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Campbell River Area

Quadra Island

Rating: 3-5

The north end of Quadra Island offers an endless number of trailheads and old logging roads to traverse. In seven outings we have never done the same trail twice, and we've experienced a variety of riding challenges. Old de-commissioned logging roads (50-plus years) offer the best riding, with higher levels of technical difficulty requiring a high level of stamina. If you don't have a winch and don't like to be challenged, avoid these old logging roads. The Island offers majestic mountain views and water passage vistas for those trails conquered, and you can enjoy lunch on a beach that only the local deer ever get to travel. Other less-demanding trails and roads are available for the faint-hearted. The local gas station and food stores have local maps that will get you started. Head north on the Island toward the Walcan Fish Plant or any of the major lakes, and pick a logging road along the way. Watch for private-property signs, and respect property-owners' wishes at all times. For more additional information on trails we have done, or for some company while you're up here riding, email me at "llewis at island dot net" and I'll be glad to give you specifics and GPS waypoints. Submitted by Lawrence Lewis.

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Cassidy Area

Cassidy Coal Pits

Rating: 1-2

The Cassidy Coal Pits are located on Spruceton Road, off the Island Hwy. Submitted by 94 Warrior.

Chevy Club Cabin

Rating: 3-4

Head towards McKay Lake; stay left on the second turn and keep on the trail until you get to a big hill with a river at the bottom. We cross the river, and usually hike the rest of the way. It's a 10-minute walk, or there is another way off of McKay Main; I'm not exactly sure of the distance though. Submitted by 94 Warrior.

Crystal Lake

Rating: 2

Head up the FSR from Timberlands Lake, and take the second trail on the right. It has some steep hills, but it's easy once you go through it a couple of times. The trail rating goes up to a 3 when snow is present. You will come out on a switchback on the FSR; head down the FSR and take an immediate right at the bottom. Continue until you see the lake down a trail to the right, about 5 minutes from the turn. Submitted by 94 Warrior.

Haslam Lake

Rating: 2-3

Haslam Lake is on the way to the Snowmobiler's A-Frame Cabin, but instead of going up the creek-bed trail, you keep left and you'll arrive about 30 minutes from the fork. Submitted by 94 Warrior.

Ladysmith Fish Hatchery

Rating: 1-2

Head up the FSR behind the Cassidy gravel pit, take your first left and go until you hit the gate. Take the trail around it and continue on until you come to the first split in the road, then head right. After that, keep to your left which should take you to the hatchery. From the hatchery you can cross the river and go to Mattress Hill (experienced riders only!) or go around the hill, up the baby path, and from there you can hit any trail that intersects behind Ladysmith. Note: the river crossing in the photo is dry in the Summer, and can be 3-4 feet deep and fast flowing in the Winter. Submitted by 94 Warrior.

McKay Lake

Rating: 3-4

From Crystal Lake, find the the stumps up the road a little way, or take the first left trail; they are both challenging. The first bit of the trail from the stumps is very steep, and a few people have rolled there. The other trail meets up with it, and it has a few obstacles to go over. Continue until the trail meets another trail, go left; that trail hits another trail where you go right. The tracks are easy to see; once you get to the end of the trail, go right and you are at the lake. Submitted by 94 Warrior.

Rhinehold Lake

Rating: 2-3

Located up by the Snowmobiler's A-Frame Cabin. Submitted by 94 Warrior.

Snowmobiler's A-Frame Cabin

Rating: 3-5

Head up the FSR from the Cassidy gravel pit. Stay on the main road for about 1 hr, turn onto the trail that's essentially a creek bed, stay on the main trail for about an hour until you find the cabin. Submitted by 94 Warrior.

Timberlands Gravel Pit

Rating: 1-2

Lots of flat areas, a small oval track with moguls, and a bunch of piles to climb from easy to steep. Located at the end of Timberlands Road off of the Island highway by the Nanaimo airport. Submitted by 94 Warrior.

Timberlands Lake

Rating: 1-2

There are three trails that go to the lake; the easiest is the FSR which you take from Timberlands Road (it's a good nitro ride). The other two trails are a little more challenging at 50 mph, with hills and bumps and tight corners for power sliding. Submitted by 94 Warrior.

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Castlegar Area

Bulldog Mountain

Rating: 1

Head east from Grand Forks, past Christina Lake on Hwy 3 towards Castelgar. Turn north towards Bulldog Mountain on the old Columbia & Western Railway line that ran from Grand Forks through Farron and on towards Castlegar. About 1.5 km's before the old townsite of Farron, you'll find a memorial commemorating the Farron Explosion in 1924. A bomb planted on a passenger train killed nine passengers including Peter Verigin (leader of the Doukhobors) and a Member of Pariament; the Doukhobors were settlers from Russia who settled into the Grand Forks area. In Farron, we found a water tower still standing, and a little shelter in a hillside with a stove inside. On the east side of the water tower is a small trail that goes up to a recreation campsite. We carried on along to the Bulldog Mountain Railway Tunnel, one of the longest tunnels contructed at that time, almost 1000 feet long with a curve that puts you into total darkness at one point. Once you've passed thrrough the tunnel, the railway grade continues onwards towards Castelgar, high above Lower Arrow Lake. We turned around at this point, but apparently there are a couple of washouts ahead that aren't passable by truck, but might be suitable for ATVs. There are also a few offshoots that could be explored as well. Submitted by p1rate7.

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Chilliwack Area

Chilliwack - Foley Lake FSR (aka Chipmunk)

Rating: 1-5

Take Chilliwack Lake Rd; just past the Ford Mountain Correctional Centre, turn left onto the Chilliwack - Foley Lake FSR. The main road forks within a couple hundred feet; the right branch leads to a parking area where you can off-load your quad. Two trails lead off from the back of the parking lot; the right branch terminates quickly. The left branch is a nice ATV trail (rating: 2) that turns into an overgrown shelf road above the valley; it has some dips and slight off-camber sections. It's a neat trail, but unfortunately it terminates after a couple km's. The main FSR (rating: 1) is the left branch before the parking lot. Turn left after the first bridge; there are numerous branches and side roads that lead off and climb up into the mountains. We did find a couple of minor rock slides which we slowed down for. There are a lot of moderate and challenging trails in this area. Some are short jaunts through the forest that form a loop back to the main road; others such as the "Just a Few Tokin' Bears" and "Jamtart Hill" trails (rating: 5) go on for quite a ways and have branches of their own. This area is also known as Thurston. There's something for everyone here, including viewpoints and a hill-climb in a gravel pit.

Chilliwack Liumchen-East FSR

Rating: 2-4

Map

Take Chilliwack Lake Rd, cross over the Chilliwack River then turn right onto the main gravel road past the campsite. Find a place to offload your quad. Head east past Chilliwack-Tamihi Creek FSR on the left, travel a couple km's down the road then take the next left. Switchback up, pass the first two small right forks (which dead-end after 1-2 km's), then take the third right fork which is marked as being part of the Trans Canada Trail. Follow this road for several km's until you reach a major intersection. There is clear signage; the Chilliwack Liumchen-East FSR heads south next to the DND property. Up until now, the trail rating was 1. The rating for the rest of the trail will vary with the weather; the trail surface is subject to change during rain storms, and it's not maintained. You will quickly start to switchback up a fairly steep grade; and you will notice deep channels and natural ditches cut into the road from run-off. Pick your lines carefully; it's very easy to get a tire high in the air, and you'll roll your quad if you point your tires in the wrong direction. Further up you'll find a groove worn into the center of the road by dirtbikes; try to straddle the groove because if you fall in, you'll be heading up way off-camber, and will be dragging the side of your quad along the dirt for a while (done that!). After a while you will descend along a steep rutted, rooty trail (rating 4). Then the trail becomes a shelf road that follows the contours of the mountains, and in some places becomes off-camber and VERY narrow, such that the outside back tire of your quad is half-off the trail over thin air (assuming a 51" track width). There is one creek area where a slide has come down and large trees cover the trail, but you can skirt it by travelling up the creek and under the debris if your quad box isn't too high (rating 3). The trail eventually ends at a huge slide that has totally taken out the trail, although you can continue on foot up into the Church Mtn (elev. 1714m) area.

DND Powerline Road

Rating: 1-3

Map

Take Chilliwack Lake Rd, cross over the Chilliwack River then turn right onto the main gravel road past the campsite. Find a place to offload your quad. Head east past Chilliwack-Tamihi Creek FSR on the left, travel a couple km's down the road then take the next left. Switchback up, pass the first two small right forks (which dead-end after 1-2 km's), then take the third right fork which is marked as being part of the Trans Canada Trail. Follow this road for several km's until you reach a major intersection. Pass through the intersection and ride past the DND property entrance on the left. In about 1-2 km's, watch for the powerlines angling in on the right at the western boundary of the DND's property on the north side of the road. Take the steep descent from the mainline down to the powerline road, and start exploring. The trail loops and winds around, and there are numerous branches. Be wary of the hillclimbs; some are very steep and once you're committed you have to keep on the throttle. This is a fairly small area, and is well-suited for beginners who are making the transition to intermediate-level riding. The trail ratings vary depending on which path you take; it's totally possible to take an easy route all the way through. We did it with patches of snow and ice on the ground.

