Quad Camping on North Vancouver Island

Our truck and double quad trailer.

Wayne and I like to take our quads on barge trips around Powell Lake and trailer trips to land based destinations. We took our Tucson SUV to North Vancouver Island to plan a future ride.

Read more about that road trip at my Margy Meanders blog.

The Campbell River ATV Club has been instrumental in developing off-road routes using logging roads throughout North Vancouver Island. They have also worked with RCMP precincts to allow access to lodging, food and gas. Click here for more information.

There are map resources for Forest Service and logging roads.

A section of the North Island route map from the Campbell River ATV Club.

• Vancouver Island BC North Waterproof Map $14.95 available online or at tourism offices. Also available in a book format for the whole island at $25.95.
• North Island Trail Guide and app for iOS and Android (free)
• Backcountry BC Forest Service Road dynamic map
• Recreation Sites and Trails BC dynamic map
• Western Forest Products road information geo-refernced maps that work for free with the Avenza app. Also go here for road building, logging and hauling activity in their widespread tree license areas.

Here are some of the campsites we discovered on our trip.

Picture from Rec Sites and Trails BC.

Elk Creek Recreation Site:
Elk Creek is a seasonal campground south of Highway 19 near the Sayward turnoff. This seven site campground has good availability during the summer but there's no direct access to logging or forest service roads. It could make a good homebase then transport your quads to off-road areas.

Montague Creek campground.

Montague Creek:
Montague is just past Sayward accessed via Eve Main. There are two small primitive sites along the river. There's direct access to logging roads but it's too tight for our long trailer.

Upper Klaklakama Lake Campground:
Upper Klaklakama is a small site at the top end of the lake. It's too tight for us but does have direct access to logging roads. There's another large campground farther down the lake but we didn't drive that far.

Woss Lake Recreation Site campground.

Woss Lake Recreation Site:
This campground has twenty-four sites with good summer availability on upper Woss Lake. There's easy dirt road access via West Woss Road. The sites are large enough for our truck and trailer and there's direct access to logging roads. In the town of Woss there's a logging railway historical display.
 

Georgie with empty lakefront site.

Georgie Lake Recreation Site:
Georgie Lake is a nine site lakeside campground reached via the Holberg Road out of Port Hardy then the Georgie Lake Forest Service Road. The sites are large enough for us and there's good access to an extensive logging road network for riding. However, it is too far on rough roads for us, but we did find a travel trailer there.

Link River campground on Alice Lake.

Link River Regional Park:
Link River is a 22 site campground on Alice Lake near Port Alice. This is the one for us. There's good access via SE Main and there was good availability even on a holiday weekend. It has a host and reservations in summer and first come, first serve the rest of the year. There's logging road access in all directions.

We could stay here many times and still not explore everything. Plus, there's fuel and shopping in nearby Port Alice for extended stays. We don't know when, but we'll be returning with our truck, trailer and quads for a new adventure up North Vancouver Island's mains.

Want to read more about our quad adventures? Three of Wayne's Coastal BC Stories books focus on backcountry adventures including Up the Main, Farther Up the Main and Powell Lake by Barge and Quad.

All three are available in print and e-book formats at Amazon and most online booksellers. In Powell River they are available at Coles in the Town Centre Mall. -- Margy

Available Online: "Beyond the Main"

Beyond the Main

12th Book in Regional Series

by Wayne J. Lutz 

A new book in the series Coastal British Columbia Stories has been released by Powell River Books.

Wayne introduced this series with Up the Lake (free for ebooks) in 2005, followed annually by additional titles that feature the Powell River region.

All of the books in the series focus on the people and places along the Sunshine Coast.

The latest book in this series, Beyond the Main, uses a travel memoir format as the author explores the Powell River  backcountry by ATV.

Author Wayne Lutz at Olsen Lake.

I’ve concentrated on capturing the lifestyles of our region, where people are extremely self-reliant. When you travel the streets of Powell River, it’s a common sight to see quads in pickup trucks or loaded on a trailer, headed out of town. Where are all of these all-terrain vehicles going? And what is the attraction of this intense recreational sport? Heading off the beaten track, locals return again and again to the natural beauty of places where the mountains drop into the sea. -- Wayne Lutz

Beyond the Main is available at local Powell River bookstores and online through Amazon, Kobo, and other online booksellers. -- Margy

Kindle -- $2.99

Kobo -- $2.99
Smashwords ebooks -- $2.99

Amazon Print Book -- $12.95

Riding the Duck Lake Road Region

Westlake Woodlands logging map.

