Category Archives: Quadra Island

Hiking – Newton Lake-Small Inlet-Waiatt Bay – 23 July 2025

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Activity Hiking / swiming
Destination Newton Lake, Small Inlet and Waiatt Bay
Date 23 July 2025, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Vic Gladish
Contact Info vicgladish@gmail.com; 250-287-0459
Description We will hike up to Newton Lake, down to Small Inlet, take the portage trail to Waiatt Bay and then back to the Newton Lake. Distance about 15 kilometres – will take approximately 6-7 hours (including lunch and short swim stops at Newton Lake)
If there is sufficient interest, there will be a shorter option, for those who want to go to Small Inlet, but not continue on to Waiatt Bay.
Meeting Place Quadra Community Centre
Departure Time 9:00
Difficulty
 A rocky, rutty initial kilometer, and a steep section at Small Inlet, plus overall distance makes this a moderate – not easy – hike.
Costs Share fuel costs
Trip limits 10
Dogs? No
Notes: Bring plenty of water, lunch and snacks, and swimming stuff if you want to swim.
The trip is best on a good summer’s day so will be postponed if the forecast is for rain.

Trip Report – Mt. Seymour – 19 June 2025

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We had moved this hike from Wednesday to Thursday due to the heavy rainfall forecast, which didn’t come until afternoon, but it really poured so we were glad that we had.

Five hikers left at 9:30 in the morning from the Granite Bay Road to hike to Mount Seymour. The large ferns on the start of the trail were very wet from the rainfall the night before, but the trail was in good shape. It was a cool pleasant morning with clouds and sunshine that made the moss very photogenic. We briefly stopped to admire the Nugedzi Lakes and could see huge thunder heads to the west toward Gold River. We continued our ascent and stopped on top by the large rock cairn to enjoy lunch and the views. There was a small breeze, but the sunshine had warmed up the rocks, so it was a very pleasant time on top of the highest point on Quadra Island. After this, we went to the viewpoint looking out over Browns Bay and then to the second peak with the view to the north.

We then descended down, following the same path, to the fork that goes to Nugedzi Lake. Because it looked like the thunder heads were coming toward us we decided not to carry on to the Nugedzi view point and we went back down the same route to the vehicles.
8 km, 4 1/2 hours and 500 m total ascent to 612 m elevation.

Les

Thanks to Les and Norris for the photos.

(click on photos to enlarge)    

 

Hiking – Mt. Seymour – 19 June 2025

Hiking – Heron Point and Mt. Sweat – 3 July 2025

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Activity Hiking
Destination Heron Pt and Mt. Sweat loop
Date 3 July, Thursday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info dmquigg@gmail.com or 3710  Please contact the coordinator by Tuesday night.
Description This is a fairly short hike starting on Kolker Main. We will briefly follow a logging road, a short connector and a mossy bluff to Heron Point for great views of Hyacinthe Bay and the Chinese Mtn area.  From there we will take a cairned route through undulating forest trails and rocky bluffs to Mt. Sweat. We descend to Kolker Main through open, forested slope and return to the vehicles on Kolker Main.  This is a view hike and will not be done in poor weather.  About 4 km; 2½ hours.
Meeting Place Community Centre parking lot.  We will drive out in a group.
Departure Time 10:00 or earlier if it’s hot
Difficulty
 Mostly easy, except some steep places on Mt. Sweat.
Costs None
Trip limits 10
Dogs? No, some of this will be on private property.
Notes: Some of this trip is on private property and we thank Heather Kellerhals for allowing our visit to Chauntaluf Farm.  Bring gear appropriate for the weather and trail conditions, as well as lunch.