Vedder Ridge

Rating: 3-5

Map

Vedder Ridge is located south of Sardis. Take Hwy 1 to the Sardis Exit, travel south to the bridge over the Vedder River, follow the road as it curves to the right, then take your first left at the traffic light. When you see a wide gravel road on your right, pull over and find a spot to park (and don't block the driveway to the Public Works yard), or proceed up the road to the next plateau and park there. The main gravel access road (rating: 1) that rings the mountain provides access to many smaller trails; many are dirtbike trails, and the hillclimbs are V'd from their tires. Lots of steep, tight, off-camber dirt trails, with some rocky sections, and mud in wet weather. Many nice, scenic trails as well (rating: 1).

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Coquihalla Area

Coquihalla Lakes Area

Rating: 1

Map

The Coquihalla Lakes exit immediately north of the former toll booth provides access to numerous ATV and snowmobile trails, as well as access to the main gravel Forest Service Roads leading to Coalmont, Tulameen, and Brookmere. Take the exit, and look for the rest-area parking lot. The trails I checked out were fairly flat, with the exception of one optional steep hill (rating: 3). The terrain is mostly dirt, with mud in wet weather. One of the trails follows the fence next to the highway, but you are opposite the fence to the road. This trail will take you to the Bailey bridge at the Coquihalla Lakes exit, which allows you to access a trail that is now part of the Trans Canada Trail. Alternatively, you can start at the Bailey Bridge and work your way over to the rest area and the Forest Service Roads.

Deneau Creek Area

Rating: 1

I'm not sure what the proper name for this area is, but it's a small trail network about 1 km north of Deneau Creek, on the west side of the Coquihalla Hwy. There are trails paralleling the highway both north and south, and there are at least two access points right off the highway. Heading south along the trail network will allow you to climb a cliff above the Coquihalla; the sheer cliff wall above is unstable and large chunks of jagged rock fall down onto the road once in a while. You will shortly find yourself in an older logged valley around the back of the mountain. This road has been cross-ditched, so you can't really get your speed up. We didn't follow it too far in, as we only wanted an idea of where it went. We saw a cougar and a black bear on this trail.

Larson Hill Area

Rating: 1-4

Larson Hill is an excellent starting location, offering plenty of camping spots and easy-to-moderate trails, including the KVR railbed, gas pipeline roads, old logging roads, and other narrower trails. The trail network joins the trails on Shovelnose Mountain and Thynne Mountain, and there's an excellent assortment of older twisty trails on the other side of the highway off the gas pipleline road. Photos from the LMATV Poker Run 2004

Peers Creek

Rating: 2

Peers Creek FSR is the first FSR north of Hope, at the south end of the Coquihalla Hwy; the highway exit is marked Othello Tunnels. Most of the trail is rating 1, but there are a few rock slides along the trail that increase the rating to 2 or 3, depending on the weather, the severity of the slide, and whether or not anyone has cleared rock from the trail. Once we were through the slides, it became obvious that not many people had been up through the area. Some of the side trails were quite overgrown, and we spent several hours brushing out a trail that crossed the valley and climbed up into logged cuts which offered excellent views of the valley, and allowed us to see the Coquihalla highway below, and the Fraser River in the next valley over.

Shylock Road

Rating: 1-2

The Shylock Road exit is the third exit north of Hope. This is an active logging area, but at the time I wrote this logging was not occuring on the weekends. Most of the roads are easy logging mainline, but there are a couple of creek crossings and rock crawling sections that up the difficulty level. This area is gated to street vehicles, but an ATV trail exists which provides access for ATVs.

Sowaqua Creek

Rating: 1

Map

Sowaqua Creek FSR is the second FSR north of Hope, near the south end of the Coquihalla Hwy. This is a generally well-maintained gravel road; we did find numerous slides that been cleared, although small rocks still remained on the travelled portion of the road. The trail goes on for quite a while; all of the branches eventually end in a logged cut. Watch for black bears; we saw three in the space of about ten minutes. You can also take the pipeline trail north to the next exit, the Carolin Mine Road, and continue north to the Shylock Road exit.

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Dawson Creek Area

Bear Mountain

Rating: 1-5

Bear Mountain is located about 10 kms southwest of Dawson Creek. Head west out of Dawson Creek; after about 5 kms turn south on South Dawson road. After about 5 kms you'll find an old gravel pit; this is a good place to park and unload. There is a nice lunch spot nearby called Radar Lake, complete with picnic tables. Trails lead off in all directions; they range in difficulty from 1-5. There are many mud holes which will swallow a quad; winches and good buddies are highly recommended. Bring extra gas, clothes, and a camera to take pictures of moose, deer, bear and other critters. A logging road just to the south of this spot hooks up with ATV and snowmobile trails that go for miles and miles (rating: 1). You can ride from Bear Mountain east to Pouce Coupe, where it's legal to ride into town for gas or food. Trip is about 20 kms one way (rating: 2). You can head straight south on a trail called One Island Lake; it's about 70 kms one way. This trail hooks into a snowmobile trail that goes about 100 kms to Tumbler Ridge, where it's also legal to ride into town for gas or food (rating: 4-5 depending on mud). There are trails to the west which lead to what is called The Rimrock, apparently an old volcano ridge (rating: 1-2). Submitted by Steve.

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Fort St James Area

Germansen Road

Rating: 3-4

The old Germanson road is part of the Omineca gold trail. The trailhead is 105 kms north of Fort St James on the Germanson Road. The area before and beyond the trailhead is a great recreational area. Follow the Germanson road (North Rd) until you cross the Nation River bridge (you can't miss it; it's the only pavement you would have crossed during the last 100 kms). There is a great camping area at the bridge. The trailhead is not marked, but that is what makes it so great, as it's untouched. Travel 4 kms past the bridge; at the edge of a old cut block a small trail takes off on the left. If you see an old 1930's pickup about 200 yards in, you'll know you are on the right track. The trail still has the original "corduroy" through the swamps; it feels like rocks, but under the water is thousands upon thousands of small trees laid down side by side to enable the wagons, horses, mule pack trains, and later trucks and Cats to make their way north for gold. There are old trapper cabins, large creek crossings (which become rivers during run-off); flat, wide, speed sections; and narrow, twisty, rock-strewn sections throughout the entire trail. The trail breaks off and rejoins many times, so a GPS and map are a must. Not to mention bear protection; there are grizzly tracks that will make you shiver. The trail is said to go all the way to Manson Creek, a small gold-mining community), but I have never made it that far (85+ kms one way). Too many cool things to see and not enough time. Lots of water crossings, deep stuff, and mud. The trail is still used in the winter by trappers, and in the fall by moose hunters. Please use respect, and leave the trail how you found it. When I'm on the trail, I feel that I have gone back 130 years; nothing like it. Submitted by Whurl.

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Fort St John Area

Christina Falls

Rating: 1-4

Map (from Joebear)

Trail rating depends on how wet the year is. If you want to attempt the mud holes, you should have at least one experienced rider with a winch. Drive from Fort St John up the Alaska Highway to Mile 95 Road (also known as Upper Halfway Road). Turn left and follow the gravel road for about 102 km to Crying Girl campsite. Along this road you will cross the Halfway River on a Bailey bridge. There is a road to the right just after the bridge; DO NOT turn there. Keep following the main road; at about km 99, the road heads down a long hill and goes to the right around a corner at the bottom. To the left is a logging road that looks like it's the main road; KEEP STRAIGHT. A couple kms later you will see the campsite sign on the left. Camp in there. The trail starts back at approx km 99, or at the top of the long grade mentioned earlier. There is, or was, a sign that said "Christina Road". Follow this for several miles. It will go through a few logging areas, then head down a hill to a creek crossing. Continue up and over through another logging area, and you will go down to another creek crossing. Continue down the trail; you will find many deep muskeg and mud holes, but there are trails around every one. They were all marked by the MOOSE ATV Club, but I'm not sure if the signs are still up. Keep following the trail; eventually you will see a Muskwa-Kechika sign on the left of a long straight stretch. Turn left here and follow the road to the T at the river. Go left to the viewpoint, right to the campsite, or park and walk out on the rocks. If you go out on the rocks and along the river canyon, you can get to a spot which allows you to see the complete falls. BE VERY CAREFUL! From the veiwpiont there is a trail that leads to the bottom of the falls, which are 220 feet high. There is a nice view of Watson's Farm past the left turn to the falls. You cannot go past his fence, but it is a beautiful valley; this is several kms past the falls turn off. The ride from the trucks to the falls is about 30 kms. It can take a couple hours one way, so bring a lunch. From Crying Girl campsite, there are many other trails to follow. One heads south for about 6 miles, but ends at the river with an outfitters cabin on the opposite side. Submitted by Joebear.

