Hiking is a huge outdoor activity on Vancouver Island. It should be. There are so many beautiful places, many within an hour of where you’re staying. Check back on this page as it will be continuously updated with the best hikes on Vancouver Island.

Near Campbell River

Flower Ridge

Elk River Trail

Near Tofino

Canso Plane Crash

Near Courtenay

Mount Becher

Near Port Alberni

Mount 5040

Mount Arrowsmith

Mount Apps

Alberni Inlet Trail

Mount Cokely CPR Trail

Near Nanaimo

Bonnell Creek waterfalls

Green Mountain

Ammonite Falls

Mount Benson

Haslam Creek Trail

Extension Ridge

White Pine Trail

Whiskey Lake

Near Ladysmith

Haslam Creek to Christie Falls

Stocking Lake Trail

Christie Falls

Heart Lake Trail

Near Cowichan Lake

Carmanah Walbran

Near Shawnigan Lake

Old Growth Trees

Near Sooke

Juan de Fuca Trail

Near Port Hardy

Cape Scott Trail near Port Hardy

Other good sources of Vancouver Island hiking information

The Vancouver Island Trail – 800km from Victoria to Cape Scott

Alltrails

Trailpeak

Explorington

Backroad Mapbooks

The post Hiking on Vancouver Island first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Last April some friends and I picked Green Mountain as our destination for a ski spring tour in the sunny weather. Based on the Saturday’s weather, it could have done anything. We crossed our fingers and decided to head out for a tour.

6am rolled around Sunday morning and I peeled my very reluctant body from the bed. Just a few more minutes it whined. Nope. It’s adventure time.

By 7am I was at Ryan’s place meeting up with the rest of the crew and we headed out towards Green. The sky was blue, it was fairly cool. There was some fresh snow in the last couple days. Life’s good.

The ride out was uneventful. We made it pass the intersection that had been the end of our last trip when my truck decided to start leaking coolant. Holding our breaths like it was going to do anything to prevent another problem we drove on by, anxious to see where the snow would start. I hoped we could make it to the washout that was about 1/3 of the way up the road.

We didn’t make it. Not by a long shot. The snow started. We threw on the chains and managed to make it another 500 meters up the road. That was it. I tried ramming the truck over a large mound of snow and quickly got high centered. So much for driving.

In 15 minutes the ski gear was out and prepped and we were on our way. I was not looking forward to the 5 or 6 km of logging road that were were going to have to slog up before we even got to the old ski hill but, hey, it was a gorgeous day and I was happy to be outside.The washout in the road that would be the location of some interesting events later on in the day, was almost covered. It still required a little bit of tricky maneuvering to get through on the skis but nothing we couldn’t handle. Further on up the road we started to see the sun. A lot of it. A combination of the sun coming around in the sky and the trees opening up around us made for a hot hike up the road. Luckily, we were all wearing black.

At last we hit the bottom of the ski hill. The touring gets much more interesting off the logging road and onto the old ski runs. The hill is also a lot steeper. We huffed and puffed our way up the first main run, over the access road and onto the main runs of the hill. Being open to the sun for much longer than any of the snow in the trees, the white stuff on the main runs was like glue. No one got in 2 steps without it balling up on your skins for a couple steps. You couldn’t shake the stuff loose and taking your skis off every 3 steps would take even longer. We just had to suck it up and keep walking.

Every time I head up Green it seems shorter. Maybe the huge tour up the road made the section on the ski hill seem so much shorter. After we hit the ski hill we were up at the top in no time. The summit plateau was ringed in ice and we had to bootpack the last 50 meters. It’s a little tough to ski 50 degree ice.

The view always impresses me from the top. We all had our relaxing summit time, Ryan busted out the RyCam and Dave scouted the runs down for something doable on the north face. If we could find something to ski right from the summit we could skirt the ice we came up. It might even be cool and fluffy.

The north face turned out to be an excellent ski down, easy the best 4 or 5 turns of the day. We spent about 20 minutes playing around on the wind lips and little bumps down the north side then started the descent. The warm snow on the south face was even more glue-like than on the way up and I had trouble staying up right. For one second my skis would be happily gliding along and then they’d be attached to the snow hoping to send me over the front.

