Treasure Hunting in the Bush

The Powell River backcountry is dotted with treasures from times gone by. Go hiking, biking, or quadding and you'll discover old logging equipment, homesteads, plank roads, train trestles, cabins, and much more. Over the years, our friend John has led us to some exciting places where history lives on, like a natural museum.

Powell Lake's slopes have been logged since the late 1800s. The first stop on this tour is Chippewa Bay in the northwest corner of the lower lake. Here there's a logging dock and barge ramp. Nearby, Museum Main heads uphill to two abandoned Steam Donkeys.

Steam Donkey #1 is close to the main. It may be rusted, but it's still standing and surrounded by bits and pieces of logging history.

Steam Donkey #1 along Museum Main.

Steam Donkey #2 is farther up the main and reached by a trail through a logging slash and second growth trees. Steam donkeys were used in early days to pull trees out of the forest and down to the lake for transport. You can still see wood stacked by Donkey #2 ready to stoke the fire to produce steam power.

Steam Donkey #2 is reached by a trail. Photo credit to John.

East of the Chippewa dock is a place we call The Point. Before the dam there was a logging camp here along the shore. When the lake level is low, you can see bits of pottery and parts of an old woodstove wedged against a stump.

Oriental crockery at The Point in Chippewa Bay at low water.

While it's possible to get to the steam donkeys by boat and a long steep climb, to reach the old shovels on Heather Main an offroad motorcycle or quad is best. Heather Main links Theodosia Inlet and Chippewa Bay so you can reach the shovels from either side. I guess the cost of removal must have outweighed their value.

Bucyrus Erie shovel on Heather Main.

Water from Powell Lake is important for power generation at the paper mill. Monitoring the snow pack in the early days helped determine if there would be enough water to get through summer. The first snow cabin is along the east shore at the Head. The second is in the high country reached by logging road and trail.

Snow cabin along the shore at the head of Powell Lake.

At the Head there's an old shake block cutter's camp from the 40s or 50s. The cabin has fallen, but the outhouse made of cedar slabs still stands. The area is reached from the lakeside at low water or cross country through undergrowth from the main.

Outhouse from cedar slabs.

Probably a root cellar at the shake block cutter's camp at the Head.

Around Powell Lake there are logging docks and barge ramps that give access to the backcountry. On the west side of the lake between First Narrows and Olsen's Landing is a fairly new dock called Chip (Chippewa) North. The lower section was logged not long ago, but the upper part of the main connects to an old logging road that heads to Theodosia Inlet. Nearing Theo, old trucks have been left abandoned.

Old trucks on abandoned logging road between Powell Lake and Theodosia.

Another relic is on the south side of Goat Island near the Dunn Dock. We landed our boat on the sandy shore and walked up an old logging road a short distance. There we found this old winch from early logging days.

Winch on south side of Powell Lake.

There are lots of historic places to discover around Powell River. Each has a story to tell, and it's wonderful that people have left the artifacts in place for others to enjoy. If you want to learn more about the history of Powell River here are a few links.

Powell River Historical Museum
Powell River Forestry Museum
www.VanishingHistory.com
Willingdon Beach Trail

If you want to know more about exploring the Powell River backcountry by quad, contact the Powell River ATV Club.

Click the image to the right to enlarge for contact information. -- Margy

Maintaining Powell River Quad Trails

We have lots of logging roads in the Powell River backcountry to ride. But when they are deactivated and age, recreational users refurbish them to become quad or hiking trails. Here are a few from rides we've taken over the years.

Culvert on a spur leading to a Olsen Valley homestead foundation.

Corduroy road section on upper Powell Daniels Main.

End of the easily passable section of upper Beartooth Main.

Bridge protecting a fish bearing stream on Fred's Trail to West (Hammil) Lake.

Crossing a section of regrowth along the Lois River north of Khartoum Lake.

Log jumble on a road in an old slash above Chippewa Bay.

Washout on Jim Brown Main at the Head of Powell Lake.

If you try to find these quad trails don't be surprised if they've washed out or grown over. Mother Nature reclaims her territory at a very rapid rate. Trails like these stay open only witth ongoing trail maintenance by groups such as the Wednesday Crew of quad riders and the BOMB (Bloody Old Men's Brigade) Squad group of hikers and ATV owners. Thank you to all of the individuals and groups who maintain our backcountry trails. Through your efforts we all can explore the best that Powell River has to offer.

Want to know more about quad riding in the Powell River Region? Check out these resources.

ATV Category on this Blog
Powell River Quad Rides Blog
Powell River ATV Club Contacts
Powell River ATV Club Video
Every Trail online 
Up the Main in print or e-book
Farther Up the Main in print or e-book
Beyond the Main in print or e-book

Do you have any trails to share? Let us know. -- Margy

Ride to the Olsen Valley Homestead

Four klicks up Olsen Main from Powell Lake

There's history all over the Powell River backcountry. Sliammon First Nation people have lived here for millennia. Intrepid explorers such as Vancouver and Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra followed in the late 1700s.