Redfern Lake

Rating: 1-4

This is a good trail, but when wet can have deep mudholes and creek crossings. This is a holiday on quads. From where you park the trucks it's 70 kms to the lake; this is about a 5-6 hour ride in, although it took us 13 hours the first time I rode it. Good fishing and hiking; right in the mountains. Drive up the Alaska Highway approx 2.5-3 hours from Fort St John. Drive about 1-2 miles past the Buckinghorse River. Watch on the left for a road and covered sign; the sign is a Northland Trailblazers Skidoo Club sign with map of the trail. Turn left off the highway, follow the road approx 5-10 kms, and watch for a tiny sign pointing to the left saying something about Redfern Trail. Drive until you see the next Northland Trailblazers sign. Find a spot to park and load up all your gear. From the sign, follow the trail in. Watch the creek crossings and about halfway in you will come to Neves creek. It will be the biggest crossing yet, and you will cross it 3 times. There are cabins after the second crossing; stop and say hi to the people and take a break. They will tell you all about the next crossing and whatever else is happening out there. Continue on down the trail, and you will come to the Besa River Bridge. Good fishing downstream from the bridge. Once you have supper caught, continue on to the lake. Before the lake, you will find a snowmobile cabin on the right, which you can stay at if it's not occupied. There are several places to camp, and you can rent cabins from Barb and Paul Gillis at the Redfern Lake Wilderness Retreat that are very nice. There are trails up along the lake, leading to each end. This is a protected area, so stay on the trail. Barb and Paul can tell you about many places to fish and hike. If you take a boat across the mouth of the Besa then follow the trail, you can hike up to Fairy Lake. You can also fly into the lake and stay at the cabins; just contact Barb and Paul and they can set it up. Submitted by Joebear.

Stewart Lake Trail

Rating: 3-4

At approx Mile 30 on the Alaska Highway is the Gagne Road heading west. This is south of Taylor and Fort St John, and is basically 30 miles north of Dawson Creek. I believe it is road #240. Anyway head down this road; it goes straight for several miles, winds down over a creek, then turns to the left and heads up and around a hill to the left. A little further on the left is the Northland Trailblazers snowmobilers sign. Park in the field on the left side of the road and unload your quad. You will see a road heading to the south-west; it will travel along a field, then turn to the right and into the trees. Along the field is a trail to the right that goes to a warm-up cabin and out-house. After passing the field and heading into the trees, the trail winds down and around, and has several good mud-holes (with bypasses). You will come to a creek crossing, and eventually you'll find a second creek and a pipeline right-of-way. You can open the fence (gate) and turn to the right; close the gate behind you. Follow the pipeline to a logging road. Cross the road and continue to the next road. Turn right and follow it to Stewart Lake. That was the easy way to describe how to get there; there is another trail just before the first creek crossing to the right. If you take this it will come out at the same logging road, just further down it. If you turn left and follow the road (watch for the snow-mobilers signs pointing to the right), the trail will lead you to Stewart Lake. I have never taken the last part of this trail so I do not know what it is like. Submitted by Joebear.

Williston Lake (Hudson's Hope)

Rating: 1-3

Drive to Hudson's Hope, then head towards the WAC Bennett Dam on the paved road. Watch for a paved road heading straight off a corner. About 100 feet past this is a paved pull-out on the right, or a little further is a gravel one for the trappers cabin. Park there and unload.
Trail 1, rating: 1 - If you ride down the paved road straight off the corner it will take you to Williston Lake, about a mile away. If the water is low (springtime only), you can go out on the beach to the right and head up the lake about 10 miles. The terrain is all sand and gravel; watch for ditches from run-off. Many places to fool around jumping or playing in the sand.
Trail 2, rating: 2 - If you ride in the ditch along the highway towards the dam (further along the road you just drove up), the trail goes down through a gully (deep ditch at the bottom). Once you are up the other side you will come to a road. If you turn right on the road it will take you to the lake (more sand in the spring). Before the lake on this road, you will find an open area on the right that you can camp in. If you turn left on this road and cross the highway (be careful!), you can follow this road up to the glacial moraine. Several square miles of sand and gravel to ride and play in! Watch out for metal sticking up! I have not seen any for a few years, but the sand is always changing. Left-over scrap from building the dam. There are some very steep hills in here, but if you watch for the beaten paths you will find the easy trails throughout the moraine. Never fly up over the top without seeing what is there first or you may find a steep dropoff. Even on a rainy day, these trails are good because of all the sand and gravel.
Trail 3, rating: 1 - Once you cross the highway towards the moraine you will see the Hydro lines heading to Vancouver. Turn left and follow the trail all the way to the other end, and you will arrive at the bottom of a hill and a paved parking lot. Head right on the road and you will find the Dinosaur Lake campground and boat launch.
Trail 4, rating: 1 - Along the Hydro line there is a fenced-off transformer station. Turn right and follow the trail up to the moraine, or go past it about 1-2 kms and watch for the trail down a pipline to the right. If you follow this to another (old) road crossing and turn right, this will take you up to the old coal mine. Stop and walk up to the right past the remains of the old buildings to the top. There is a small opening that always has cold air blowing out. There are several caves on the east side that you could crawl into, but it's not recomended. Just before the coal mine, the trail also goes left and this will take you down to the lake. However, a couple hundred feet up from it the trail has fallen away. If you did not turn right off the pipeline, it will take you down to the Dinosaur Lake. If you turn left on the road it will take you back to the Hydro line. Left takes you back to the trucks and right goes to the Dinosaur campsite.
Trail 5, rating: 3 - You can find trails all along the highway out from Hudson's Hope. On the right, before you get to the parking areas in Trail 1, is a road that will take you to the top of Bullhead Mountain. It is not well marked and can be bad at times. Great views of the lake, the moraine, and back towards Hudson's Hope. Submitted by Joebear.

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Gold Bridge Area

Green Mountain

Rating: 2

Green Mountain is a few kilometres from Bralorne. When I was last at Green Mountain in 2002, it was slated to be logged in the immediate area of the trailhead. Once past this section, you'll be climbing a rocky, twisty path to ascend the mountain. There's a plateau at the top of the tree-line that provides an excellent view of the surrounding valley, followed by a run through a sandy wash leading up into the snow. If you can get through the snow, you will find a cabin perched at the top of the mountain. The cabin is a relic from World War II, and has pictures of Japanese war planes on the wall; the military personnel occupying the cabin were supposed to call on the radio if they spotted any of these planes flying overhead. Please take photos only! Leave the memorabilia for others to enjoy.

McGillvray Pass (from the Gold Bridge side)

Rating: 1-4

From Gold Bridge, take the road towards Bralorne. Take Kingdom Lake FSR just before Brexton (50.49.354/122.49.507; freq: 152.960). This road passes above the old Pioneer mine site that has a couple of bridges out, and also passes by Lost Lake, Noel Lake, Kingdom Lake, and Mead Lake. At about the 11 km mark (50.45.202/122.45.455) you will find an old hotel/boarding house of some kind. Taking the road down beside the old structure will reveal numerous out-buildings, old mine workings, and a couple of bridges. The one main bridge seemed to cross back over Cadwallader Creek, but was only quad wide. We looked around the structures as best we could. Other trails in the area include Hawthorne Creek Trail located around the 14.5 km mark (50.44.509/122.42.735; 1299m entrance elev), and Piebiter Mt Trail at about the 19 km marker. Over the bridge, at about the 19 km mark and up a side trail to McGillvray Creek Trail & Pass (50.42/122.39). Very overgrown, cross-ditched area. We kept on the lower road to try and mimic the creek passage. We reached a T-intersection for snowmobiles (50.42.266/122.30.776; 1503m elev) and took the lower road to the right. Lots of deadfall to clear by chainsaw and extreme off-camber sections; good quad trail. All along the trail you can see boards and the old telegraph wire; this might have been the pack-mule line into Gold Bridge in the old days. Near the top of the McGillvray Mtn pass, we reached the July snowline (1670m) at the head of the creek. The road was unpassable; so close and yet so far! If you did get through, you would end up at the newly replaced McGillvray Creek bridge and FSR entrance, located at 50.37.36/122.27.33 on the Douglas Trail powerline road between D’Arcy and Seton Portage. In the last km before the fork onto the Douglas Trail, look for cabins on your left way up in the bush. This is most likely the old Brett Mine. Five cabins in various states still remain up there, and if you look over on the right down into the little creek, you will see a screened-in panning "post", presumably so the miners could pan the river while keeping away the bugs. Submitted by Hawkfyre.

