Category Archives: trip photos

Trip Report – Open Bay and Crikey Creeks – 26 Aug 2026

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Five of us took these two short hikes on a beautiful, mild day. It had been a few years since the Club had done this trip. We changed it around a bit from the original trip description and liked the improvements. We started walking a short way down the Open Bay Main logging road and then turned uphill on the Crikey Crekk mountain bike trail. This trail is now very well established and used. The forest is mature with a largely open understory. The moss was still amazingly green for the end of a dry August. Once at the top of the trail, we followed a short logging spur and descended on 7th Heaven, not joing up with the old Rio trail. The recent logging has altered the trails and usage in this area. This trail is not as well constructed or used as Crikey Creek trail.

We returned back to the Bold Point Road and crossed to the trail which follows the Open Bay Creek downstream. This is a lovely, meandering trail with great views of the Creek, often from quite high bluffs. The forest and the trail were a pleasure. We stopped for lunch at the junction of Open Bay Creek and the stream from Beaver Lake, which was essentially dry. However, Open Bay Creek had good water flow providing a very relaxing sound and atmosphere. This beautiful stream sustains salmon spawning in the fall, when chum and coho migrate up from Open Bay.

We decided not to return by the logging road which parallels the trail, but instead we hiked a short way up the trail along the stream from Beaver Lake. The waterfalls were non-existant.  We turned north onto a very old logging road with a trail enclosed by small trees, which emerges onto a logging road grown over with grass. We followed this open and sunny route back to the vehicles. This was a perfect, easy hike for a late summer day. (7.3km, 3 hours, 335m elevation gain)

Debbie

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Hiking – Open Bay and Crikey Creeks – 26 August 2026

Trip Report – Impromptu Paddle to Shellaligan Pass – 21 Aug 2026

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This impromptu paddle attracted four paddlers on a day’s notice and we enjoyed a great outing on a perfect summer day.

We managed to launch across a not too big tidal flat from Len Road and were on the water at about 10:00. We crossed the mouth of Hyacinthe Bay, and stayed close to the shoreline as we rounded Hyacinthe Pt. and on to Open Bay. On calm seas we crossed Open Bay and wove our way through the rocks near the Valdez shore access. The rock formations in this area are always fascinating to see close up. We continued on into Moulds Bay and a rest stop at a gravelly beach below a rustic cabin. This became our lunch stop and we found a bit of shade to relax in.

From Moulds Bay, three of us continued on into Shellaligan Pass to get a good view up Hoskyn Channel, and made our turn at the last rock before Village Bay while one paddler headed back to Hyacinthe Point to try his luck fishing. We headed south towards the main Breton Island and around a rocky island to point ourselves back towards the takeout. We picked up Tak, the fisher, who had caught a couple, and headed to our destination and an easy takeout. (12.8 km, 4.25 hours)

Vic


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Trip Report – Heriot & Hyacinthe Bays – 6 Aug 2026

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Four veteran paddlers put in at Esplanade Park in Heriot Bay on a beautiful summer evening. The tide change was minimal, the seas calm and the temperature ideal, so we had an easy put in (and take out 2 hours later) and a very relaxed paddle along the shoreline. We stayed in the shade and therefore closely followed the shoreline, scooting between boulders, and musing about the homes and cabins close on our port side. A partially exposed shipwreck near Heriot Island caught our interest for a few minutes, and then we passed the Len Rd area and headed for a beach on the east shore of Hyacinthe Bay in the small Regional District conservation area, for a stretch after our first hour of paddling.

Back on the water, we headed for the east shore of Heriot Island and then picked our way through the many moored boats, rafts and relics of Heriot Bay. With the sun settling below the trees, we made the take out at about 8:00 pm after a two hour outing. It was time to hit the HBI for a pint and conversation, which two of us did.

About 5.5 km; 2 hrs

Vic

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Kayaking – Heriot & Hyacinthe Bays – 6 Aug 2026

Trip Report – Morte Lake Classic Loop – 16 July 2026

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Seven of us got an early start to get ahead of the heat that was forecast. We hiked into the Lake on the classic old logging road, meeting a few other people on the trail and at the east end sandy beaches. We continued up the switch-backed trail to the bluffs and paused to enjoy the view and indentify the mountains. We made our way back down to the lake and stopped at the picnic table for an early lunch and for those that wanted to swim. The water level was low and the water was relatively warm. We carried on along the fast trail on the west shore, stopping at the old logging access point with the canoe and stopping again at the white sand beach at the south end of the lake. There was no one on any of these beaches, which was surprising given the heat. We continued on the classic loop, rejoining the old logging road and then chosing to take Lower Deadfish for the return to the parking lot. By the end of our hike it was fairly overcast, warm and humid. This was a lovely, relaxed walk with great natural highlights and opportunities for socializing. (10.3 km, 4½ hours total, 290m elevation gain)

Debbie

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Hiking – Morte Lake Classic Loop – 16July2026

Trip Report – Nugedzi Lakes – 9 July 2026

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Well, the day didn’t go as planned as the weather was uncooperative. Five hikers met up, but we were trying to second-guess the rain that had already started. Two decided not to go, but the other three had hopes that the rain would only be temporary. As it turned out, it rained during the whole trip sometimes heavy, sometimes light. On the bright side, it was quite mild and even though we got very wet, we stayed warm due to the long uphill climb to Nugedzi Lake. The rain did add a whole different feel to the trip as your view was confined to a much shorter distance, and you were very aware of your close surroundings. The moss and vegetation seemed considerably greener. As we neared the lake the temperature dropped a bit, and the fog settled in. This changed the whole feeling of your surroundings again and was actually quite eerie but beautiful as you can see in the pictures that were taken.

