Exploring the new suspension bridge at Elk Falls Provincial Park

by Keith and Heather Nicol  

New suspension bridge

 On Tuesday, July 14 we decided to check out Elk Falls near Campbell River and the new suspension bridge that has been built there.  Keith’s brother Bruce and his wife Mary Ellen were visiting from Victoria and they were also keen to see this area. The new suspension bridge spans Campbell River in Elk Falls Provincial Park and offers stellar views of the river as it plunges 25 meters over a picturesque waterfall.  The new suspension bridge opened in mid May, 2015 and by the looks of number of people that were walking the roughly 1 km trail from the parking lot to the bridge, it has been very successful in attracting visitors. 

Elk Falls as seen from the new suspension bridge

     We also walked an 800 meter side trail to get down to the river where it rushes over over sloping bedrock.  The water was very turbulent and all you can see is white water before the river drops over the falls. 

Heather sits on the rock overlooking the river before it descends over the falls

   There are also other hiking trails in the area but we recommend the 800 meter Old Growth Loop which passes by some huge trees that have never been logged. These trees also managed to avoid a devastating fire in 1938 which burned much of the timber in the surrounding area. Evidently 1938 was the driest summer in 64 years and the forest was tinder dry. The fire was evidently set off by a logger who accidently dropped a pick on a rock and a spark set off the dry grass near his feet.  For more information on the park see: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/elk_falls/  

Check out the Old Growth trail while you are in the park

Swimming and tubing in Courtenay’s Puntledge River – Part 2.

by Keith and Heather Nicol

     The summer of 2015 is proving to be hot and dry on Vancouver Island and keeping cool is the name of the game. Courtenay’s Puntledge River certainly has lots of appeal since it flows from clean  Comox Lake and there are several places to swim in the river as well as sections that are perfect for tubing. Tubing seems to be an institution in Courtenay and a previous post: http://keithnicol.blogspot.ca/2015/06/tubing-and-swimming-in-puntledge-river.html  describes a couple of places to swim and tube. Since then we have tubed  from the fish hatchery on Powerhouse Road to Lewis Park and have discovered Nymph Falls which is amazing for swimming. The section from Powerhouse Road to Puntledge Park is abit faster and rockier than the lower section from Puntledge Park to either the Condensory Bridge or Lewis Park. First timers or those with younger children may want to do just the lower section from Puntledge Park and we suggest the pull out at Condensory Bridge since the last part is very slow, especially if there is a high tide. For the upper section on Powerhouse Road drive to the fish hatchery gate and park your car along the road. Walk around the gate and down the road and part way down you will see a sign pointing to “Tubers Trail” and take that to the put in. This trail is abit steep in places and there is a rope to help you down the last section.  We have used a kayak paddle to help steer and manoeuvre but most people don’t use one and we also use kayak booties since you may need to push off a rock or get out of your tube and this footware makes it easier to walk on the rocky river bed. Also remember “bums up” in the rapids since the river is low at this time.  

Kristie riding the waves 

     Nymph Falls Nature Park is a gem of spot for walking, biking and especially swimming this summer. It is located just out of Courtenay on the Forbidden Plateau Road and a short 500 meter trail takes you from the parking  lot to scenic Nymph Falls. Here there are exposed flattish rocks which are popular places to layout a towel and lots of pools to swim in. We took our daughter Kristie who was there on a recent visit in early July and it is a great spot to bring a lunch or a book and relax by the sound of rapidly flowing water.

Heather swimming in one of the pools at Nymph Falls

 

Kristie and Heather under a small water fall at Nymph Falls

Hiking Linton`s Trail to the top of Mt Washington Alpine Ski Resort

by Keith and Heather Nicol      

      To celebrate July 1 we decided to head up to Mt. Washington and hike to the top of the mountain with our daughter Kristie who was visiting from Vancouver. We had taken the chairlift ride early in June and were blown away by the view (see post:  http://keithnicol.blogspot.ca/2015/06/ride-mt-washingtons-summer-chairlift.html) . Since Kristie likes to hike we decided to take the Linton’s trail to the top of the mountain. This trail starts right from the base and is flagged with red markers so the trail is easy to follow. It is just over 2 km long which makes it accessible for many hikers but be aware this trail does climb to the top of the Eagle Chair (vertical rise of 1650 feet) so bring water and hike it in the morning before it gets too hot. Courtenay is in the midst of a heat wave at the present time but we had a nice breeze and the trail winds through the trees in places which is appreciated in terms of keeping cool. Allow about an hour to hike the trail. 