Truax FSR

Rating: 1

From Gold Bridge, drive on the south side of Carpenter Lake and the infamous drowned town of Minto. Minto townsite was drowned in the 1950's when the Bridge River was flooded to make a resevoir for the power station on the other side of Mission Ridge, thus creating Carpenter Lake. Head out Bralorne Ave by the Hotel and keep on going. If the water levels are low you may get a rare glimpse of Minto remnants. About 11 kms down the road along the lake bank of the river/lake we hit Truax FSR (50.53.439/122.42.427; freq 152.960). The road is marked as "deactivated"; watch for cross-ditches. You should be able to offload your quads here. The road you were just on apparently dead-ends just past this point. By the 2 km marker, you will have climbed to the 1000m elevation, and you can see some beautiful peaks in the distance. By 6 kms you'll be at 1386m. There's an intersection at 50.51.910/122.41.310; we took the lower road on the left. You will come up to another Y intersection at a branch of two rivers (50.51.249/122.41.403). There are two bridges; one we passed over; the other to the other mountain to the east has been deactivated and rated at a maximum load of 0 kgs (that's "zero", so don’t breathe too hard). The bridge actually looks good but I guess they don’t want people going up that way for whatever reason, but it doesn’t say "do not enter", so you make the choice. The road and bridge over to the eastern mountain looked good, but it was blocked by a large tank-trap, but you may be able to take your quad up. The locals say it's a gorgeous trail; the road continues to Mt. Truax (2880m elev) and Mt Fergusson (2588m elev). There may be a trail down the other side to Kingdom Lake FSR in the area of Lost Lake, Noel Lake, Kingdom Lake (which has a very VERY nice Rec site at about 4.5 kms along Kingdom FSR) and finally Mead Lake. Well worth investigating further. This area is very remote, and the scenery is phenomenal. Submitted by Hawkfyre.

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Grand Forks Area

Burrell Creek West FSR

Rating: 2

This starts off as a wide logging road, but progressively narrows as it turns into a shelf road. In some locations, the road is sloughing away, leaving only a quad-wide section of road surface. As this is a little-travelled road (too narrow for trucks), bring a chainsaw for the inevitable deadfall. The access to the Old McKinley Mine is on this road, but it's well-hidden in the bush and is easy to miss. It eventually meets up with Gloucester - Union Mine FSR, so you can do a big loop if you want. This road is known as "Union Mine Road" in the Backroad Mapbook, but is actually signed "Burrell Creek West FSR, Elev 675m". Lots of black bears.

Gloucester - Union Mine FSR

Rating: 1

This is a wide-open logging mainline that eventually takes you to the abandoned Union Mine. You can easily spend an hour wandering through the tunnels, so take a couple flashlights. There are mining and logging branches you can check out; the older branches are somewhat overgrown and may no longer look like a "road". Watch for evidence of old mines and cabins along the way. Caution! Active hauling in progress.

Gloucester Creek FSR

Rating: 1

This logging road will eventually take you to Needles (and the Needles ferry to Fauquier). Take Gloucester Creek FSR, then T-Bone, then Young Main, then Burrell Creek FSR, then Worthington Creek FSR to Edgewood. There are numerous branches to check out; we were just passing through and didn't have time to explore. Long trip; spare fuel required.

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Harrison Area

Hale Creek

Rating: 1

The Hale Creek access is located approximately 36 km's up the Harrison West FSR. There are two ways in to Hale Creek, an easy gravel switchbacked road crossed by a creek (rating: 1), and a steeper route with a couple of minor rocky sections. We went in and down via the rocky road, and exited back up to the FSR via the switchbacks. The "rocky" road used to be a 4-rated road, but is now suitable for beginners. Once down at the beach, there's a shelter with a wood stove that will allow you to warm up and dry your gear. The beach is composed of sand (of course), and there is a very small trail network (rating: 1) to check out in the surrounding forest.

Harrison East FSR

Rating: 1

This is mainline road on the east side of Harrison Lake. If you travel north from Harrison Hot Springs, you can access the Nahatlatch FSR and ride to Boston Bar, although you cannot ride right into town. There are numerous side roads along the way, along with logging camps and lakes. This is an active logging road, so WATCH FOR LOGGING TRUCKS 7 days a week.

Harrison West FSR

Rating: 1

This is mainline road on the west side of Harrison Lake. You can take the road north from Harrison Mills all the way to Mount Currie. There are numerous side roads along the way, along with First Nations villages, logging camps, and lakes. This is an active logging road, so WATCH FOR LOGGING TRUCKS 7 days a week.

Old Logging Camp

Rating: 2

An abandoned logging camp is located at approximately 61kms on the Harrison West FSR. A short loop trail leads down to a jetty at the lake, and a large A-frame storage structure and several houses are still standing. The trail down can be interesting for a beginner, depending on the line chosen. Watch for nails and other sharp objects if you park your quad inside the A-frame.

Weaver Creek

Rating: 1-4

Take Hwy 7 east past Lake Errock, and turn left at the Sasquatch Inn. Stay on the main paved road past Sandpiper golf course. Drive about 5 miles and watch for the signs on the left for Weaver Creek Forestry Recreation Campsite and FSR. If you can't find it, there's a gas station 1-2 kms past the golf course, and they should be able to tell you exactly how to find the rec area / campsite. Go to the campsite and park down below in the campsite, or alternatively, the caretaker is there year-round and you can politely ask if it's okay to park in a spot close to them for the day (we went during an off-season weekday). The drive out was very gentle and easy. Ride your quad out from the campsite the way you came in. The first trail to the left will have you on your way (try asking the camp caretaker if you can't locate it). This first section of trail is a great warm up; it's rocky and has some good steps to climb. Slightly rough; maybe rated 2-3. The road continues on for a long way with some off-shoots, but explore main trail first. Eventually you will arrive at a steep, raging wash-out. If you ride down the wash-out, you will find a narrow, homemade log ladder/ramp just wide enough for your quad. If you're a beginner, have a friend spot you. The trail ends very shortly afterwards, but it looked like a work in progress so it may eventually go further. This is the toughest part of the whole ride. Coming out of washout is short and steep, requiring 4wd. You can go back down the main trail and explore the many off-shoots. We ended up on the Harrison Lake mainline, which allowed us to explore various different beaches along the lake. Lots of trails with trenching (cross-ditching), so watch your speed. Submitted by Canucklehead.

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Hedley Area

20 Mile Creek Road

Rating: 1-2

Head north from the Hedley townsite on the east side of Hedley River. The paved road soon turns to gravel. Do not turn at the branch marked "Do Not Enter - Live Mining"; it's been closed for years, but the road has a really deep trench dug across it. The straight road turns into a very narrow shelf road that eventually ends; this is the 20 Mile Creek Road. Heading back, you will see a different fork other than the one with the sign; this will switchback up the mountain above Hedley, heading towards Aberdeen Ridge. You'll find a few old cement structures along the way, along with a pile of core samples just dumped on the hillside. You will eventually arrive at a plateau with the remains of a rail system for mine carts, which leads to a mine opening in the middle of the cliff. From this vantage point of approximately 1200m, you can see Hedley far below to the south-east. Should you decide to hike into the mine, you will find that it's a steeply-angled climb in a straight line heading up into the mountain. There are a few wooden steps on the right side, but beware as many are rotten and will not support your weight. The steps soon disappear, and you will be climbing on slippery wet rock and loose dirt. There are a few storage rooms in the sides of the shaft, along with the occasional piece of machinery and electrical fixture. It's a long climb; our flashlight batteries ran out and we never made it to the top of the incline. Back on the plateau, there's a small rock fallout just past the mine entrance; this path is overgrown and difficult, and leads to the top of the mountain, and to a hiking trail that eventually comes out at at Nickle Plate Mountain to the east. Submitted by p1rate7.

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Hope Area

BC Nickel Mine Road

Rating: 1-5

Map

Take Hwy 7 north from Hope. Turn left approximately 6km north of American Creek. You can follow the main road to just past the 4km sign, where there's a large area under the powerlines suitable for off-loading your quad. Or you can take the first left and park at the side of the road (not as much parking space though). The entire area is filled with dirtbike trails, mining roads, logging roads, and powerline roads. There are numerous loops which squeezed through the trees that are excellent for beginning ATVers looking for a challenge. There are some extremely narrow shelf roads that require you to place one tire on the trail and the other on the embankment (rating: 4), but some trails are just too narrow for quads. I checked out the powerline roads (rating: 1), one very-recently maintained road headed into another valley. The logging roads (rating: 1) also looked to be very new, and all led into new timber cuts. The road to the mine (rating: 1) is a little rocky; watch for slides and sections where the trail has sloughed away. Two old, broken bridges in two different areas lead into other areas and more trails. A small rock-crawling section (guardian rating: 5, trail rating 3) leads to a creek crossing (use caution!) and more trails. Gravel, dirt, mud, rocks; something for everyone, from beginner to advanced.

