Hiking through the Comox Bluffs Ecological Reserve

by Keith and Heather Nicol

     On August 27 , we took our daughter Kristie and her boyfriend for a hike to the Comox Bluffs area near Courtenay, B.C. We had been to this area a couple of years ago so we were keen to re-check this place out.  The Comox Bluffs are along the north side of Comox Lake and we have paddled our sea kayaks along this shore so we had seen this area from the water’s edge.  We knew that it was a south facing area with open moss covered rocks and lots of plants that like dry, rocky conditions. Trees like arbutus are common along this area where as they are pretty rare in the rain forest environment of the Comox Valley. We parked at the edge of the road at 49 38.544 N 125 05.882 W after crossing the bridge where the Puntledge River drains out of Comox Lake. 

Kristie and Eric overlooking Comox Lake

  We decided to walk the gravel road to a turn off that we had identified by GPS on our earlier visit in June 2018.  The road is not the most aesthetic route but is the fastest and since there was no logging trucks using the road (actually no one using the road since it was gated off) it seemed to be a good choice. Follow the main road for about 2.5 km until you reach a side trail on your left at 49 38.449 N 125 06.223 W. You will also see an 8 km sign near the start of the side trail (called the Tomato Creek Trail). 

Kristie taking a photo of an arbutus tree

 The Tomato Creek Trail has numerous spectacular views of Comox Lake and the surrounding forested slopes. We also entered the Comox Bluffs Ecological Reserve along this trail and we came across a sign showing some of the unusual plants associated with this scenic area and a short path leading to an impressive viewpoint.  The Tomato Creek trail also has numerous forks but we figured most went back to the parking area and after 2 hours we had covered about 5.5 km which included time for lots of pictures and side trips to lookouts.  The Comox Bluffs are well worth checking out but it helps to go with someone who has been in there before so you don’t get twisted around on all the trails. If you head out on your own a GPS with a tracking function wouldn’t go astray. We also identified a shorter route to the main viewpoint and it starts at a small parking lot at 49 38.477 N 125 06.256 W. Follow the Tomato Creek trail back up to the lookout and it can be reached in just over 1 km (20 minute walk).  It would suit people families with smaller children or others that want a shorter hike.  Just be aware that the trail is hard to find in some places and it does have forks which makes route finding abit challenging. The full route can be found on AllTrails and is under the name “Tony’s and Tomato Creek Loop”. If you use this app route finding should be easier. For more info see: https://www.alltrails.com/

Kristie at the viewpoint with an interpretative plaque discussing the unusal plants of the area