On a bright and very cold morning, five of us hiked some of the trails on the east side of the Quinsam River.  We entered this complex trail system at Boneyard Bypass and rambled through the forest and ravines until we came out on a high bluff with great views of the Vancouver Island mountains and some warm sunshine.  Returning to the forest, we encountered a bit of snow before descending to the river bank.  This is a beautiful salmon river with a high bank to the west.

Our lunch stop was at the bench overlooking a bend in the river.  The bench is amazingly comfortable and perfectly situated to catch the mid-day sun.  Unfortunately the river is undercutting the bank beneath the bench and more bank was falling into the river during our brief stay.  We continued south and climbed back up to the high land, wandered along many trails with interesting names like Wind-Up, Slammin’ Salmon, Squirrel Run, Eagle Rest and Jade Dragon.  This route covered a variety of forest, open bluff and ravine edge for some dramatic terrain.  Completing a loop, we returned back along the same path.  On this beautiful day, there was something new on this trip for everyone, and for many it was the first visit.  (10.2 km; 3½ hours)

(click on photos to enlarge)

Hiking – Quinsam River Trails – 23 Feb 2022