Herrling Island

Rating: 1-3

[ JUL/08: THIS AREA IS CLOSED INDEFINITELY ] Take Hwy 1 and watch for the exit signs between Chilliwack and Hope; access is seasonal depending on the height of the Fraser River. Herrling is criss-crossed with dirtbike trails, and the terrain is mostly sand. Many of the trails have single-track ruts worn into the middle by the dirtbikes, requiring you to straddle the gap. The perimeter of the island is mostly smooth, river-worn rocks. Be very careful when crossing any water channel; some beds are very deep and will drown your quad or truck in a blink of an eye. Also, be very aware of soft sand bars; while they may look solid they can be quite soupy beneath the surface, and when your tires dig down your frame will become high-centered. Herrling Island is a multi-use recreational area; please respect those who are fishing and cross downriver. Seasonal access, depending on river height. Trip report with photos

Jones Lake

Rating: 1

Take Hwy 1 east from Herrling Island; take the Jones Lake exit and follow the road east for a short distance until you see the Jones Lake sign. This is a BC Hydro rec site, and there is a parking lot just off the road where you can off-load your quad. Most people just take the main gravel road up towards the lake and the very nice campsites, but there are several overgrown trails on the way up suitable for exploration. Dave and I brushed out one trail for a couple of hours, and never did find the end of it before we got tired and started riding again. We took a branch off the main road and found ourselves with a view of Hwy 1, the Fraser River, and the Lougheed Hwy. This road led to a neat rock-crawl trail (rating: 3-4, depending on your line and the weather), where the winter rains had eroded all of the soil, leaving only large rocks to make up the trail. Unfortunately, this road ended where a cross-creek had totally washed out the hillside.

Squeah FSR

Rating: 1

Pass through Hope, get onto the Old Princeton Hwy, left on 7th Ave, right on Kawkawa Lake Road, then left on Union Bar Road just after the bridge. Union Bar Road turns into a dirt road, where it becomes the Squeah FSR. There are numerous trails to explore in this area; however some areas are private property or First Nations reserve and are signed as such. You can take high shelf roads with a view of the Fraser Canyon, and you can explore the old logging camp by the railway tracks.

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Kamloops Area

Buse Hill

Rating: 1

From Barnhartvale Road, take Robbins Range Road. You will see Buse Hill in the distance, it's right side is a sloping hill, and it's left side is a straight drop down. When you find the old homestead on the right, and an unfenced open area on the left, you are there. This is a relatively small area. The main road up has a few branches that we did not check out due to snow. When you approach the top of the first plateau, you will see a large "DANGER" sign in a tree. This sign warns of the sudden drop just past the sign; apparently some snowmobilers came roaring up the hill, didn't realize that the horizon marked the end of the ground, and sailed over the edge, falling about 350 feet to their deaths. From the plateau, you can see a hoodoo to the left; there is a trail that leads to the next plateau, and then to the last plateau closest to the hoodoo. Be very cautious when riding or walking along the edge of the cliff; it is slippery and unstable, and in fact I do NOT recommend getting too close to the edge. The viewpoints offer a nice panorama of the valley, and you can even see Kamloops in the distance.

Greenstone / Logan Lake Resource Management Area

Rating: 1-5

There are several access points to this area; we took the "Inks Lake U-Turn Route" exit from Hwy 1. A sign at the start of each trailhead shows a map of the entire trail system, which is quite extensive. Tons of multi-use trails loop and criss-cross throughout the area, and there are numerous lakes for those who fish. Some of the trails which appear on the map are quite long, so extra fuel is recommended. We were there in March, and there was still up to a foot of snow on the ground, although it was spotty. The ground was soft and muddy, so it's important to stay on the established trails. Private property surrounds the area, so watch for fences and gates, and obey the posted signs. Update: Definitely check out this area when the snow is gone. There are plenty of the dirtbike-style tight, deeply-V'd, off-camber, winch-steep hard-core trails that we love, and a high-altitude fire lookout for the scenery-seekers.

Sciutto Lake FSR

Rating: 1-4

Map

From Barnhartvale Road, take Robbins Range Road, then Campbell Range Road. The first turn-off on the right is Sciutto Lake FSR. There's a nice area for unloading your quad just past the start of the road. We visited this area in December, when it was covered with about six inches of snow; but we were able to successfully get through all of the trails that we tried. Lots of trails branch off the main road, and each of those trails have numerous branches that split off to parts unknown. Many are loop trails, leading back to the main road or the main trail; others join up with other trail networks to form a veritable maze of endless trails. Sciutto is an excellent area for beginners and trail explorers. Signs are posted warning dirtbike and ATV riders to stay on the established trails and to keep off of the grasslands; please follow this directive. Trip Report with photos
Update: We revisited this trail in March, and found numerous lakes and still more trails. There are several trails that are quite steep, and some that are very off-camber. We found an excellent, old, overgrown trail at the 11 km mark that twists through the forest, but only made it about 2 km's in before we were thwarted by deep snow.

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Kelowna Area

Bartley Road

Rating: 1-2

Take Bartley Road north from Hwy 97. Drive SLOWLY past the farms and houses, then find a place to off-load past the cattle guard. There are actually more areas to park further along the road. The road switchbacks up the mountain, and branches numerous times. Some branches lead to cut blocks, some loop back to the main road, and others we didn't check out. The road is supposed to meet up with Bear Creek FSR, but we were there in the snow and didn't have the opportunity to take a long ride. There's probably a proper name for this area; if somebody know what it is, please let me know.

Bear Creek FSR

Rating: 1

Take Hwy 97 to Westbank, exit onto Glenrosa Rd westbound. Wind up the road past the houses and farms until you reach an open dirt area where you can unload your quad. If you continue up Glenrosa you will head to the Crystal Mountain ski hill. The wide logging road heading north is Last Mtn Rd. Approx 6 kms after the parking lot you will find Jackpine FSR, which leads to Jackpine Lake and Gellately Lake; there's also an old mine to the west. Approx 3 kms past the turnoff to Jackpine Lake, you will come to a T-intersection which is Bear Creek FSR. We went left (west); numerous old logging roads branch off from Bear Creek FSR, most leading to logged cuts, some with nice views. Others lead to lakes; these are all marked and there's generally a Forestry Rec Site at the lake. We stopped at Cameo Lake for lunch, and took a road on the west side of Cameo up into the hills. This turned out to be an old, overgrown logging road maze (rating: 2) that led generally towards Gottfriedsen Mtn, but we were not actually able to reach it with the roads we tried. Heading west from Cameo Lake on Bear Creek FSR, you'll pass the turnoff to Nicola River FSR, Windy Lake FSR, and several other un-signed roads. We spotted a sign for the Hatheume Lake Resort and followed the road in, where we purchased Freezies from Diane at the store. We also visited the Hatheume Lake Rec Site on the other side of the lake, which looked like it would be a pleasant place to camp. We turned around at this point; if we continued along Bear Creek FSR we would eventually arrive at Hwy 97C (Okanagan Connector). Other suitable camping spots in the area include Pinnacle Lake, Reservoir Lake, Brenda Lake, and Pennask Lake.

Blue Grouse Mountain

Rating: 1-3

I only had a short time to check out Blue Grouse Mountain, but there were a LOT of interesting-looking trails leading off from the main switchbacked road that ends at the microwave sites at the top. When I get a chance to better explore the area, I'll update this entry.

Crystal Mountain

Rating: 1-3

Take Hwy 97 to Westbank, exit onto Glenrosa Rd westbound. Wind up the road past the houses and farms until you reach an open dirt area where you can unload your quad. If you continue up Glenrosa you will head to the Crystal Mountain ski hill. The wide logging road heading north is Last Mtn Rd. Just north of the parking lot is a neat trail heading off to the right and down the hill; it passes by some mountainbike trails and starts heading down back towards Glenrosa Rd. There are numerous trails criss-crossing the main trail. We rode down a really steep skidder trail and accessed another section. This put us on to some narrower secondary trails; there are a few off-camber sections and steep sections and you'll eventually be able to loop back onto Last Mtn Rd. There are several trails on the left side of Last Mtn Rd (heading north); most are very short but one that we tried led us through the forest, popped us out in an old clearcut where the trail was barely visible, passed through a couple of valleys, then joined up with Last Mtn Rd again.

Elkhart Road

Rating: 1-2

Take Hwy 97C (Okanagan Connector); exit at Elkhart Road. There are numerous opportunities to unload your quad or set up camp; the Elkhart Lake Rec Site and Bob's Lake Rec Site are just off the main road. Ride north on Elkhart Road; at approx 4kms the road will split. Heading right on the Paradise Lake Rd will take you past the Paradise Lake Resort to the Island Lake Rec Site. Directly opposite the trail to Bob's Lake is the rest of the original trail that Elkhart Rd cuts through; this somewhat tight trail will take you to Boot Lake Rec Site and eventually to The Wart, a mountain to the west. When we there in July 2004, active logging was taking place in the immediate area of The Wart, so there will be new logging roads to watch for. According to my map, the road past Boot Lake will take you to Pennask Lake FSR.

Gottfriedsen Mountain

Rating: 3

Head west on Hwy 97C and take the Sunset Main exit. Proceed north east on the Bear Creek Main until you reach Cameo Lake Rec site. This is a small, secluded lake; excellent for canoeing, with two small campsites. Turn right just before the lake onto a small trail. Follow the trail for several kilometres until a smaller trail veers to the right and up, just after a large washout. Follow this trail which will become very grown-in with brush. The deteriorating trail eventually leads to a large open logged out area where the trail seems to stop. Proceed to your left and you will notice that the trail continues on up; it eventually doubles back onto itself and leads onto a ridge several kilometres away. This ridge leads onto Gottfriedsen Mtn. On a clear day, the view allows you to see the Monashee Mountains in the east, and the Coast Range Mountains in the west, with the Coquihalla traffic far below. Submitted by Toy2.