The first half of the descent was over quickly and we were already across the access road and out in the large meadow at the bottom. This made for the second best skiing of the day and we each got in a few nice turns before starting the downhill portion of the Green road slog.

Sunburnt, sore, tired and blistered we collapsed around the cars as we filed in from the long tour. Big satisfied smalls all around indicated a great day in the mountains.

The next few days were going to be a bit rough but it’s a small price to pay for another great adventure.

The post Trip Report: Epic slog up Green Mountain To Ski Slush first appeared on Pack & Trail.

The Trail Up Mount Gemini

Gemini Trail

It’s nice and easy to get to like Green and Gemini if you’ve got a 4×4. Head out to Nanaimo lakes and continue past second lake. Take the bridge with the painted rock that crosses the river. (Need to find branch number of Green turnoff) Hang a right on Branch number and continue on that road right to the top.

Snow on Gemini Mountain

The road is 2 wheel drivable all the way to the washout that’s about half way up the back of Green. It’s a fairly big ditch that only recently has had some logs piled in it to make it a bit easier. 2 wheel drive trucks might be able to make it through but lower vehicles definitely wouldn’t.

From here the road takes you up to Green. Just before you hit the trailhead for the trail up Green there’s a road that takes off to the right. Take that and follow it all the way up Gemini. You end up at the top of a clearcut with the trail, if you could really call it that, leading up into the forest.

Pay careful attention to the flagging, it is the easiest route up but hard to follow. I started just heading straight up the hill not realizing there was flagging until about half way up. It’s quite steep the whole way up but nothing requiring any ropes.

Half way up there was a bit of snow started to show itself and a little past there. The open ground was covered with 15-30 cm. The thick treed sections were still clear underneath. I covered the open snow-covered ground in good time with easy kick-steps but had to work harder finding a route through the trees near the top.

It was a welcome reprieve from all the mosquito’s when I broke out of the trees onto the snow. I have no idea where they all came from but the little bloodsuckers were out in force. Don’t stop for a rest stop for too long in the woods, you might be carried away by the long-nosed troops.

On ridge up Gemini

Cutting around to the left and up onto the ridge it was an easy jaunt to the top to hang out in the bright, warm sunshine. Great views led off in every direction. Green Mountain’s greenery was almost entirely void of snow. Looking back towards Nanaimo, De Cosmos, Hooker and Benson had lots their white coverage weeks ago.

View from the top

On the hike up to the top, I was pleased to see that the actual summit is only about 1 km from the clearcut. Researching the trail, I was under the impression the summit was over 2 km from the start, the taller peak just to the south. I’m not sure why the taller one is not the actual summit but after finally getting to the top I’m glad they named them the way they did. Another kilometer down and up the far peak would have been pushing my time that day.

Peak next to Gemini

The trip back down to the truck was a quick and easy one. The flagging was easy to follow all the way without much trouble and it seemed to be an easier route. I had already hiked most of it once though so we knew it better than on the way down.

What I liked about Mount Gemini

Gemini Sunset

It’s relatively easy to get to. There aren’t many places that you can drive an hour and hike an hour and be on top of a beautiful snow-covered peak with great vistas in the background. Green is similar if you want don’t care to fight off the bugs while you’re hiking.

The views are spectacular. If you’re looking for some unique views of snow-covered peaks in the Nanaimo Lakes area, check out Gemini. For extra view points camp in the area and watch the sunset over the mountains to the West. I camped in the truck in the clearcut the night before the hike and was thoroughly impressed with the views of the sun falling behind the peaks in the distance.

What I didn’t like about Mount Gemini

The bugs were horrible. The night before and during the hike the mozzies were everywhere. Any time to rest and 3 or 4 more bites were added to the pile. Some good bug spray might have helped. I highly recommend taking something to ward off the little critters.

For how nice the views were at the top, the hike to get up there wasn’t terribly impressive. There were a lot of trees packed tightly together so there weren’t any views on the way up. The trees break 3/4 of the way up and you get a bit of a sneak peak at the views from the top but hardly anything before that.

