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

Goat Lake Main to Windsor Lake

Crisp winter days often bring crystal blue skies. They also make great days to get out on the quad and take a ride. One easy destination follows Goat Lake Main along the chain of lakes that make up the Powell River Forest Canoe Route.

Head south of Powell River on Highway 101. A left turn at Dixon Road takes you off the pavement and onto Goat Lake Main. This main is a busy logging road on weekdays, but is safe to travel on weekends and holidays. Several logging companies use this major backcountry artery, so keep eyes and ears open!

There are several turnouts to park and offload along the way. Just be careful at corners. Many of the loads are long and swing wide.

This easy ride takes you along the west shores of Nanton, Dodd, and Windsor Lakes. You can reach all three lakes easily. Nanton and Dodd both have forest campsites accessible by car or truck. Windsor can be reached from the main, but has no official campsite except at the Canoe Route portage.

Portage dock at the head of Windsor Lake.

One thing we like to do while quadding is stop and hike farther into the bush. You don't have to go far to find some spectacular places.  We stopped between Dodd and Windsor Lakes and followed the portage trail to the head Windsor.

It's 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. This particular location can be accessed on weekends by truck, or even a car if care is taken while driving on the logging roads.

You don't have to wait until summer to enjoy this ride. A sunny winter day, even a cloudy or foggy one, brings beautiful things to see. 

Want to read more about my recovery and quadding in this beautiful country? Go to PowellRiverBooks.com and take a look at Up the Main.

It's available in print and Kindle formats from Amazon.com.  Or check with your e-book vendor for other formats. -- Margy

Powell River Lakes Loop by Quad

This time of year you need to take full advantage of sunny (even partly cloudy) days. When we start a quad ride from town, we have to get up early and take our boat down the lake. Our destination -- the airport hanger where we store our quads on a tandem trailer.

We head south of Powell River on Highway 101. It’s hard to believe, but this is the northern extension of the same highway that passed our former home in California.

A left turn at Dixon Road takes us off the pavement and onto Goat Lake Main. The main is a busy logging road on weekdays and has plenty of potholes, but is safe to travel with our large trailer in tow on weekends and holidays.

We like to park at Tin Hat Junction where there's a large turnout and map signboard. Today we are taking what I call the Lakes Loop. We offload our quads and continue north on the main to intercept Spring Lake Main branching off to the left. This junction is well marked with signs pointing to Lewis Lake and Tin Hat Mountain.

Logging in the area has created new roads through cut blocks. Following the most traveled sections we came to another sign at the entrance to the Lewis Lake Campground. We were surprised to find a large camper topped by a canoe towing an enclosed quad trailer. He must really trust his rig to bring it so far back into the bush, but what a way to see the country.

We had lunch at the lake and Wayne tried a few casts from the wobbly dock.

After leaving Lewis Lake, we took the narrow trail down to Spring Lake. This lake is small and shallow, but there’s a beautiful view between the trees that shade the rustic picnic area. The last part of the trail had a steep spot. This is exactly why I got my Yamaha Kodiak 450 with 4-wheel drive, but did I remember to turn it on? NO!

After a tipsy-turvy spell, I came to a stop facing a tree. I engaged my 4X4, backed easily onto the trail, and the rest of the way down.

Back on Spring Lake Main we turned onto Giavanni (Giavanno on some maps) Main. From its lofty track we could look down on the head of Haslam Lake (Powell River’s water supply) and then Giavanni Lake. This part of the ride was familiar. We popped out into the remains of Fiddlehead Farm (only a few apple trees now) and then onto Rainbow Main, skirting the southern edge of Powell and Goat Lakes. It's been a few years since there has been active logging along this section and the steep sides have grow over with alders and brush. That's good for me and my fear of heights ("Quad Acrophobia" in Up the Main).

At the junction with Goat Lake Main, we headed back south towards the truck. But first we made a short stop at the picnic area at the north end of Windsor Lake and then the Powell River Canoe Route portage at the north end of Dodd Lake. Time (and sunlight) was running out, so we made a dash down the main past Ireland and Nanton Lakes without stopping. Our trusty truck and trailer were waiting to receive us and take us past our final lake of the day, Lois Lake.

That was our Lakes Loop day trip. There are so many choices for short, long, easy and hard rides right at our doorstep. Want to read about more of them? ATV adventures in and around Powell River, BC, are the focus of the books Up the Main and Farther Up the Main. You can go to PowellRiverBooks.com to get more information.

Also, stop by Tourism Powell River to purchase the new Powell River recreation map.

Do you ride a quad or bike? What are some of your favorite places to get away, relax and see the backcountry? -- Margy