Kettle Valley Motorized Recreation Corridor

Rating: 1

The abandoned Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) railbed serves as an access point to many different trails and roads in the area. It's a shared multi-use trail, and is open to all recreational users, both motorized and non-motorized. While the railbed has a rating of 1, there are many offshoots with varying degrees of difficulty, from 2 to 4. If you follow the railbed, you will provided with a nice tour of the area, and there are marked stops of interest. You can ride through tunnels and over trestles. It's entirely possible to get lost in the trail system once you leave the railbed; if you are not familiar with the trails you should ride with somebody who is, or you should at least have a GPS and map with you. The KVR can be accessed from numerous locations; we've accessed it from Naramata, where there's a posted speed limit of 30 km/h. We've also accessed it from various points in Peachland, where no signs were posted. You can literally spend days in the trail system; there are plenty of excellent wilderness campsites hidden away if you wish to make it weekender, or you can rent a cabin at the Chute Lake Resort. The railbed is extremely popular with hikers and bikers during the warmer months, so exercise more caution than usual as many do not pay attention to or respect other trail users.

Postill Lake Area

Rating: 1-2

Much of the riding in this area is mainline logging road, although there are a number of smaller trails that branch off to points unknown (we were there in December, so we couldn't explore some of the smaller trails due to snow depth). You can rent cabins at the Postill Lake Resort and the Beaver Lake Resort. Please respect the private property that surrounds much of the lakes.

Trepanier Bench Road

Rating: 1-3

Take the Trepanier Bench Road exit from Hwy 97C. A parking area is located right by the exit, and you can ride your quad from there up to the Crystal Mountain area. There are many trails of varying difficulty criss-crossing through this area. You can also access a powerline road; the "truck" route that looks like it just criss-crosses the powerline road actually has branches and offshoots all along it, so do check it out. One of the branches is a twisty little trail that pops out on a bluff high above Hwy 97C, and offers a great view if the weather is clear. If you stick to the powerline road, it will take you under the Coquihalla Hwy and eventually past Brenda Mine.

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Keremeos Area

Rill Creek Road

Rating: 1-2

Take Hwy 3A; turn off at Twin Lakes Road (look for the golf course sign). Turn right onto White Lake Road, then left onto Grand Oro Road, which will turn into Rill Creek Road. Pass through the rural area. There are lots of side trails and places to camp, and the road will take you into a logged area, which can be quite muddy if it's raining. Once you are through the logged area, numerous trails switchback down the mountain, some quite steep. This road system should take you to Cawston, but we had motor trouble and didn't make it.

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Kootenay Lake - East Area

Crawford Creek Road

Rating: 1

Take Hwy 3A south out of Crawford Bay; very quickly you will find Crawford Creek Road on your left. Staying to the right on the "no through road" instead of following the mainline to the left will bring you to Crawford-Hooker FSR at the 5.5 km mark. Taking Crawford-Hooker will bring you to a switchback with an overgrown road on the left; it works its way up the mountain, but we checked out a severely-deactivated road that branched off from it and didn't continue up further. Back down to the mainline, we took a fork to the right. This road switchbacked up another mountain, and arrived at another fork. The left branch went to a deactivated road in the shadow of a glacier. The right branch travels up over Rose Pass and takes you down into the next valley. Back down to Crawford-Spring FSR; we switchbacked up yet another mountain, to find that the road dead-ended at 1840m elevation. We camped at 49º45'29"N, 116º40'18"W, at an elevation of 1635m. The road system is very easy for quads. There are lots of side branches, glacial creeks to cool off in, and excellent views of mountain alpines.

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Merritt Area

Mount Stoyoma

Rating: 2

There are a couple of different ways into Mount Stoyoma. Just west of Merrit you can take Petit Creek FSR or Jack Swart Rd (also spelled Swartz, depending on who's sign you're reading). Petit Creek is the shorter of the two; Jack Swart requires you take the Mini-Whipsaw, a short but interesting trail between Silver Lake and Lightning Lake, so named because it has all of the Whipsaw obstacles in contained in 1 km of trail. Follow the MSC signs up towards Stoyoma, a pleasant place to camp is at Cabin Lake, a high-altitude Forestry Rec Site. An old First Nations foot trail leads around the lake, past a crashed Conair water bomber (1.75 hours from the lake), and eventually ends up in Spences Bridge. The Stoyoma area contains numerous old logging roads, many quite overgrown.

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Mission Area

Davis Lake

Rating: 1-5

Take Hwy 7 east from Mission for about 10 kms. Turn left (north) onto Sylvester Road at the Husky Station. Follow Sylvester Road and keep right; after 15 kms it turns to gravel and begins to climb. Follow the gravel until you cross a bridge. Look to your left and you'll catch glimpses of Davis Lake. At 3.7 kms you will see a road heading down on your left at an acute angle. Unload your quad here. Take the down road, and you'll see a couple of deep trenches. There are 2 or 3 trails on your right leading through trees; they wind through forest over roots and stumps, with a little off-camber stuff thrown in. Rating is 2-3, and makes for a great warm-up. You will then find yourself on the other side of the trenches. For the more adventerous, you can carry on to a spot in-line with the down road, where the road has been excavated and there's no path around. We winched our quads up that spot as it's too steep to climb; it's about 8-10 feet deep. Coming back out is tricky; you have to ride down the same spot, do not apply your brakes or you'll endo. Have someone standing by to grab your rack if your quad starts to go over. If you do go through this way, there's also a great little path/rock-climb to nowhere, other than to see what your quad is capable of doing. These two spots might get a 4-5 rating. If you don't want it that extreme, follow trails through trees to a creek bed which eventually takes you to Stave Lake. You'll find some mud holes along the journey. One area where the trail has washed away consists of about a 20-foot section of difficult, off-camber, get-buddy-to-help terrain, unless you're a really good rider. This spot is a short 4 or 5-rated section. After that, it's rated 1-3, with a long, rock creek bed to ride through, that usually has lots of water running through it, depending on the time of year. You'll come out at Stave Lake with lots of stumps to whip through, plus mud and stumps close by to winch you out. You can go back to the main logging road, and there are numerous off-shoot trails, some of which go for a long ways, and others which are quite short. At km 6, you can ignore the road on the left; it leads to a locked gate and private cabins. At 7.1 kms (3.4 kms past the Davis Lake turnoff) you will come to a fork; stay right. Another fork .7 km later; stay left. You will soon find a wide-open area where people target-practice. Back to the main junction where you went left. Travel another .7 kms and you will find the 9 km marker (just past the first corner after the shooting area). Turn left onto the trail here; watch for a big stick with pink flagging tape marking a large sink-hole. The trail forks a short distance later; both are worth exploring as they are long trails leading to spectacular views and ridges, rating 1-2. Lots of rock, and the right fork is mildly steep. The left fork is pretty much one trail, with some steep drops on the left. I seem to recall crossing a rock step/creek/waterfall, rating 3-4; if you tip left, say bye to your quad. I think it was more intimidating than tough. The trail doesn't go much further past that point, so if you're not adventurous then turn around at the rock step/waterfall/creek. Back to the beginning of the 9 km trail. If you take the right fork at the first fork on this trail, there are numerous off-shoots. There's another main fork shortly after that. If you head right, you'll find a lake with a little dock just to your left. The trail has a lot of smally, whippy bushes, but keep going because you'll end up at a great view atop a cliff ledge where you will see two lakes, and a snow-covered mountain. If you look up the lake, you'll see an old BC Hydro power station. Back to the first fork at the beginning of the 9 km trail. Again, go right. When the next main fork comes up, go left. I think this one takes you to a spectacular cliff area with a better view than the other fork described above. There's one spot that's narrow, with long drops on either side; easy to ride but a bit freaky for the kids. Great photo ops, and not overly tough to ride. Good for beginners and still entertaining for experienced riders. You can easily spend several days exploring this area. Photos: 1 2 3 4. Submitted by Canucklehead.

Stave Lake East

Rating: 2-5

The terrain is mostly rocky abandoned logging roads; there isn't much mud. There are some very steep trails and washed out bridges up a couple of the trails; the rating ranges from 2-5. Take the Lougheed Hwy east from Mission; a few kilometers past Mission, turn north onto Sylvester Rd (at the Husky gas station). Follow Sylvester Rd until it turns into a gravel road; you can unload your quad here. I wouln't recomend leaving your truck unattended farther up the road, since people go up there to practice shooting at a clearing called "The Mole". Be careful up these trails since you can become lost easily. There are lots of old trails and shelf roads, and if you take the right route you will find yourself in Hemlock Valley. There used to be access to Cypress Point and a lot of camping spots; not sure if that's gated now or not. Submitted by Break_Yaz.
Note: This area is described in more detail above, in the Davis Lake description.
August 8/06: The bridge to Cypress Point was removed about 3 weeks ago.