Then came the traders and colonizers. Finally individuals, families and companies who were attracted to our natural resources including timber, fish, and water.

Take a left spur through a deep culvert.

The Powell River Paper Company built a pulp and paper mill at the mouth of the Powell River in the early 1900s. A town was created for mill workers, and loggers branched out into the surrounding area to supply wood for the enterprise and to sell in Vancouver to support the burgeoning building industry.

Entrepreneurial people followed forest workers into new areas to create farms to grow food for the new industries.

Olsen River 1/10th of a klick from homestead.

On a recent quad ride, Wayne and I went to the site of an elaborate homestead in Olsen Valley. This fertile area was once home to a cluster of families with elaborate houses and farms. The crops they produced were taken down to Olsen's Landing (the same spot where we offloaded our quads from the barge) and from there by boat to Powell River. The Olsen Valley community grew large enough to build their own school. Everyone thrived until 1955 when the mill diverted water from the Theodosia River into Olsen Lake to increase the flow into Powell Lake for power generation at the Powell River dam. The settlers left, and their abandoned homes were destroyed in 1972 to discourage hippies from moving back to the land.

One of many rock retaining walls.

Wayne stumbled onto the foundation of an elaborate homestead only four kilometres up from Olsen's Landing on a logging spur. It was evident he wasn't the first because the area had been cleared and arranged to make the historical site more visible. With my love of "treasures" he knew he had to take me there.

For more information about Olsen Valley, here are a few online resources you can check out.

Olsen Valley - Powell River Historical Museum
Olsen Valley Homestead - www.vanishinghistory.ca
Olsen Valley Homestead Layout Picture - www.vanishinghistory.ca
Olsen Valley by Dave Hurrie - www.vanishinghistory.ca
Olsen Valley Additional Pics of 1970s - www.vanishinghistory.ca
Olsen Valley by John - www.vanishinghistory.ca
Olsen's Landing - itsmysite.com

It's wonderful that people have left the artifacts in place so those of use who follow can imagine what life was like in this beautiful place. Here are a few of the highlights.

Items displayed on cement and rock foundation.

Piping inside of foundation.

Stairs leading down into the cellar area.

Household items on display.

Cement sidewalks around the home site.

Cement stairs leading down to a level area.

Old saw and equipment on display.

Lots of old vehicle and equipment parts.

There were so many things to see we will need to return.

You can also reach Olsen Valley via Southview Road north of Powell River. Junction onto the Theodosia Forest Service Road Branch 2, then take a quad trail that leads over to Theodosia Inlet. This last section can be challenging for the novice rider. Once you reach the inlet, take Theodosia Main to Olsen Main and continue towards Powell Lake. You will find the turn off to the Olsen Valley homestead on the right just before you reach the 4 kilometre marker from Powell Lake. -- Margy

Chip North to Theodosia Inlet

Chip North Logging Roads

Logging roads around Powell Lake offer lots of quad riding options. Thanks to Western Forest Products, many barge ramps and docks remain, and logging roads are still accessible after harvesting has been completed.

This trip was taken using our barge as transportation to get to the at Chip (Chippewa) North barge ramp as the starting point for a ride using new then old logging roads to get to the Theodosia Inlet area on the west side of the ridge.

Wayne and I usually go quad riding together, but this time I opted to stay with the barge to hike the lower roads, read, and work on my suntan.

The reason, Wayne and our good friend John were going to ride in steep locations and fresh cut areas with steep slopes make me uncomfortable.


We put our two Yamaha 450s sideways on the barge to make room for John's big Suzuki KingQuad 750. Configured that way, we had room to spare.

The easiest place on Powell Lake to load quads is at Kinsman Beach next to the Shinglemill Marina. We land or barge on the sloping shore and lower the ramps for on and off loads. Except on holidays or hot summer afternoons, it isn't busy.


John rides with his big Lab Bro. They are well known in Powell River and have been featured in almost all of Wayne's Coastal BC Stories books.. In fact, John has been just about everywhere there is to go, and then some. It's so great when he can be our guide.

John built Bro a cushioned aft box where he can sit or lie down to enjoy the ride, but if there's a bear in the vicinity, he's up and howling like an emergency vehicle siren.


Chip North is a fairly new logging area with main roads wide enough for the big off-highway logging trucks called Fat Trucks.

The barge ramp is in excellent condition.

At the time of this post, the dock is usable for a boat, but it has a sunken spot in the middle. It's safe to tie up, but you may get your feet wet on the way to shore.


One advantage of new logging roads is the sides are open, affording great views.