Hiking – Plumper Bay – 25 June 2025

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Activity Hiking
Destination Plumper Bay
Date 25 June 2025, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Valerie van Veen
Contact Info vvv@qisland.ca, 250 285 2329
Description This will be a moderately paced, fairly short hike along a gentle trail to Plumper Bay. We will stop for snacks, lunch then return along the same trail.
Meeting Place Morte Lake parking lot to carpool to the trailhead
Departure Time 9:30
Difficulty Easy to moderate
Costs none
Trip limits 10
Dogs? Under control, must not run through group.
Notes: NOTE MEETING PLACE…Morte Lake parking lot to carpool as needed. NOTE 9:30 am start time in case of summer heat. MUST contact coordinator by Monday evening to confirm participation. Bring snacks, lunch, dress for weather. Light rain ok, cancelled if heavy rain or above 30c. Only registered hikers will be notified.

Trip Report – Granite Bay Community Trails – 4 June 2025

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The Granite Bay locals have built a nice trail system east of Luoma Lake.  This came to light because of the recent and planned logging in the Two Mile Lake and adjacent areas.  So we had to go see it.

Seven of us drove to near the end of Saxon Main to the “Granniies at Work” sign.  From there we went around the Back Bog clockwise, over a beaver dam, then to a beautiful bench overlooking the Back Bog.  We then backtracked and went through the forest on the Two Mile Lake trail.  There are some amazing, big burnt (but live) trees there, presumably from the fire 100 years ago..  After an idyllic lunch at the Two Mile Lake, we continued on the trail along the south shore to another beautiful bench and finally up to a new logging road, which we followed back to the vehicles.   (4.2 km and 2½ hours)

Norris

Click on photos to enlarge
 

Hiking – Granite Bay Community Trails – 4 June 2025

Hiking – Mt. Seymour – 19 June 2025

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Change of date and route.

Activity Hiking
Destination Mt. Seymour
Date 19 June 2025, Thursday
Trip Coordinator Les Hand
Contact Info lhquadra@gmail.com or 285-2029
Description We will be doing this hike from the Mt. Seymour trailhead, but we will continue on to the Nugedzi Lakes and western viewpoint.
Meeting Place Community Centre parking lot
Departure Time 9:00
Difficulty
 Moderately difficult with some steep rocky areas, some elevation gain and quite long
Costs None
Trip limits 10
Dogs? No
Notes:

Hiking – Granite Bay Community Trails – 4 June 2025

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Activity Hiking
Destination Granite Bay Community Trails
Date 4 June, Wed
Trip Coordinator Norris Weimer
Contact Info norris.weimer@ualberta.ca or 3710
Description We will explore some lovely and quite easy trails which lead to wetlands, some mature forest and a lake.  This is also the controversial area which Mosaic might log and which the Granite Bay community and others are trying to protect.  We will follow the locally-maintained trails around the Back Bog and out to Two Mile Lake.  In order to hike this as a loop we will walk on a new logging road for about 2 km.  It is quite a long drive to the trailhead on unpaved and logging roads.
Meeting Place Community Centre parking lot for carpooling
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 Mostly easy, with a few hills
Costs none
Trip limits 10
Notes Bring a lunch or snack and dress for the weather.

Trip Report – Gowlland Harbour – 14 May 2025

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What could go wrong?  Well, first there were 13 people who registered to come on this trip, but only four were able to come and three of them live on Gowlland Harbour.  The day was beautifully clear and a perfect temperature.  We paddled over to Gowlland Harbour Resort, who very generously allowed us to launch from their property.  There was a slight breeze from the northwest, which was just a bit of extra work.  By the time the last person was in the water, however, it seemed as if the wind was sufficient to reconsider the planned route and so instead of paddling over to Gowlland Island, we went upwind into North Gowlland.  We got out on a beach there for a short break, even though we had not paddled for very long.  In the 15 minutes or so that we were there, the wind increased noticeably so the there were small white caps.  So we once again changed our plan to explore the upper reaches of North Gowlland Harbour and instead crossed over to Vigilant Islet.  The bay behind the island was very sheltered and the tide was rapidly ebbing so there was lots of foreshore.  A few people rambled around the Island, admiring the flowers and the views before returning to the kayaks.  We had a brisk paddle back over to the north shore of Quadra Island, but were then somewhat sheltered.  We poked into the inlet east of Gowlland Harbour Resort before heading back to the launching beach.  We had lunch on the rocks there, enjoying the sunshine, and the view.  In our fairly short paddle we saw a mink, river otter, lots of Harbour Seals, a few porpoise or dolphin (which may have been Pacific White-sided Dolphin), deer, Bald Eagles, Canada Geese, Turkey Vultures, and Great Blue Heron.  It was a lovely day, but not the day we expected.    (From east Gowlland Harbour 7.4 km; 4 hours with lunch and two stops)