Stave Lake West

Rating: 2-5

This is a BC Hydro Rec Area. A variety of terrain can be found here, including rocks, deep mud, water, and standard gravel roads; the trail ratings range from 2-5. Take Dewdney Trunk Rd to Burma Road (on the west side of the bridge by the Stave Lake dam). You will find a large parking area on the north side of Dewdney Trunk Rd, with a white guard shack; you can unload your quad here, or park further in and risk vandalism. Then follow the gravel road north; there are many trails off the main road with varying levels of difficulty. When the dam is open and the reservoir is down, the mud flats are the main attraction for the big-tired 4x4's. However, if risky activity is not your style, stick to the trails (Warning: some of the mud puddles are deep enough to swallow a 44" tire). There's a lookout which offers a view of both Stave and Allouette Lakes; it's currently gated but will be reopened after the logging is completed. Caution: high redneck factor on weekends. Submitted by Break_Yaz.

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Peachland Area

Princeton Road

Rating: 1-4

From the hwy, take Princeton Rd to the works yard, and park in the wide open field. The FSR connects to a huge network of trails, from easy mainline to narrow, off-camber dirt-bike trails. This network connects with the KVR and other trail systems. It's an amazingly large area, and exploration could easily take weeks. You can also access this system right off the highway via a closed but unlocked gate.

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Penticton Area

Campbell Mountain

Rating: 1-2

Just outside of town, Campbell Mountain is a network of trails well-suited for beginners or for those with kids on quads. Lots of beginner-type trails; short loops perfect for those with kids' quads who want an area to let their kids ride but not disappear too far away. The trails are fairly open, meaning you can see multiple trails from most anywhere on a trail. Some trails have ruts caused by water run-off, mountainbike tires, dirtbike tires, or 4x4 tires.

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Prince George Area

Rocky Lake Trail (Pine Pass)

Rating: 3-4

Travel time: 2 hrs from Prince George
Trail distance round trip: 42 kms
Supplies: chainsaw or axe, fuel, rain gear, warm clothes, gloves, food, first aid kit, camera.
After passing Mackenzie Junction it is about 20 minutes to Bijioux Falls. When you get to the falls which are on your left heading north, you park in the next parking lot immediately to your right. Head out the back of this parking on an old road. After less than 1 km you come to a beaver pond and an old bridge. Now you know you are on the right trail. Cross the bridge and continue on until you get to the river. This river is usually only crossable after the end of June or maybe later, depending on the high water from melting snow packs. You will see two exit points on the opposite side of the river.Choose your line wisely as the river bottom is constantly changing. We have never had any problems crossing in the past as the water is clear and you can see the deeper holes. Once you're across, continue up the trail which is begining to grow in; we will be clearing some of the tighter areas in the near future. From here you will cross some bridges that were built for ATV's and snowmobiles; one machine at a time is a good idea as they are startng to get old. You will come to an old logging bridge, it's the only one on the trail. It is starting to collapse into the creek. It is still good enough for atv's, you will notice that the access has been repaired due to erosion. From this bridge it is about 1-2 km's to where the single track ATV trail starts up the clearcut and into the timber. The trail is on your right; it can be hard to see, but there is ribbon hanging off a tree on the left, a few meters past the trail. From the bridge it is mostly uphill to were the trail starts on a level piece of road. If you begin going downhill you have probably gone past the ribbon and the trail. Once you begin up the trail be alert for stumps and old logs on the edge of the trail in the grass as this bottom piece is an old clearcut. The trail is somewhat up and down but nothing to difficult. You will get to the timber in about 1km were the trail is ATV single track all the way to the lake at the top. The bottom half of the trail is about 6 years old, and the top half was cut to the top about two years ago.The trail is moderately technical, rooted with some short steep sections that start up out of marshy area's that have been corduroyed with logs.It is not a high-speed trail as it is very windy and climbs in elevation rather quickly. When you get up half way, the newer section of trail is ribboned to the top.You may wander off on a couple short trails that end as it was a bit of trial and error getting to the top. The main trail is pretty well beaten now as more ATV's have been to the top. Once you get up into the more open areas you are not that far from the lake. Near the top there are a couple hills where the more-experienced riders should keep an eye on the more-novice riders. There is a bit of off-camber riding near the top, but nothing too drastic; it's more the roots and rocks that can get you into trouble. At the top you will arrive at the lake and this a great spot for lunch and photos. The lake is set right below a large rocky peak, and the scenery is amazing. You can continue past the lake to a second smaller lake, but the going is still a little tough. The trip to the top and back down can be done in a days ride without rushing, but an early start is a good idea. Some deadfall may need to be cut out of the way on the way up. Feel free to PM me with any questions. Submitted by MountainMonster.

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Princeton Area

Whipsaw Road

Rating: 1-4

Take the Hope Princeton (Number 3) to 11 kms before Princeton. After a sharp turn on the highway go left up a road called Whipsaw FSR. 2 kms up it branches out into Whipsaw Road and Lamont Road. Both roads connect to each other at km 30. It is a very nice loop that is rated at 1 for just cruising. Throughout the area there are many (and by that is you can not ride every trail if you were there for a week) trails that rank from 1-4. Also beware at times there is logging, and is also an excellent spot for Deer hunting. Submitted by Justin.
Note from Greg: The Whipsaw area is under constant threat of closure from environmental groups. Help keep the area open; please stay on the trail and do not ride in the meadows (aka the so-called "mud bogs"). You can find old mine workings, log cabins, and other historical errata throughout the area. You can also access the area from the Coquihalla Hwy.

Hope Pass Trail

Rating: 3-5

If you take the Whipsaw Road it will connect to the Hope Pass Trail at KM 23. This trail is a 4x4 trail that goes to Hope. It will take 4-5 days to do. This trail is rated at a 3-7 (yes....a 7, its an extreme 4x4 trail for a reason). You can ride the trail for a long time before it gets really techical. At first you can get around the huge mud pits. But further along the huge hill climbs and mud pits are unavoidable. If attempted you need to have a winch, a lot of gas, and a few friends. I've tried finding the site for the tail but most of them say it stops in Manning Park, where it gets really technical. But you can for sure take it to Manning Park and back in a quad. After that, you'll need a short wheeled based jacked up Jeep with mudders and a V8. Submitted by Justin.

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Revelstoke Area

Shelter Bay FSR

Rating: 1

From Revelstoke, take Hwy 23 south towards the Shelter Bay ferry. Approximately 6 kms before the ferry, take a right onto the Shelter Bay FSR. If you head in a generally southerly direction along the main road, you will be paralleling the lake. This is an active logging road, so be aware of the logging trucks. We camped at the Eagle Bay campsite, a nice user-maintained campsite approximately 12 kms south with outhouses and a boat launch. We explored the area and eventually switchbacked up the Paint Lake trail to the Fosthall-Revelstoke Road. We checked out Thor FSR and worked our way to a valley with a great view of a couple of tall spires (2948m)r. We got back to camp via a different switchbacked road, so we didn't have to retrace our steps. The trail network in this area is extensive, and will take you right down to Lower Arrow Lake on the Needles side via the Whatshan River FSR, or west to Hwy 6 south of Cherryville via the Keefer Lake FSR.

Three Valley Gap

Rating: 1

From Three Valley Gap, take the Three Valley - Mabel Lake FSR south. At approximately 4kms, you can turn left at the Frog Falls Rec Site and access the South Pass FSR, which will basically follow the powerlines over the mountain and switchback down to the Trans-Canada Hwy about 6 kms east of Three Valley Gap. Or, you can take the Three Valley - Mabel Lake FSR further south right down to the roads on the west side of Mabel Lake, or bear left onto Mabel Lake FSR which will take you down the roads on the east side of Mabel Lake, also providing access to the North Shuswap FSR just west of the Monashees.

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Quesnel Area

Yanks Peak

Rating: 3-4

Yanks Peak lies in the heart of the Caribou Gold Rush Country. Head north up Highway 97 to Quesnel. Turn east onto Highway 26 (also called the Barkerville Highway). Just before Barkerville Provincial Park, turn right onto 3100 Rd, then right onto the Yanks Peak turnoff (watch for the large sign). The trail, passable by ATV or 4x4 only during the summer, uses an old mining road to access the alpine meadows of the Peak. Near Cunningham Creek is the site of the old Caribou Hudson Mine. The trail winds its way upward with many hairpins, washouts, ruts, deadfall, and sections with loose rock and shale, ever increasing in steepness until it arrives at the alpine meadow areas known since the Gold Rush days as Snowshoe Plateau. From atop the 6300ft alpine vistas of Yanks Peak, the views are impressive, especially to the east into the snow-covered ranges of Wells Gray and Caribou Mountain Provincial Parks. We proceeded down to the settlement of Keithley Creek on the Caribou Lake but diminishing daylight forced our turnaround. If you do visit this historical significant area of BC, please leave buildings and nature the way you found it. I have read that the Yanks Peak area has been identified as allowing travel on well established trails only. There was talk of a Motorised Recreation Regulation Order being put into effect, as mindless characters have been tearing up the alpine meadows causing damage to the fragile flora. This trail is not extreme but it will challenge a newcomer to back-country travel. Submitted By Toy2.

