Trip Report – Rebecca Spit – Heriot Bay Walk – 11 Mar 2026

Posted on March 13, 2026 by qioutdoorclub

Three hikers, and one honorary member, were able to participate in a last-minute posting for a
ramble around Heriot Bay. Braving very inclement weather, we set off at 10:10 am from the Boat Ramp parking lot to walk out to the end of Rebecca Spit, with the intention of making a go/no-go decision when we got back to our vehicles. The immediate hailstorm and blustery winds were not auspicious for a longer outing. However, by the time we got back to our cars, the skies had lightened, the wind dropped, and a light rain was falling so we decided to continue with the trip plan. We walked through the campground, turned south onto Heriot Bay Road then soon crossed over to the trails in IR 9. We followed a northerly route to eventually come out onto Hooley Road, then Buker to Heriot Bay Road. At this junction, Georgia, with her low slung carriage and bare feet, was quite cold and wet so she took her human back to Rebecca Spit to their warm, and dry, truck, meeting up with the rest of the group at Java Bay Café in Heriot Bay.

The remaining hikers walked along the water-side of Heriot Bay Road up to Pilot, up Pilot onto
Schooner, Schooner to West Road to the mall and Java Bay Café for very welcome
refreshments, and were soon joined by our third hiker. Having endured continual bouts of heavy rain and hail throughout the ramble, we gratefully accepted the offer of a drive back to our vehicle at Rebecca Spit. 3 hours including Café stop. 8 km walking; 2.5 driving

This Ramble is a great winter hike when wilderness trails are too wet/icy/snowy . The Café
break is a very welcome bonus. The route allows for several go/no go decision points, and
having one car parked at the Café is suggested in really bad weather.

Valerie van Veen

Thanks to Valerie for the photos

Click on photos to enlarge

: Harlequin Ducks

: Trail to Hooley Rd

: Cute sign, but closed

: Little people on Schooner Rd

Hiking – Rebecca Spit – Heriot Bay Ramble – 11 Mar 2026

Multi-day Hiking – Cowichan Valley – 19-23 April 2026

Posted on March 6, 2026 by qioutdoorclub

Activity	Multi-day hiking and camping
Destination	Cowichan Valley
Date	19-23 April 2026, Sunday to Thursday;
Trip Coordinator	Debbie Quigg
Contact Info	dmquigg@gmail.com, land 3710, cell 250-850-9848
Description	We will most likely stay at Gordon Bay Provincial Park on Cowichan Lake. It is still first-come-first-served. There are many amazing destinations in Cowichan Valley and here are a few we will consider: Kinsol Trestle, Mt. Tzouhalem, Maple Mtn coastal Trail, Stoney Hill trail loop, Bald Mtn Park, Old Baldy Mtn, Cobble Hill, Koksilah Ancient Forest.
Meeting Place	Gordon Bay Provincial Park (probably)
Arrival Time	TBD
Difficulty	Moderate, variable
Cost	Ferries, fuel, camping
Trip limits	10
Dogs?	No
Notes:	Please let the coordinator know if you are interested in this trip. More information is available about camping and specific activities on request.

Trip Report – Plumper Bay and Point – 4 Mar 2026

Posted on March 6, 2026 by qioutdoorclub

It was a lovely, mild day for our hike out to Plumper Point. Starting at the trailhead to Maud Island, it was interesting to see the magnitude of the recently trail work, cutting down danger trees near the trail. Some of that clearing continued after the left turn on the Maud Island trail. At the creek we cut off on a very old logging road which has been flagged and somewhat cleared. We descended to the beach on Plumper Bay where the camping shelter has been set up. Some of the construction is quite good. There was ample beach for us to walk along the shore out toward the point. It was the day after a full moon, so the tides were big and the currents active. We were surprised that there was a three hour difference in the low tide between Campbell River and Brown’s Bay.

The climb up from the beach back to the old, flagged logging road was quite steep. It was only a very short distance from there to the beautiful, mossy bluff with the great views of Plumper Bay and north in Discovery Passage. We stopped for lunch and then made our way out to the bluffs on the Discovery Passage side with views toward the west and south. We returned through the forest with lots deadfall at first, then a better forest. We picked up the flagged road again and made our way back. (8 km; 182m; 4 hours)

Norris

(click on photos to enlarge)

: Plumper Bay

: North from the bluffs

: North in Discovery Passage

: Toward Brown’s Bay

: South in Discovery Passage

: Turkeytail fungus

Hiking – Plumper Bay and Point – 4 Mar 2026

Hiking – Blenkin Park – 16 March 2026

Posted on March 1, 2026 by qioutdoorclub

Activity	Hiking
Destination	Blenkin Park
Date	16 Mar 2026, Monday
Trip Coordinator	Les Hand
Contact Info	lhquadra@gmail.com or 285-2029
Description	We will weave our way around all of the trails and then back to the parking lot. The back trail can be wet, so be sure and bring appropriate footwear. This is an easy hike so we can do it in poor weather if necessary.
Meeting Place	Community Centre parking lot
Departure Time	10:00
Difficulty	Easy
Costs	None
Trip limits	10
Dogs?	Okay, but must be under control.
Notes:	As it is only about two hours, if enough people want to, we will go to Aroma for tea and coffee afterwards.