Debbie

(click on photos to enlarge)

Kayaking – Gowlland Harbour – 14 May 2025

Trip Report – Blindman’s Bluff and Eagle Ridge – 30 Apr 2025

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On a gorgeous sunny spring day, five hikers set out from the Copperhead Road parking area to hike around Blindman’s Bluff. There were only a few fallen trees on the trail, so it was in fair shape. There had been no other hikers on the trail since last fall, so it was easy to lose the path because of the new grass growth and trees across it. We had to rely on an old GPS track in a couple of places as we went around the Bluff counterclockwise. We stopped at a couple of open bluff areas to admire the mountains on Vancouver Island. Victoria Peak was especially prominent. As we came across the south side above Gowlland Harbour log sort we decided to go south down the rocky open area and explore a bit. This is a beautiful mossy area and we found many deer bones as well as a full skull where possibly a cougar had feasted. We then returned back to the main trail, continued on around Blindman Bluff Trail, and headed for Eagle Ridge.
We stopped by the large beaver pond to have lunch, admire the lily pads that were starting to grow and vegetation around the lake. We then preceded up the ridge to the highpoint, looking over Seymour Narrows toward Menzies Bay. This is also a great viewpoint with a large swampy area below you, then the ocean and looking again to the mountains in Strathcona Park. There were two tugs moving a log boom from Menzies Bay around Race Point. You could see the current moving the center of the boom out as they tried to get it going straight again, and finally did. After a short rest we headed back to the vehicles to call it a day.  (6.8 km and about four hours)

Les

Thanks to Carrie and Les for the photos.

Click on photos to enlarge
 

Hiking – Blindman’s Bluff and Eagle Ridge – 30 Apr 2025

Paddling/Hiking/Camping – Main Lakes Provincial Park – 10-12 June 2025

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Cancelled due to wind forecast.

Activity Multi-day paddling/hiking/camping
Destination Main Lake Provincial Park
Date 10-12 June, Tuesday to Thursday
Trip Coordinator Vic Gladish
Contact Info vicgladish@gmail.com; 250-287-0459
Description We will set up camp at Main Lake and spend three days exploring by hiking and paddling. Destinations can vary with the group’s interests. Possibilities include a paddle into Little Main, Paddle to Village Bay Lake, hike to Yeatman Bay and/or Surge Narrows.
Meeting Place Mine Lake boat launch
Departure Time On the water by 10:30
Difficulty
 Easy; moderate if paddling in windy conditions
Costs $5/night/person
Trip limits 8
Dogs? No
Notes: This multi-day trip is relatively easy on these small lakes but requires good paddling skills, Coast Guard required safety gear and your own camping gear. Bring footwear suitable for hiking (easy). Each participant is responsible for their own camping gear and meals. Tent and/or meal sharing can be arranged if you buddy up with someone.
Carpooling will make parking easier.
Please sign up no later than FRIDAY, JUNE 6th. A final weather decision will be made by 8:00 PM, Sunday, June 8th.
Ask coordinator about joining for just 1 or 2 days if you have a schedule conflict.
Visit the BC Parks Camping website after May 28th to register and pay for camping. https//:camping.bcparks.ca under “Backcountry” ;l “Backcountry Registration” ; “Main Lake”