The trail was hard to follow. I found the way no problem since I just had to go up but the flagging left a bit to be desired. I removed some flagging from dead brush on the ground and placed it higher up in the trees. Some of the flagging had been placed when there was a ton of snow so they were 12 or 15 feet in the air and tough to see from the ground. I’m assuming there isn’t much traffic up there since the trail was hardly visible. Some sections resembled a trail but it could have been where the water runs down the hill.

What gear to take up Mount Gemini

Breakfast on Gemini Mountain

I only spent a few hours on Gemini so I had minimal gear. I was wearing my full Scarpa Baron hiking boots to get them ready for more hiking later on this summer. They proved very helpful with kickstepping in the snow and keeping my feet warm and dry. The stiff soles made the ascents through the snow nice and easy. Anything from runners up to full mountain boots would work for this trail.

On my back I had my Osprey Talon 33 pack which has served me so well the last 2 years. I was just carrying some food, water and a shell for the top so there wasn’t much weight in it. I used a platypus water bladder to keep hydrated on the go. I find I rarely need to stop for a break unless it’s incredibly steep so I just drink on the fly.

The sun was out blazing and with the snow doubling it’s effect sunglasses and sunscreen are a must. I had my Julbo Nomad’s with Zebra anti-fog lenses on my eyes and some cheap sunscreen. They both did their job well.

Get out and hike Mount Gemini

Even with the numerous bugs competing for blood as I trudged up he steep hill, the views at the top were worth every second of it. If there weren’t so many other hikes in the area that I haven’t done yet, I’d be out exploring Gemini more.

As always, if you have any questions or comments about hiking Gemini or any of the mountains in the Nanaimo Lakes area, please let me know. You can use the Contact Form or leave a comment on this post.

The post Hiking Mount Gemini first appeared on Pack & Trail.

All trucked up and ready to go, the drive in was the same old. Up the Green road and through the washout, we hit the snow quite a bit further down the mountain than we had on our trip a few weeks previous. The snow was slushy and gross and the trucks were definitely not going anywhere near the trail head parking lot. Not to be discouraged though, snowshoes on and boards on our backs we headed on up the hill. Hez and I were stuck trudging through with snowshoes on our feet and our board on our backs. Jerrett on the other hand was happily gliding along on his splitboard. Breaking trail for him was no problem but we sunk above our ankles and carried the heavy snow up and over with every step. Did I mention there was 10 new inches of thick, wet snow on the ground.

By the time we reached the creek below the fern meadow, I was nearly pooched and ready to pack it in. The lure of one run through the thick powder was enough to keep me going though and we made it up around the fern meadow without any issues. Being one of the steeper places on the mountain, we skirted around the meadow to play it safe in case something slid.

Stopping to catch our breaths multiple times on the way up, we finally made to within site of the summit. From just below we could even see the top and elected to save it for a nicer day to see the view from the summer. This trip would have been white, white and more white.After lunch and some hydration we were ready to hit the slopes. My Dad hurried down just below where we were starting to set up with his camera. The idea was to fly  down through the powder, big grins on faces, mere feet from the tail of the guy before. Umm, right. Between getting our snowboarding legs, finding our way through the trees and wrestling our bodies out of the powder after bails, we looked like a band of snowy misfits coming out of the bush.

Not to let looks deter me though, we headed as far down the hill as we could, stopping only at the bottom of the main run just above the fern meadow. I couldn’t stop grinning. Despite the incredible amount of work to get to the top and the 2 minutes it took to get down, I was as happy as a clam. Or maybe a yeti in the snow?

I had no idea before the trip how many runs we’d be able to get in. I wasn’t sure what the snow was going to be like, the weather, everyones energy levels and the runs. Gliding over everything strapped to a snowboard gives a very different perspective than hiking with boots on dirt.

Giddy with excitement, I headed back up for 2 more runs. One about half way up and another to about the same level where we had lunch the first time. We could go anywhere, we had first tracks on the whole thing, but we only had the energy for one more. Time to make it good. Unfortunately the snow was so wet and sticky we had to stick in our previous tracks to make it through some sections. The steeper sections offered a little more freedom to play in the deep white stuff and in doing so I almost took out Hez on the way down our third time.