We went on a fall quad ride to explore the region you can access from the Duck Lake Forest Service Road, also called Duck Lake Main.

We invited our good friends Dave and Marg to join us.

First, we enjoy riding with them. Second, Dave knows the trails around Powell River much better than we do.

We went on a Sunday when loggers know to look out for the public on our backroads.

We drove south of town to the junction of Highway 101 and Duck Lake Forest Service Road, a well maintained Powell River backcountry mainline.

Parking out of the way on a side sput.

A short ways up the dirt road are lots of spots to park, even larger ones for trucks pulling quad trailers.

The area in which we rode is part of the Westlake Woodlands, a woodlot owned and managed by locals Doug and Ron Fuller. They offer a free online map that can be used with the Avenza GPS map app to track your route.

Unfortunately, we didn't take ours since Dave was leading.

Dave, Marg and their dog Crystal.

It would have been a great reference for future rides.

While I can't share the exact route, we left Duck Lake Main to follow several old logging roads through the lush second growth forest.

Dave led the way point out side trails leading to points of interest like the golf course, Rona hardware on Paradise Road, and the trail down to the quad parking area near Edgehill School.

Many old logging roads and trails are maintained by local ATV, biking, horseback riding and hiking organizations.

The Blue Train Connector back to Duck Lake Main.

Being close to town, they are well used and enjoyed by many. Yet, on our ride we didn't see any other quad riders and only one hiking group and a man walking his dog.

East Lake

We stopped at East Lake for a picnic. There are log benches, a fire ring and a dock that would enjoyable especially in summer.

Picnic stop.

We continued through the area with a stop at West (Hammil) Lake. The weather was already changing from mostly sunny to mostly cloudy.

Clouds hovering over West Lake.

We'll go back on our own to explore the Duck Lake area while our quads are stored in town.

A rare picture of us together thanks to Dave.

Thanks Dave and Marg for sharing your trail knowledge and friendship with us. If you come to visit Powell River, I highly recommend using Duck Lake Forest Service Road as a starting place to explore the backcountry. -- Margy

Take Your Quad on Vacation

Last summer we put our quads on a trailer and took them on vacation with us to Vancouver Island. Our destination was Stella Lake near Campbell River. Here's the article that was just published in the Spring 2018 Riderswest Magazine and on their website.

Take your quads on vacation.

My husband and I have ridden ATVs in our home region of Powell River, B.C., for 15 years. In 2017, we explored the Campbell River region on Vancouver Island.

Old logging road to Bear River.

I follow the Campbell River ATV Club (CRATV) on Facebook and the CRATV Forum and know they are active in trail maintenance. They’re also instrumental in developing long-distance ATV routes (Riderswest article) and have secured riding permission in some towns to access fuel, restaurants and overnight accommodations. CRATV uses the Pye Mountain Recreation Site, which they built as a base for club activities. It can be accessed via Highway 19 north of Campbell River and the Elk Bay Forest Service Road (FSR).

Stella Lake Beach campsite.

We wanted to camp near water, so we selected Stella Lake based on a recommendation from friends in the Powell River ATV Club. There are two ways to get there, either by Elk Bay or Rock Bay forest service roads. We chose the Rock Bay to Stella Lake FSR because, with our double quad trailer, we wanted to avoid the steep hill and tight turn on the Elk Bay route. On the way we stopped at the Roberts Lake Resort café for one of their famous cinnamon rolls.

Blue sky and water at Stella Lake from Elk Bay FSR.

We travelled in June on a Thursday. Stella Beach’s campsites were mostly open and we chose one with lake access. We offloaded our quads at the entrance, then parked the trailer in the ample site. There are pit toilets, picnic tables and fire rings, but campers should bring drinking water. Even in June, the campground filled over the weekend, but there are other camping spots in the area.

Excellent signage including experience level.

From our campsite, we rode forest service roads and trails developed by the Campbell River ATV Club. There’s excellent signage that includes experience level symbols as you enter trails. As an intermediate rider, that was very helpful. We also purchased Backroad Maps software for our Garmin GPS to make us more confident about riding in a new location.

