A mid April hike to the Comox Bluffs Ecological Reserve

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

 The Comox Bluffs are along the north side of Comox Lake and there is an ecological reserve there to protect the unusual plant life that exists in this dry rocky sun drenched area. Trees like Arbutus and shrubs like hairy Manzanita are common along this area where as they are pretty rare in the rain forest environment of the Comox Valley. We hadn’t been to this lookout for a couple of years and we hoped to see some wildflowers which bloom here early in the spring.

                                The viewpoint overlooking Comox Lake is just a 25 minute walk from the parking lot

                 This trail starts at a small parking lot at 49 38.477 N 125 06.256 W on the left hand side of the road a few hundred meters past the bridge the crosses the Puntledge River where it empties out of Comox Lake.  This route is called the Tomato Creek trail and it leads to a lookout which gives fine views of Comox Lake and is surrounded by the rare plants of the Ecological Reserve. It can be reached in just over 1.2 km (25 minute walk one way ).  Some of the many flowers that bloom here were out although if you come at various times in the spring you will likely see a  variety of different flowers in bloom. We saw lots of sea blush out on this visit. 

                                                                      Sea Blush was out in bloom in mid April on our most recent trip to Comox Bluffs

 A longer trail continues from the lookout and it traverses the entire Ecological Reserve and ends up at the main logging road which you can then follow back to your car. Be aware that logging trucks may be using this road and it can be dusty so you also can return back via the same trail rather that do a loop.  This longer route is about 5.5 km and takes about 2 hours. But the shorter hike to the lookout would suit people families 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. In fact we ran into a couple that was off route trying to reach the Bluffs and they followed us to the Lookout. 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/ 

Cherry Trees are in bloom in many places in the Comox Valley

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

Vancouver and Victoria are well known for their cherry trees in bloom in the spring and although the Comox Valley does not have the number of trees of these bigger centres they do have some trees worth checking out. One of our favourite streets to view every spring is Anna Place in Courtenay which not only has many well established trees in bloom lining the street but it also has a superb view of the Comox Glacier as you can see in the picture below. Another tree that is very impressive is at the intersection of 14^th and Cumberland in Courtenay.  If readers have other favourite cherry trees in the Comox Valley let us know where they are.   

                                                    Cherry Tree at Cumberland and 14th in Courtenay

 

 

Thanks for a great cross country ski season at Mount Washington Ski Resort

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

   It was a sad day when we cleaned out our ski locker at Raven Lodge on Sunday, April 13 to end the 2025 cross country ski season. Raven Lodge is the base of operations of cross country skiing and snow shoeing at Mount Washington near Courtenay, B.C on Vancouver Island.  Given all the early snow that the resort had the cross country ski trails were almost fully open by Christmas. That was lucky since January and February turned out to be drier than normal but we already had a good base. March arrived with lots more snow and so the season will end with close to 2 meters of snow on the ground. Overall grooming was great this year and the resort did a great job keeping the popular Park trails open even as snow was disappearing at key stream crossings through the last couple of weeks.

                       We had some great times on the trails with visitors from across the country

So next year if you have thought about trying cross country skiing or snowshoeing then check out Raven Lodge at Mount Washington. They have over 50 km of trail groomed for skating and classic skiing as well as many snowshoe trails. Raven Lodge has great mountain views and inside you can have a bite to eat, book rentals and lessons, buy day tickets and even have a sauna.  Lets hope next winter brings more snow and continued great skiing to Mount Washington.  I even got in a xc ski on the last weekend to Lake Helen Mackenzie and it was perfect for skating on (see below) . For more information see: https://www.mountwashington.ca/          

                          

Spring Wildflowers in their prime along the Tsolum River in Courtenay

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

   On Friday, April 11 we decided to take a break from skiing at Mount Washington to check the fawn lilies and other wildflowers along the Tsolum River in Courtenay. The last couple of weeks have seen some mixed weather with rain and cool temperatures some days but more seasonable temperatures on other days so we weren't sure quite what to expect.

Fawn Lilies are delicate spring wildflowers

  There were carpets of fawn lilies and trilliums in bloom along the trails which really brightened up our walk. These trails are located behind the Exhibition Grounds off of Headquarters Road in Courtenay and there is lots of parking. Take the main access trail (really a road) toward the river and we found many clusters of fawn lilies on the trails to the right near the river. You don’t need to walk very far before you see the flowers in bloom along the trail and under the trees.

A Trillium surrounded by Fawn Lilies

  We are not sure how long they will last but if like early spring flowers check out this area and don’t forget to bring your camera. If you are into pictures you might want to bring a tripod and something to kneel on since the carpets of flowers are best photographed low to the ground and the ground can be wet. Another bonus of our walk was seeing a couple of great horned owls. They were quite a distance from the trail and we only saw them since there were several photographers with long telephoto lenses taking photos of them as we passed by. There are other song birds in the area and in the past we have seen Pileated woodpeckers at this time of year. Binoculars might not go astray...see you on the trail.

 

Here is your chance to try skiing at Mount Washington before it closes!

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

  Mount Washington Ski Resort started early and is ending late - April 13 , 2025 is its closing date. But next week people who have never skied before can try the sport for FREE. That is right FREE!!

By signing up for a Discover Skiing Lesson you can get gear, lesson and lift or trail ticket for free. So if you have never tried xc or alpine skiing here is your chance. Mt Washington runs a similar programme in the early winter but often the weather is stormy and cold at that time of year.  Now you can enjoy spring sun and warm temperatures (hopefully) while you learn to ski. For more info see: https://www.mountwashington.ca/play/groups-events/events.html  and scroll down to  Discovery Days - Beginners FREE Lesson, Rental and Ticket This programme runs from March 31 to April 4. Be sure to check it out. 

Of course there is also lots of other events going on at Mt Washington and you can see for full line up of happenings at:  https://www.mountwashington.ca/play/groups-events/events.html   See you on the trail or slopes.

                                          Learn how to Classic Ski at the Discovery Days

Temperature Inversions at Mount Washington Ski Resort are a nice surprise

 

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

    The Comox Valley has seen fog come and go over the past several days but when it is cloudy and grey down in the valley it might be bright and sunny at Mount Washington. That is how it was when we have been cross country skiing a couple of times this week and I expect we will see more of  this weather over the next week or so.  So it pays to check out the web cams at Mount Washington Ski Resort since while it is cold and foggy in town it might be bright and sunny at Mount Washington.  This is caused by ridges of high pressure which trap cloud and fog close to the surface but as you go up in elevation you break through the cloud giving great conditions on the mountain. So if the fog and chilly temperatures are getting you down, head for the hills and you might find it is alot sunnier and maybe even warmer than in town.  And the views are spectacular with layers of cloud and fog below and snowy mountains rising above them (see photos below). To check out the web cams at Mount Washington have a look at: https://www.mountwashington.ca/