Hez had decided that the 5 days of climbing previous were catching up to him and he was going to sit out the last run. Jerrett headed up one more time while Hez took pictures from below. I’m not sure if I was too focused on staying upright and not flailing headfirst into the snow or Hez’s beard made him blend into the foliage, I didn’t see him until I was almost on top of him coming down. Luckily I hit our previous track near the bottom and was able to get over the flat section.

Almost falling into numerous tree wells across the access road, I accidentally launched myself out of the woods and onto the fern meadow. Taking it safe we cruised down the side near where we ascended and through the stream. Near the bottom of the fern meadow, though, I tried to be cool and do a couple turns. Apparently this was a bad idea as my board got stuck and I ended up flying backwards through the air and getting stuck in the deep snow. It felt like someone had taken a bucket of snow and shoved it down my pants and jacket. Not a great feeling.

I’m hoping that mother nature will make the access road back to the truck a little more angled. Near the stream it’s quite flat and trying to descend that on a snowboard doesn’t work very well. Hez and I kept ours on hoping to catch a little bit of a hill and slide right back to the truck. I felt like I was paddling a little boat along with my one hiking pole and moving about 1 k an hour strapped into my board. Once through the flat section it does angle down a bit more and we got a bit of a break. Don’t ride all way to the rocks though! Snowboards don’t like that.

All in all, an awesome trip and hopefully one I can repeat again very soon, hopefully with some beautiful blue sky above us.

The post Snowboarding on Green Mountain first appeared on Pack & Trail.

One of the best so far has to be Green Mountain. An old ski hill abandoned before I was even born, its gentle slopes and wide open terrain make it a beautiful place to be any time of the year. Since my first attempt I’ve been up 3 times since and the trips have been very worth it.

A few weeks ago during our week of beautiful warm sunny weather, some friends and I made the trip out. The snow had started to recede and from all the melting and freezing, had packed down considerably. We all had snowshoes just in case but didn’t even pull them off our packs for the hour and a half hike to the summit. The snow was more than hard enough for us to cruise right over all of the terrain and straight up the wide open ski hill.

The hike starts with a gentle climb up the old access road. We were forced to park the truck a couple minutes hike down the hill from where we usually depart because of the snow. It was hard enough to drive to where we did but without chains, I wasn’t getting any further around the last steep corner. The road is typically very good aside from the snow that can get quite low in the winter. There is one washout about half way up the mountain that definitely requires a 4×4 of some sort. You could walk from here but it would probably add another hour to the hike.

Near where we usually leave the access road and turn up onto the open meadows there is a deep stream that melts all the snow above it. From the stream to the top of the snow it was about 10 feet but that includes a drop in the dirt below the snow as well. 4×4’s might be able to get past where we normally park but they would definitely not make it past this ditch.

Slightly wet from hopping into the stream at the bottom of the ditch, we headed up the open meadows and into the trees. During the summer the meadows are covered with bright green ferns. It is an incredible sight. We popped through the trees, over the access road that has curled around and is winding it’s way up the mountain and onto one of the main ski hill runs. The lodge is around this area but with all the snow that covers during the winter the burn rubble and foundation were nowhere to be seen.

The rest of the hike to the summit went quickly thanks to the great company, hard snow and beautiful blue sky and sun above us.

With 200 meters left to go to the summit there are some steep craggy bits that need to be negotiated. Heading right you can pick your way up and over the rocks and on to the summit plateau at the top. If that isn’t your thing you can head left to the west side and up a steeper but snow-covered section. We decided the rocks looked like fun this time and ascended those with no problems. There was ice on the odd rock so care had to be taken no to slip down to the bottom on the pointy rocks.

With the only difficult section behind us, we winded our way through the last few trees at the top before hitting the actual summit and were greeted with a heavenly view off into the rest of the snow-covered mountains with the sun shining brightly in the sky. Summit beers were out  and everyone was contemplating digging a snow cave at that very spot and spending the night, or the week!