Overlooking Johnstone Strait from Rock Bay FSR.

Some of the most memorable rides were to Elk Bay on Johnstone Strait, visiting the Pye Mountain Rec Site, and going to neighbouring Pye and McCreight lakes. My favourite ride was along an old logging road that branched off Bear Bight Road and wound through second growth to the Bear River (a.k.a. Amos de Cosmos Creek). Here, we enjoyed a picnic lunch in warm sunshine surrounded by a meadow of sweet gale.

Sunny day for a picnic at Bear River.

Where will you be going this summer? Check out the Powell River Quad Rides blog and Powell River ATV Riders’ Facebook group and bring your quad on vacation to the northern Sunshine Coast.

Check out Coastal BC Stories books about quad riding including Farther Up the Main by Wayne J. Lutz.

Available Online: "Up the Main"

Coastal BC Stories
by Wayne J. Lutz

Up the Main is the book that started it all. Come along as we explore Powell River's backcountry by bike, quad and hiking. Ride with us to places like Theodosia Inlet, the head of Powell Lake, and on logging roads and local trails near and far.

A great book for the outdoor enthusiast.

After my first book in the series Coastal British Columbia Stories, I decided to write about a subject that initially excited me very little -- exploring the local area by all-terrain vehicle. My friend John insisted I learn to ride a quad, and I followed his lead only because adventures with John are always worthwhile. I didn't think I'd become a quad addict, but it happened. The Powell River ATV Club is a big part of my book, Up the Main, and influenced much of my future writing. Now you'll find me on the trails regularly, and writing more about off-road riding. Join me (and John and his dog Bro) in exploring the Powell River backcountry. 

Go to PowellRiverBooks.com for more information.

Kindle version for $2.99
Print version for $12.95
Other e-book versions $2.99

Also available at other online booksellers and Coles in Powell River.

Spring Quad Ride Up Chippewa Main

Offloading at the Chippewa Bay barge ramp.

I've shared about rides up Chippewa Main here and on Powell River Quad Rides several times. That's because it's an easy place for us to access with our barge and because it gives us choices in directions to ride.

On this spring ride we took our quads to the Chippewa Bay barge ramp to offload. This is our usual starting point. Because there's current logging activity, the barge ramp is well maintained.

We chose a Saturday for our ride because the logging company expects more private use of their service roads, and because weekend activity is usually less.

Ready to ride,

On our ride, the only work being conducted was vehicle maintenance. We stopped to talk to the crew and they said that the roads and trails were all ours.

An old section of logging road heading up towards Heather Main.

This trip was to see if we could get through the snow to Heather Main. This higher country logging road connects Powell Lake with Theodosia Inlet to the northwest, but we were blocked by pockets of deep slushy snow near our destination.

Using the slushy snow to make a slushy drink. Take that deep snow.

Come along on the ride up to Heather Main in this YouTube video.

Since this ride some of our friends made it through. The warm late spring weather is quickly melting snow in the high country and reopening many of our favourite trails.

Blue skies over Powell Lake on the way to Hole in the Wall.

For more information about Goat Island check the Western Forest Products website or call their Road Access Hotline: 604-485-3132. It is available 24/7.

Do you have any quad trails in your area that you would like to suggest? We are always looking for new places to ride and explore in British Columbia including  Vancouver Island.

You can read more about our Powell Lake quad rides in Beyond the Main and Powell Lake by Barge and Quad. Both are available online in print and ebook formats. -- Margy

Ode to Bro

When Wayne and I came to Powell River in 2001 our first friend was John. You can't be friends with John and not love his dog Bro, Brody if you are being formal.

Bro lived a long, well traveled life. If John went anywhere, Bro was always at his side. That ended sadly this month when Bro left this earthly world to go meet his maker.
As Bro would say...

I was living in a shelter on Vancouver Isle,
When John and his family came to visit awhile.
I used my best Black Lab attitude,
And soon enough they were wooed.
We took a ferry ride to Powell River,
to a loving home that would last forever.

During my eighteen years with John,
I've been everywhere, man.

I've been everywhere.

I've been to...

Theodosia
Last Chance
Powell Lake
Mahoney
Goat Lake
Duck Lake
Princess Louisa
Lund
Last Resort
Giovanni
Goat Island
The Head
St. Vincent
Khartoum
Olsen's Landing
The Eldred
Frog Pond
Rupert's Farm
Rainy Day
Useless
Hole in the Wall
Our Float Cabin
And Best of all
My Westview home!