At this point, we decided not to go out to the viewpoint as you wouldn’t have been able to see anything anyway. Instead, we headed back down the trail toward the Cedar Grove Canyon. There we took a connector trail back to the trail going up to Mt. Seymour, which is quite steep in some areas. This is a newer flagged trail that goes through some magnificent large trees and open mossy landscape. Back on the Seymour Trail, it was downhill all the way to the vehicles. (7 km, 320m ascent and 3 hours)

Les

Thanks to Les and Norris for the photos

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Hiking – Nugedzi Lakes and Views – 9 July 2026

Trip Report – Gowlland Harbour – 2 July 2026

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Ten adventures souls had signed up for a paddle that had to be cancelled because of torrential rains. Quadra needed the water though so we could hardly complain. Instead, we followed through with the social at my house, only later in the afternoon and nine people were able to change their schedules to accommodate. I provided hotdogs and potato salad and everyone else brought a variety of appetizers, fruit, and desserts. It was a great time of reminiscing about old hikes and paddles, as well as planning for some new ones in the future. Sorry, no pictures were taken.

Les

Kayaking – Gowlland Harbour – 2 July 2026

Trip Report – Noel’s Knoll to Little Morte Lake – 24 June 2026

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Five of us did this particular hike as a first for the Outdoor Club. After a car shuffle, we started hiking from the Nugedzi parking lot, up the old road and across the bridge. We continued on the old logging road heading south, which has recently been cleared of deadfall and brush. Not long into our hike we noticed a wasp’s nest which had fallen into the path and had fallen apart. Although we saw that there were some wasps flying about, we were not careful enough crossing by the nest and unfortunately three of us were stung, one person multiple times. After a bit of first aid, we carried on up the old road and then on a very improved trail through the forest and across the re-located bridge. From there we followed a flagged route and slight path over to the Noel’s Knoll viewpoint. After enjoying a short break, with view, breeze and snack, we returned on this short out-and-back section to rejoin the new trail which descends steeply to the Morte Lake trail.

The new trail is quite a long descent, with some good views from bluffs along the way. Most of the route is fairly easy to follow with visible path, flagging and cairns. There was one place where we followed some flags the lead into the bush rather than a path, but we were soon back on track and down to the main Morte Lake trail. We followed the lovely Deadfish route back to the Morte Lake parking lot. Thanks to all the volunteers who made this new trail possible.

7.5km, 4½ hours, about 350m ascent and 490m descent.

Debbie
 

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Thanks to Carrie and Les for the photos

Hiking – Noel’s Knoll to Little Morte Lake – 24 June 2026

Trip Report – Mt. Lolo – 10 June 2026

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We had a lovely spring day for this rarely visited peak. We shortened the hike a bit by parking in the clear-cut and making our way quickly to the Maud Island trail. This trail is in very good condition. After the small creek we turned off onto an even older logging road, which has also had some trail work done on it. However, we soon turned uphill through the open forest and followed a gradual ascent to views over Discovery Passage. We followed the ridge south to the end, where we had lunch on the mossy rocks with views to the south. We ignored the good historical tracks we had for the descent, and chose a route descending through the cliffy bluffs which required some careful route finding and negotiating deadfall and steep rocks. We came out to the Maud Lake trail a bit south of our starting point and returned to the vehicles. We really enjoyed revisiting this area. (About 5.3km, 4 hours, 270m elevation gain)

Norris
 
Thanks to Norris and Les for the photos.
 

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Hiking – Mt. Lolo – 10 June 2026

Trip Report – Canyon View and Elk Falls – 3 June 2026

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A good turnout of eight hikers and two dogs took advantage of the slightly cooler and overcast day to hike the Canyon View and Elk Falls Trail. For the previous two days we have had temperatures in the mid to high twenties, so the milder weather was a blessing for the 11 km hike. We caught the 9:00 am ferry from Quadra Island and returned on the 2:30 pm boat.
We parked on the North side of the Duncan Bay Main bridge (over the Campbell River) where we started our hike. The well maintained trail follows the river to the old power station outfall, where the grade changes to a steep uphill climb with lots of stairs. Once at the top, the trail levels off until you reach the entrance to the falls where now you go down stairs to a viewing platform and the suspension bridge. We viewed the falls from the bridge and hiked back up to the old parking lot for a different view of the falls. At the parking lot there are pit toilets and picnic tables.
On the way back we took a side trail downriver from the falls to a mossy bluff overlooking the river. From here we had a view of the suspension bridge and the falls. After a lunch break we continued back on the trail to the old outfall where we crossed over to the highway side of the river. Here there is a path following the river back to the bridge where we parked our vehicles. Total distance 11 km in 4 hours.

Allan

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Hiking – Canyon View and Elk Falls – 3 June 2026

Trip Report – Mine & Main Lakes – 21 May 2026

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Seven paddlers met at Mine Lake boat launch for a paddle and a small hike on a beautiful spring day. There was supposed to be light winds, but the wind dropped off so we had flat water after coming onto Main Lake. On such a beautiful day, we were surprised to only see one single camper at one site and a small group at the far end. We landed there and then walked over to Yeatman Bay. We hiked the trail in the woods out toward the small island and the tide was low enough that we could cross over to it. Here we had a nice relaxed stop to enjoy the sun and sights.
After we hiked back to the kayaks and had lunch here before launching back onto Main Lake. At the head of the bay, we ran into some stronger winds with light chop. This continued until we reached the channel and then became lighter as we returned down Mine Lake to our vehicles.
About 4½ hours for a 5½ km paddle and a 2½ km hike

Les

Thanks to Les and Louise for the photos

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Kayaking – Mine and Main Lakes – 21 May 2026