Kristie taking some pictures from the lookout platform

     There is a great lookout platform near the top and once we reached the summit we took the Top of the World trail to get spectacular views in all directions. There are other trails that reach to summit and we plan to check those out in cooler conditions. A great bonus is that once you reach the top you can ride the lift down (last ride is at 5:00 pm) which is a fine way to end a hike. For more information on summer activities at Mt Washington see: https://www.mountwashington.ca/

Kristie looking toward Quadra Island and Campbell River

Tubing and swimming in the Puntledge River in Courtenay- Part 1

by Keith and Heather Nicol    

On Friday, June 26 we decided to check out the swimming and tubing on Puntledge River which flows through Courtenay. With the start of a weeklong hot spell of weather with forecasted temperatures in the high 20C and low 30C we thought we better get acquainted with swimming options available locally. In Newfoundland we would normally have to wait until late July or early August to get fresh water warm enough to swim in so June swimming is definitely a novelty.

Puntledge Park has some great swimming areas

     We had also seen lots of people tubing down the Puntledge River so we thought we should definitely do that as well. We thought for our first time we would put in at Puntledge Park and tube down to Lewis Park. We borrowed some old truck inner tubes from some friends and used our sea kayak paddles to help steer. The low flow meant that you definitely had to be “bums up” through the rapids and we fortunately chose the right channels so didn’t end up having to walk through the shallow areas. The kayak paddle seemed to help with steering and propulsion especially in the slower near Lewis Park. Next time our plan is to pull out at the Condensory Bridge which will avoid the slower section at the lower end of the river. We also want to try the upper section from the Fish Hatchery off of Powerhouse Road for a longer and more exciting run.See blog post -http://keithnicol.blogspot.ca/2015/07/swimming-and-tubing-in-courtenays.html for more information on tubing the Puntledge River in Courtenay. Check out the video below for a good way to keep car keys dry while tubing the Puntledge!

Keith tubing the Puntledge using a kayak paddle to help steer

Heather tackling the waves

     Tesing the Aquaroo Money Belt while tubing the Puntledge River

Ride Mt. Washington's Summer Chairlift for Spectacular Views

by Keith and Heather Nicol

The Heather was in full bloom along the trails

      On Saturday, June 13 we decided to check out the summer chairlift rides at Mt. Washington near Courtenay, B.C. They had just opened for the season the previous weekend and they will operate the summer chairlift on weekends only until June 27^th when they will be open daily through the summer. Mt. Washington operates the Eagle Express chair lift and in less than 15 minutes it takes you right to the summit.  Be sure to walk the easy 1 km Top of the World trail which provides amazing vistas in all directions. You can look back to the Courtenay – Comox area (you can even see Goose Spit and Tree Island), north to Campbell River and Quadra Island but the most impressive views are those of the mountains that lay to the south west of Mt. Washington. Here you can see Mt  Albert Edward and the Comox Glacier as well as many other rugged peaks. Be sure to bring your camera since the views are spectacular. 

Keith on the Top of the World Trail

  Just be aware that temperatures are quite a bit cooler up at the summit at close to 1600 meters than down at sea level in Courtenay. We were glad we brought our fleeces and long pants for the trip up the chairlift. There are lots of other trails that wind around various parts of the mountain and we plan to hike these in the coming weeks. For more information on Mt. Washington and what it offers the summer visitor check out the following web page: https://www.mountwashington.ca/

Heather with Courtenay and Comox in the distance

The ride down is very scenic with mountains and lakes in view