Trip Report – Mt. Menzies Lookout – 23 Feb 2026

Posted on February 26, 2026 by qioutdoorclub

This snowshoe trip was rescheduled from the original date due to no snow in the mountains. It looked bad for the new date too, but then we had a huge snowstorm. We weren’t sure if chains were required on the Mt. Washington road or if their snowshoe trails would be broken for us, so we opted for Mt. Menzies first lookout instead. It was a good decision. Mt. Washington was a zoo, with the resort trying to deal with snow removal and grooming. There was a lack of parking space for the demand. On Menzies, we had fresh snow, no crowds and a beautiful spring day. We made it to the first lookout, enjoyed the view, then decided to do just a bit more before heading back down. 6.4 km, 340m, 3.75 hours.

Norris

(click on photos to enlarge)

Snow – Mt. Washington – 23 Feb 2026

Posted on February 20, 2026 by qioutdoorclub

Activity	Snowshoeing
Destination	Mt. Washington
Date	23 Feb, Monday
Trip Coordinator	Norris Weimer
Contact Info	norris.weimer@ualberta.ca or 3710
Description	We will follow some of the Mt. Washington snowshoe trails leaving from Raven Lodge. On Friday there are only two snowshoe trails open, but the area is expected to receive significant snowfall over the weekend, increasing the snow base and reducing wet areas. This may mean the trails are not packed down. We will adapt to conditions.
Meeting Place	Quathiaski Cove Ferry terminal
Departure Time	8:30 ferry
Difficulty	Moderate
Costs	Ferry, fuel and day pass (full, weekday, snowshoe pass is $14)
Trip limits	10
Dogs?	No
Notes:	Bring lunch, well-functioning snowshoes, and gear appropriate for the weather.

Hiking – Plumper Bay and Point – 4 March 2026

Posted on February 16, 2026 by qioutdoorclub

Activity	Hiking
Destination	Plumper Bay and Point
Date	4 March, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator	Norris Weimer
Contact Info	norris.weimer@ualberta.ca or 3710. Please contact the coordinator in advance by phone or email.
Description	We will start out on the trail to Maud Island, but turn off onto an old logging road to Plumper Point. However, we divert from that in order to walk the beach at a low tide. When the beach runs out we will go up on mossy bluffs and continue to the Point. We will return through the forest on the old logging road. About 6.5 km, 3 to 4 hours.
Meeting Place	Community Centre parking lot; we will convoy in our cars from there.
Departure Time	10:00
Difficulty	Moderate, but varied: easy trail, beach walking, routes on old, unmaintained logging roads, a few steepish ascents on bluffs
Costs	none
Trip limits	10
Dogs?
Notes:	Bring lunch and gear for the weather.

Trip Report – Heriot Ridge Bluffs Loop – 10 Feb 2026

Posted on February 12, 2026 by qioutdoorclub

Four of us had a leisurely ramble on the south Heriot Ridge bluffs on a gentle, partly sunny winter day. We started at the Hopespring trailhead and climbed to the two principal Heriot Ridge viewpoints, one facing east and one facing west. We turned off the main trail and made our way to the communication tower, through some salal, wet places and undulating rock. We used the handy platform as a place to stop for lunch. We descended the sometimes steep, mossy bluffs until we reached the forest and the trail to the High Bluff. After enjoying that view and returning to the trail, we found that the trail down to the North Gowlland trail was so wet that it was not appealing, so we climbed back up to the south-facing, open, mossy bluffs for more views. In places there are paths, but often the route was quite steep up and down. We rambled west back to the Hopespring trail and returned to the vehicles. (4.1 km, 3.5 hours)

Debbie

Click to enlarge the photos

Hiking – Heriot Ridge Bluffs Loop – 10 Feb 2026

Multi-day Hiking – Beaches and Waterfalls – 24-26 March 2026

Posted on February 9, 2026 by qioutdoorclub

Activity	Multi-day hiking, camping
Destination	Qualicum Area
Date	24-26 March 2026, Tuesday to Thursday
Trip Coordinator	Debbie Quigg
Contact Info	dmquigg@gmail.com, land 3710, cell 250-850-9848
Description	This is partially an experiment in early season camping, hence the short stay and accessible destination. Not all of the participants need to camp, however. Final decisions about activities will be made closer to the time of travel. Activities will include park beach and trail walking, observing wildlife during the herring season, trips to Englishman River Falls, Little Qualicum River and Rosewell Creek Falls. These are not very challenging objectives, but more could be available in the greater Nanaimo area. if the group were interested.
Meeting Place	Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park
Arrival Time	TBD
Difficulty	Easy
Cost	Ferries, fuel, camping
Trip limits	10
Dogs?
Notes:	Please let the coordinator know if you are interested in this trip. More information is available about camping and specific activities on request.

	Trip Report –… on Ramble – Rebecca Spit…
	Trip Report –… on Hiking – Plumper Bay and…
	Trip Report –… on Snow – Mt. Washington…
	Trip Report –… on Hiking – Heriot Ridge Bl…
	Trip Report –… on Hiking – Nighthawk Lake…

Quadra Island Outdoor Club

hiking, paddling, and other outdoor activities on or near Quadra