| Activity |
Multi-day hiking and camping |
| Destination |
Gold River area |
| Date |
15-17 July 2024, Monday to Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator |
Debbie Quigg |
| Contact Info |
dmquigg@gmail.com or 3710; please contact the coordinator well in advance of the trip |
| Description |
We plan to visit the Uphana Caves, hike the Antler Lake Loop, and possibly other local trails. Activities may depend on the group. We may camp at the Gold River Municipal campground or at Muchalat Lake Rec Site |
| Meeting Place |
QCove ferry terminal |
| Departure Time |
9:00 ferry to Campbell River or by individual arrangement |
| Difficulty |
Easy to moderate. |
| Cost |
Ferry, fuel and camping costs. |
| Trip limits |
10 |
| Dogs? |
No |
| Notes: |
I have not personally visited the caves, so this will be an exploration. Please read the “comment” below for more information about the plans. |
Quadra Island Outdoor Club 
Here is some more information about the camping trip to Gold River. Honestly, I don’t know much about Gold River, but I hope that this is accurate.
The expectation is that this will be a relaxed and unambitious camping trip. There are two main campgrounds: Muchalat Lake Rec Site and Gold River Municipal Campground.
Muchalat Lake has 40 sites and I’m told that sites can be booked in advance, but I have no information about how you would do that. The cost is $18 or $9 for BC seniors – cash only. The site is a on a big lake that would provide an opportunity for boating if we wanted, but is also often windy. There is an on-site host. It is 13 km out of Gold River. The main disadvantage is that the drive is on a fairly bumpy gravel road and it feels quite long.
The Gold River Municipal Campground is 3.5 km out of town on pavement and has 20 or less sites. Some of the sites along the river are quite nice. The cost is $18 cash, collected in the evening. The outhouses seemed clean enough, but not new. I’m not sure how much clean-up there is between camp reservations, possibly none. This site is more convenient, but it’s not clear-cut which is better.
It seems there is now a grocery store and there is definitely liquor available in Gold River. There is a restaurant, open on Tuesday and Wednesday, called Sea to Field Bistro with a small, but diverse menu and good reviews.
Here are the tentative, proposed activities:
Monday: Drive into Strathcona Provincial Park and up to the Westmin Mine. Hike to Upper Myra Falls (7.1km, 120m elevation gain) through a mature florest. For more information, here is a link: https://www.outdoorvancouver.ca/upper-myra-falls-hike/ If there is time and interest we can also walk out to Lower Myra Falls.
Set up camp
Tuesday: Explore the Upana Caves. The drive is about half an hour out of Gold River, mostly on gravel surface. We can stop briefly at Cala Creek Falls on the way. Here is a link about the caves: https://www.travel-british-columbia.com/blog/explore-upana-caves-near-gold-river-vancouver-island-british-columbia/ There are five caves, all a bit different. Even if you don’t like caves, the walk to the cave entrances is short, but interesting. Probably no one is going to go into all the caves. One in particular involves slithering on your stomach in the mud. Bring good headlights/ flashlights, possibly a helmet, overalls if you don’t want any mud on your clothes, good shoes, an extra layer.
Visit the Scout-Antler Recreation area. Walk around Antler Lake through a mature forest. This is a short hike (less than 1½ hours. There are adjoining trails in the area if we want more.
There are a few short walks in the town which we can do as time permits or on Wednesday. There is the Heber River Gorge and the Peppercorn Trail along the Gold River. Both are very easy and short.
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