The post Green Mountain on a Blue Bird Day first appeared on Pack & Trail.

I’ve spent even longer dreaming of getting to the top, surveying the vistas, and chasing the marmots (don’t actually do this). But this elusive peak was always just outside my grasp.

At first I didn’t know where it was. After doing some research and realizing it was only by Nanaimo Lakes I no longer had an excuse. Actually finding the damn place was another matter. Anyone who’s done any travel around Vancouver Island, knows you can get lost on the logging roads pretty quick. Luckily I had a nice pretty GPS track my dad had made a few months previous to follow.

My first trip to Green Mountain went well. We followed the route to the base of the mountain and took the proper turn off to start the long gradual climb. A few times I wasn’t sure if we were on the right track since it was taking so long but we eventually hit the “parking lot”. There is a large round area that everyone parks in before heading off into the hills. We were only a week before hunting season when we were up there this time and were a little nervous because of it. I didn’t get shot so I’m happy.

Old ski runs overrun by ferns

A few weeks ago we headed up for another try. The day was beautiful, warm and promised not to show us to any hunters.  The trip up was beautiful. We wandered past the old burnt down lodge and played Sherlock Homes in the rubble.

Almost at the top it gets quite a bit steeper, requiring very good balance to an additional 2 limbs to clamber up the slope. Above this though, the top flattens off into a plateau of sorts surrounded by trees. Run to one end and you’ve got beautiful views of the mountains behind Nanaimo lakes and off into the distance. Run to the other and it gives you the sprawling landscape between you, Mount Benson and Nanaimo in the distance.

Not ready to call it quits yet, we spied a neighbouring peak and decided to head that south to visit. Down off Green and into the bush for a bit of hope-theres-a-trail-and-follow-it-for-a-bit hiking. Tensions were rising as we were about to summit the next peak but to our surprise the land dropped away with our destination on the other side of the gully. After a short inspection of bottom and the other side, it looked doable by my hiking party and we pushed on. Grasping the limbs of horizontal trees and bushes we hauled ourselves up the other side of the gully and onto the top of the Green Knob as we now affectionately called it.

With the ground dropping away hundreds of feet on all sides, being on top of the Knob as like floating on a cloud. Maybe not that day because the clouds were very high but the views were nonetheless spectacular.

Elated that we had actually made it up Green and the Knob to boot, we merrily skipped our way down through the meadows and back to our transportation.

Tick that one of the list, time for a winter ascent!

The post Finally Summit Green Mountain first appeared on Pack & Trail.

As soon as I heard about Green Mountain I wanted to go. It used to be an old ski hill. I thought there would be an abundance of information on this place on the internet but there seems to be very little. We never did see the lodge, or what’s left of it as it was quite foggy and our route didn’t take us close enough. Next time.

As for the rest of the hike….it was fantastic. The drive is quite long. It look us just over an hour to drive from the main manned gates to the ‘parking lot’ where you start to hike from.

It takes you on the right-hand side of first and second lake and then across a bridge and along the left-hand side of fourth lake. From there you turn off the main logging road and uphill towards Green Mountain. Most of the side road is treed but you get a glimpse every now and again of the hills that rise up all around you.

The road up the mountain is quite tame for the most part. You could go a fair ways in a car even. There are a few washouts though that even my Toyota Tacoma had to work a bit at though so I wouldn’t recommend anything less than a 4×4 for the trip. Once you get to the ‘parking lot’ you’ll be able to see the ferns that cover the open hills of Green Mountain.

We hiked for a while up the hill (it’s a steep one, you’re hiking up a ski hill) when it started to rain, and then snow. About 500 metres from the top we stopped and had lunch. We were so close to the top but had to turn around because of time. The gates into the Nanaimo Lakes area closed at 5pm on Sundays. I believe this is the summer schedule so it might change during the winter. To get to the top and back out in a day, I’d recommend either driving like crazy on the pothole-riddled roads or leaving quite early in the morning. I haven’t yet been stuck in the gates there after hours and don’t plan to push my luck.

Questions or Comments? Post them below or email me!

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