And many more, man.
Many, many more.
I've been everywhere, man.
I've been everywhere.

Thanks John for the best life
a Black Lab named Bro could ever imagine.

A Winter Quad Ride on Goat Island

We waited a long time for a sunny weekend to go quad riding. On the first sunny Saturday we headed for a favourite destination, Goat Island.

Logging roads in working forests are available for public recreation after 6:00 pm or on weekends and holidays. For more information about Goat Island check the Western Forest Products website or call their Road Access Hotline: 604-485-3132. It is available 24/7.

We took our new Garmin VIRB Ultra30 with us. Here are three short videos from the film taken on that trip.

We left Hole in the Wall in our barge with the quads loaded out front. We headed north in calm water to Western Forest Products' Goat Island (Clover) Dock. We used their barge ramp to off-load and later on-load our quads.

We used Frog Pond Main to get up to Spire Main on the southwest side of Goat Island. On the way we encountered deep snow on the road, which surprised both of us.

After turning around we went on a spur in search of two large trees we can see on the ridge of Goat Island from our float cabin home in Hole in the Wall. We didn't succeed, but had a great ride on an older deactivated road.

Thanks for coming along on our winter quad ride. We had a very enjoyable day and learned a lot about our new camera. And later I also learned a lot about using the new version of iMovie to create my videos.

Do you create videos about your activities and adventures? What kinds of cameras and software do you use? -- Margy

Fall Quad Ride to Chippewa Bay on Powell Lake

Unloading the quad at Chippewa Bay.

Summer rides are fun because the weather is usually sunny and warm. The down side is dusty roads and trails. Fall rides are just about perfect, the weather is pleasantly cool and the roads have received enough rain to tamp down the dust.

We loaded up the barge with what we would need for a day quad ride to Chippewa Bay. The quads stay on the barge all year long, but in the rainy season we take everything out of our cargo boxes to keep it from getting damp and possible damage. Plus it's always good to take along a chain saw just in case a fallen tree blocks your way.

Riding well used Museum Main to find the new logging roads.

We wanted to ride over in the Chippewa Bay area on Powell Lake because Western Forest Products has been building new roads into future cut blocks. We like riding through the trees before logging begins. We've been able to experience such rides in the Eldred River Valley, at Chippewa South, at Pickles Point and now in Chippewa Bay.

Large fir trees along Chippewa Main.

After the roads are completed, the logging company waits for several months for the newly compacted dirt and rock to settle before heavy logging trucks and equipment begin their work.

Wayne coming down a new section of road.

We missed seeing all of the large trees cut down to make way for the new road beds, but a few were still resting at the side of the road.

Wayne next to two sections of a huge fir tree.

This fir tree was over a hundred years old based on the tightly spaced rings. Just think of all the lumber that could come out of each section and how many new homes it could help build.

Tightly spaced rings make this tree well over a hundred years old.

There are sections of road that are too steep for me to feel comfortable. Wayne rides ahead while I get off my bike to explore and take pictures. I found a Western Toad hiding in a hole. Right now her looks pretty secure, but I'm not so sure it will stay that way when huge trucks start rolling with their massive log loads.

A Western Toad in his hidey at the edge of the new logging road.

And there were still a few flowers to be seen.

Pearly Everlasting doing what it does best, lasting forever.

A bee enjoying a last few sips from a Butterfly Bush.

We stopped by the log skid and could see a boom of logs already boomed together. These came from road clearing. It's good to see nothing being wasted.

Looking down the skid to the first boom of logs.

Wayne checking his iPad GPS to see our track for the day.

Wayne using his iPad GPS for road identification and tracking.

Western Products Products has online geo-referenced maps that can be used with handheld devices. Click here to find WFP map and other road building, logging and hauling information. Click here to find information about the Avenza map app. The basic app and WFP maps are both free.

Have you been riding this fall? What are some of your favourite destinations?

Want to read more about how we use a barge to take our quads to ride the logging roads surrounding Powell Lake?

Powell Lake by Barge and Quad is available in both print and e-book formats at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. It's also available at other online booksellers and Coles bookstore in Powell River. -- Margy