Using AllTrails on the Easter Bluffs trail on Cortes Island

By Keith and Heather Nicol

On a recent trip to Cortes Island from our home in the Comox Valley we were again reminded of the utility of the AllTrails app for hiking. We had gone to Cortes Island to sea kayak and hike for 3 days and  it was our first time enjoying these activities on the Island. One of the hikes that had been recommended to us was the Easter Bluff hike since it would offer great views and was relatively short so that we could fit it in around our other plans. So before we left our home I downloaded the map for this hike and I am glad I did since it came in handy on 3 occasions.

                                                                 Near the top of the Easter Bluffs Trail

First of all one of the aspects of AllTrails that I really like is that it gives the driving directions to the trailhead. In the case of Easter Bluffs the trailhead is very easy to drive past as we discovered when we sailed several kilometers past the trail start. There were no signs and the parking area is very small and is very easy to miss as you drive along. But thanks to AllTrails I activated the app and used the driving directions to bring us to the small unmarked parking lot. 

                                                            Heather starting out on the Easter Bluffs Trail

Once on the trail it is generally easy to follow but the upper part is located across sections of bare rock where the trail virtually disappears. In 2 cases we followed a faint trail that dead ended and clearly we were on the wrong trail. By using the AllTrails app it showed our location and the location of the real route and so we could see how to get back on the actual trail. So if you haven’t  used AllTrails when hiking check it out. It will keep you going in the right dirction. For more info see: https://www.alltrails.com/

                                                        View of Cortes Bay and beyond from Easter Bluffs