Here's Powell Lake from the main road that switchbacks and climbs up the steep slope towards to the distant ridge.

When the roads get older, trees and vines will grow, obscuring the views. But that makes steep roads more comfortable for me to ride.


On the upper road near a stream, Wayne and John had to clear a blowdown.

At that same stream, John knew about a connection to an older logging road that continues west towards Theodosia Inlet.

The old road follows the stream through a valley to Theodosia. With John as the guide, they were able to find the old road and continue.

Just before a slash in the Theodosia area, they came upon old logging trucks abandoned in the bush. Such finds are always exciting.

John loves to check out old equipment. He's a wealth of knowledge about what's where.

Rather than continue all the way to the inlet, they reversed course. While they rode, I relaxed and read. My only regret was not seeing the old equipment. After the slopes regrow, it'll be my turn.

At this time, Chip North is inactive. If you need information about active logging in the Powell Lake area, contact the Western Forest Products office at (604) 485-3100 or the hotline at (604) 485-3132. - Margy

Goat Main Quad Ride to Windsor Lake

Summer is a good time to ride Goat Main and stop at some of the beautiful lakes in the Powell River backcountry for a picnic or refreshing swim. The many camping options along this route make it perfect to stay and ride for multiple days.

Goat Main is a well maintained major logging road that can be reached by exiting Highway 101 south of Powell River at Dixon Road. Access is on weekends or after 6:00 pm. But always be watchful for logging trucks and other vehicles.

This location can be accessed by truck, or even a car if care is taken while driving on the dirt road.

Starting at the south end of Lois Lake, the Main follows a chain of lakes that comprise the majority of the Powell River Forest Canoe Route.

Canoe dock at Windsor portage.

We like to break up our quad rides by stopping to hike farther into the bush. And around Powell River, you don't have to go far to find some pretty spectacular places.

On a recent ride we took the side road off Goat Main that runs between Dodd and Windsor Lakes.

We left our bikes at the trailhead and walked the short canoe portage route to the head of Windsor.



It may be a little hike, but the vistas are huge.

Be sure to look both up and down. Some of the most beautiful things are right there at your feet.

After a lunch break, we headed back to Goat Main and proceeded a short distance north to the far end of Windsor Lake.

Lake access at the north end of Windsor.

On the northwest side there's another access spot with a wide gravel area, rough small boat launch, and an unofficial picnic and camping spot. But with well maintained lakeside forestry campsites available at nearby Dodd and Nanton Lakes, this spot is more for day use.

Summer isn't the only time to enjoy a ride on Goat Main. A sunny winter day, even a foggy one, brings beautiful things to see.


Want to read more about quad riding in this beautiful country? Go to PowellRiverBooks.com and take a look at Up the Main, Farther Up the Main, and Wayne's newest book Beyond the Main. All are available in print and Kindle formats from Amazon.com.  Or check with your e-book vendor for other formats. -- Margy

Riding with Friends on Goat Island

Mowat Bay launch ramp.

Wayne and I've gone on lots of quad trips using our barge this past year, but until recently we haven't taken any friends along. That's about to change.

Usually, our two quads ride front to back with room to spare. To accommodate a third quad (a large Yamaha Grizzly), we turned our two smaller Kodiaks sideways and headed south to Mowat Bay to pick up our friends Dave and Marg.

Goat Island's Dunn Dock and barge ramp.

Dave grew up in Powell River, is a past president of the Powell River ATV Club, and serves on many committees in the community for forestry and outdoor recreation.

Dave and his wife Marg ride frequently, but going to Goat Island in the middle of Powell Lake is a rarity.

Wayne and I were glad we could share it them using our barge as the mode of transportation.

Forest harvester.

The last time Wayne and I went to Goat Island, there was active logging inland from the Dunn Dock. Large equipment was parked on the road, taking the weekend off.  The forest harvester was the same model Western Forest Products demonstrated last year on the Forestry Tour.

To make sure the roads would be open for us, Dave called Western Forest Products before we left.

Logs blocked our way on old logging roads.

It's been a while since Dave was on Goat, but he knew his way around.  We headed up Spire Main, and then turned onto logging spurs that hadn't been used in years. Lots of blow downs tried to block our way.

Dave got us to the right logging road to a beautiful overlook for Spire Lake. It was a lot larger than I expected, and a great picnic spot with a fantastic view.

Spire Lake on Goat Island.

Wayne used his GPS to pinpoint the two huge old growth trees we can see on the ridge of Goat Island from our cabin. We got close, but couldn't see through the large stand of second growth to find our two. Maybe future logging will lead us closer, but for now we'll have to be content with our view from below.

We all headed for the main Clover Dock to check things out before returning to the barge and heading home. It was a fun day of riding, picnicking, exploring, and being with good friends. Thanks for sharing it with us Dave and Marg. -- Margy