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Squamish Area

Mamquam FSR

Rating: 1-4

The trailhead is located immediately north of the Stawamus Chief; it's the same turnoff on the east side of the road as the Stawamus Chief overflow parking lot; you'll see a sign marking the start of the road. You can offload your quad at the overflow parking lot or at the small lot across from it, or you can drive a few km's east on the FSR and offload in the wide area. If you stick to the main FSR, you will see several branches; most are short and some are blocked. The first major fork is gated until the snow is gone; it's located right by a little Hydro(?) structure. It has lots of side-trails, and will eventually take you to north end of Indian Arm, near the Wigwam Inn (private lodge for the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, boat access only). There is old logging equipment and vehicles hidden away in the bush for you to look at. This road follows a creek that in some sections has carved out holes and bowls in the rock; on a warm summer day the rock pools are excellent for soaking in. The second major fork occurs right before "Twin Bridges", which are two bridges over the river. This "fork" is actually straight, as the FSR turns left. If you take this fork, it will switchback up the mountain, through several creek crossings (which can be quite deep and fast-flowing if it's raining hard; when we were there one of the crossings was approx 3 feet deep, and strong enough to push the quads sideways; rating: 4), and will eventually peter out in a large slide. If you cross the first bridge, there's a trail on the left which has a couple of branches; the more-travelled branch to the right branches again and leads to logged cuts. The less-travelled first branch to the left was quite overgrown when I was there by myself (I had to duck under the foliage canopy), and I didn't check it out too far. If you continue on past the second bridge, you will find a hole in the bush on the left side during a long straight stretch; this trail is called Forest Lane and is a nice ride through the forest. It forks; both forks lead to the next logging road, so you can do a loop. That logging road leads up into the mountain, but I didn't check out the entire route due to time constraints. Past the Forest Lane trailhead, you will come to a Y with an triangle "island"; going left leads to a couple of trails, one of which contains DEEP MUD (rating: 4). We didn't make it past the mud, and had to winch out (it was raining, and the mud depth was approx 4 feet deep so you've been warned!). Heading right at the Y will take you to a trail network that runs up a couple mountains, and if you get on the right trail, it will actually be a large loop. Another warning, there's another really deep mud hole hidden away on one of the side trails in this section, deep enough to hydro-lock a lifted Jeep. There are additional side trails all over the place, some of which I've checked out and others I haven't.

Starvation Lake and Cheakamus Canyon

Rating: 4

The Starvation Lake access is directly across from the old roadhouse entrance north of Brackendale. Be very careful here, as traffic zips by on the highway at a high rate of speed, and the city drivers aren't used to seeing ATVs pop up at the side of the road. There really isn't a good place to park here. The access trail parallels the highway for a few metres, then cuts into the forest. You'll climb for a while, then at the top you'll get a nice view of Starvation Lake and the surrounding area. The road down from here is challenging near the bottom; there are some large rock steps and jagged boulders which make this a 4-rated trail; most everything else is rating: 1. You can take the trail around the lake, or you can head north. Heading north allows you to access the Cheakamus Canyon, following the old roadbed that used to be the highway. Much of this road has sloughed away, and the remaining road is just ATV-wide in some spots. You'll be treated to some really nice scenery, with the river and railway trestles below you. The trail ends at the old lookout at the side of the highway; the lookout is blocked to highway access now, so you'll have it all to yourselves. Be careful if you're walking to the edge of the cliff; the rock face can be slippery in wet weather.

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Valley of the Ghosts

Eagleview

Rating: 2

This is a branch off the Sandon to Retallack trail, heading up just before the snowmobile cabin. A hand-written sign was marked "Eagleview", but it was lying against the bank and may not be there when you visit. The road winds its way up one of the mountains and very quickly gains in elevation. Some sections are STEEP. You can ride up to the 2191m point, then the Cat operator has made a 60-degree straight climb up to the top. Do NOT attempt to ride this last section; it is all loose shale and is very difficult to even hike up, and if you roll your quad it's likely a non-survivable accident. But do hike up it; it's a 2203m-high "eagle's view" covered with alpine wildflowers, and provides a tremendous view of the surrounding mountains. Not for those who suffer from vertigo or are afraid of heights.

Idaho Peak Road

Rating: 1

This is a travelled but unmaintained 12 km road starting at the ghost town of Sandon and switchbacking up past old mines to two parking areas. Idaho Peak (2280m) is approximately 2 kms from the parking areas (hiking only); the view offers an unrestricted 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains, and is worth the hike (elevation gain: 146m). There is a fire lookout at the top, easily visible from the surrounding areas. Idaho Peak is well-known for its wildflowers, and is a popular destination for hikers.

Payne Road

Rating: 2

Payne Road starts right across Carpenter Creek from the ghost town of Sandon, and passes through what was formerly the Sunnyside area of Sandon (the high-end residences that received sunlight earlier in the season). It is marked as a "trail" at the start of the road, complete with a hiking guide, but in reality it is a logging road and the logging road radio frequency is posted. The "trail" follows the old K&S Railway bed, but we took the logging road which led us up the mountain and into a large clear-cut area. We took a right at a major fork in the middle of the clear-cut; it allowed us to ascend and pass through the clear-cut onto the old mining road, and eventually switchbacked up to an old mine. Back down to the fork; we continued on and took an older branch to the left which turned into a narrow shelf road and led us to Payne Mine's No. 8 Portal. This is a great place for taking a break and cooling down you or your quad, as cold air is constantly blowing out from the opening. This road should have let us continue further into the valley, but a slide shortly after No. 8 Portal forced us to turn around. If you explore the the logging road further, you will be able to find numerous ATV trails that switchback up to other Payne Mine portals (some require a short hike and are not visible from the trail, but are indicated by tailings below the openings). We found No. 5 Portal, and a few other unmarked portals. These are STEEP, high-altitude trails.

Sandon to Retallack

Rating: 2

The overgrown "road" leading from the ghost town of Sandon to the ghost town of Retallack is a steep climb; it passes through Cody then switchbacks high up the mountain above Sandon, and leads to several abandoned mines. The switchbacks are tight; some are 3-point turns with a Toyota 4x4. The road passes next to a small glacier near the top (2214m), and starts switchbacking down into the next valley towards Retallack (update: the glacier was gone in 2009; it was located in the bowl just before the top of the trail). At the top of the trail, there are several paths to check out, and you can see Sandon far below. Part way down towards Retallack, the road is eroded due to a creek, and this section will change with the rainfall. When I was last there in 2002, it was not passable by 4x4 until we rebuilt the road. In 2009, it was passable but a little rough. A snowmobile cabin located at an old mine on the Retallack side is free to use, as long as you leave it as you found it. Not for those who suffer from vertigo or are afraid of heights. There are places to camp on the Sandon side, and RV parking is available in town.

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Vanderhoof Area

Omineca Trail

Rating: 3-4

The Omineca trail was used from the 1870's until the 1930's to access the gold-laden Omineca region of our Province. To get to the trailhead, turn right off Hwy 16 on to Burrard Ave in Vanderhoof, cross the Nechako River bridge and turn right again. Follow Loop Road for around 5 kms; you will pass by the Vanderhoof airport. Just at the edge of the airport grounds, on the opposite side of the road, will be Striegler Pit Road. Turn right onto it and travel another 5-6 kms. At an intersection at the top of a hill, you will find a sign marking the trail head. The trail winds through various types of pine and spruce forest, with some swamp and creek crossings. It also crosses some FSRs, so be sure to have a Vanderhoof District Forest Service map with you to mark your location. There are some steep sections when you're dropping down into the Stuart River Valley. When you're at the river, you can read the plaque; it contains information about the reaction ferry, school, store, and Native village that was there in the 1870's. The fishing is good in season; watch for bears. Round-trip is around 35-40 kms. Submitted by Whurl.

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Vernon Area

Noble Canyon / Vernon Hills

Rating: 1-4

Located just east of Vernon, this excellent riding area is accessible via several trailheads. Numerous trails of varying difficulty lead off the main roads, and most of the main roads are signed with the road name. We headed east on Hwy 6, and turned north onto Noble Canyon Road. Dirtbike and quad trails cross-cross the entire area; there are also old skidder trails and various overgrown paths to explore. Camping is available at Becker Lake Rec Site. Some trails are very tight are are intended as a challenge for dirt bikes; do not cut trees to widen the trail.

Sugar Lake

Rating: 1-2

Located north of Cherryville, the Sugar Lake area contains a vast network of trails between Hwy 6 and Hwy 1. We took the Sugar Lake Rd, then the Kate Creek FSR, which turns into a trail that leads to the top of Sugar Mtn, where an old fire lookout still stands. This trail had snow right into July; we revisited at the beginning of August and all the snow was gone. Near the top is an excellent view of Mt Fosthall to the east in Monashee Provincial Park. Time constraints did not permit us to explore further, but you can spend days exploring all of the trails, which also link up to the Mabel Lake trail system.