish Valley 174 map M26 176 map M20B 136 l. Surge Narrows 138 a. Mount cain 174 map M20B 136 b. Woss lake Provincial Park 175 21 Campbell River Area 140 c. Claude Elliot map M21 141 Provincial Park 175 d. Kaipit lake fire route 177 a. Willow creek Nature Trust 140 . Tahsish Kwois map M21A 144 e Provincial Park 177 b. Beaver lodge lands 142 f. Artlish caves map M21B 145 Provincial Park 177 c. Quinsam river 142 g. Pinder Peak 178 map M21C 146 h. Nimpkish lake d. Canyon View 143 Provincial Park 178 map M21D 148 i. Lower Nimpkish Provincial Park 178 e. Elk falls Provincial Park 147 map M21E 148 j. Johnstone strait Ecological reserves 179 f. Ripple rock 147 map M21F 150 27 Port McNeill and g. Menzies mountain 149 Malcolm Island 180 map M21G 150 a. Mateoja Heritage 180 h. McNair lake (no map) 151 map M27 181 i. Salmon lookout (no map) 151 b. Beautiful Bay 182 j. Dalrymple creek (no map) 151 map M27 181 k. H’Kusam mountain 151 c. Marble river map M21K 153 Provincial Park 182 l. Mount Kitchener 154 map M27C 183 map M21L 155 d. Merry Widow mountain 183 map M27D 185 22 Snowden Demonstration Forest 156 map M22 158 28 Port Hardy, 30 Raft Cove Holberg Area 186 Provincial Park 196 a. Port Hardy to Dillon Point 188 map M30 197 map M28A 189 31 Cape Scott b. Aircraft crash site 190 Provincial Park 199 map M28A 189 south map M31A 202 c. Songhees lake 191 north map M31B 204 map M28 187 a. San Josef Bay to d. Nahwitti river 191 Sea Otter cove 201 map M28 187 map M31A 202 e. Botel Park 191 b. San Josef river to map M28 187 Nissen Bight 203 f. Hecht Beach 192 map M31B 204 map M28 187 c. Cape scott 206 g. Ronning Garden 192 map M31B 204 map M28 187 d. Nissen Bight to Shushartie Bay 207 29 Grant Bay 193 map M31D 208 map M29 195 APPENDIX VITIs Information 210 strathcona Park lodge 217 reader survey 211 strathcona Park Public abbreviations 211 Advisory committee 217 club addresses 212 map sources 212 useful references 213 recognition of search and rescue 215 Contributors 218 Timber companies 215 suggested reading 219 strathcona Wilderness Index 221 Institute 216 about the Editor 224 friends of strathcona Park 216 Hikers on trail to castlecrag, Paradise meadows. Gil Parker General Map of Northern Vancouver Island > 8 General Map of Northern Vancouver Island < 9 Map Notes A contour line is simply all the points of the same elevation joined to- gether. Where contour lines are close together it indicates that the terrain is steeper than where the lines are farther apart. This is most useful for determining where you are, as you can readily assess steepness, locate creeks and ridges, and calculate the effort that will be required. A contour (topographical) map and aerial photograph are useful adjuncts to the trail descriptions in this book. Contour lines on our maps are at different intervals, mainly to suit the topographic maps that are currently being published. While many topographic maps are in metric with 40 m or 20 m contour lines, some— especially in the north Island —still contain elevations and con tours in feet. Most topographic maps are based upon a scale of 1:50,000, but check each map for scale and contour interval. Conversions: 100 m = 328 ft; 40 m = 131.2 ft ; 20 m = 65.6 ft. Maps currently sold for Vancouver Island are based on both North American Datums (both NAD27 and NAD83). If you are using GPS devices, you must know which system you are using. GPS grids noted herein show both NAD systems. TRIM maps 1:20,000 are also reliable references. The Terrain Re source Information Management program is comprised of 7,027 map sheets covering the entire province of British Columbia. These maps are based on the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system, depicted using the North American Datum 1983 (NAD83). You should purchase your own maps because we have not reproduced all their information. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in this book. If you find that there are discrepancies, for whatever reason, please inform VITIS at www.hikingtrailsbooks.com or Email to [email protected]. Hike updates are posted on this website. Map Credits: Some maps are based on 1:50,000 (2cm = 1 km) National Topographi- cal Series (NTS) maps, printed in grey and blue, with overlays for trails and other features. These maps have been repro duced with the permission of Natural Resources Canada 2008, courtesy of the Centre for Topo graphic Information: 92 F/5 Bedwell River, 92 F/6 Great Central Lake, 92 F/7 Horne Lake , 92 F/11 Forbidden Plateau, 92 F/12 Buttle Lake, 92 F/13 Upper Campbell Lake. Clover Point Cartographics: base maps for M21L, M21K, M27D. Strategic Forest Management supplied base map for M31D. Comox Strathcona R.D. supplied map for M17.