ATV Riding trails

Campbell River Area

Quadra Island

Rating: 3-5

Chilliwack Area

Chilliwack - Foley Lake FSR

Rating: 1-5

Take Chilliwack Lake Rd; just past the , 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; 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. If you look carefully, you'll spot several dirtbike trails. 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" trail (rating: 5) go on for quite a ways and have branches of their own. This area is also known as Chipmunk and Thurston. There's something for everyone here, including viewpoints and a hill-climb in a gravel pit.

Chilliwack Liumchen-East FSR

Rating: 2-4

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. You will pass a parking area on the right; this is for hikers and cross-country skiers who want to access Liumchen Lake. The road soon becomes more difficult and turns into a trail. 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!). We turned around at the top of the groove (due to daylight and fuel constraints); we plan to head back to see what else we can find. According to the map book, the trail heads up to the Church Mtn (elev. 1714m) area, and eventually loops back to where you turned off onto the Trans Canada Trail. There are numerous branches along each of the roads listed above; we explored some of them until they either dead-ended, or the snow became too deep, or they were blocked by large deadfall (we weren't into sawing today).

DND Powerline Road

Rating: 1-3

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

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, , , with some rocky sections, and in wet weather. Many nice, as well (rating: 1).

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 (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 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

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: . 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.

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 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 and below you. The trail ends at the old lookout at the side of the highway; the 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.