UVic Cowichan Lake Research Station Trailhead: (98 km from Saanich Hall). Drive north from Victoria on the Trans-Canada highway (#1) to the the Lake Cowichan highway (#18) just north of Duncan. Turn west (left) and drive 25.5 km taking the south fork to Lake Cowichan Village. At the Riverside Inn turn right onto North Shore Road. Follow this to Meade Creek Road, turning left onto this road. Drive until you cross Meade Creek Bridge turning left again onto Marble Bay Road. Drive until you come to a gate (1.5 km) and park.
Facilities available at the trailhead include:
- Shelter is available
- Toilets and/or outhouses
- Water is available
Access restrictions:Limited parking, can only accommodate 4 vehicles.
Uses
| Dayhike | 3 boot (moderate). | 4.5 hours for the loop. | Suitable all year. |
Description
There have been vast changes at Bald Mountain in recent years due to logging and road construction for the purpose of housing development. The following descriptions are therefore intended for information only and are not to be used as a guide for hiking the mountain without being accompanied by someone who is already knowledgeable about the new routes.
The old road to the Scouts Camp is being filled up as of this date (December 2008) and a new boulevard being constructed which bypasses the Camp and leads to the lakeside slope of the mountain and continues along the this slope halfway towards the beach at the south end of the mountain -- formerly signposted "Marine Park". The lakeside trail, the old Beaver Walk, is no longer usable due to numerous landslides and fallen trees resulting from the construction of the road above. The best approach, then, would be to follow the new boulevard from the gate, bypass the old Scouts Camp to your left and continue on the road along the slope until near the end of it on the steep slope. This logging road has a number of branches leading to both higher slopes and downwards to the beach. It is important to stay on the main road until about a 100 metres before it ends in the bush. Here there is the short branch leading down to the left that dead-ends a couple of metres above the lakeside trail. From here on the trail is undisturbed all the way to the south beach since there is no road construction above it.
The beach is a nice place to rest and refresh before ascending the steep southern slopes to the summit. Just above the beach the steep trails have loose gravel and can be very slippery; and at the higher slopes the rocky bluffs require scrambling. There are two steel cables in place here for those not feeling comfortable without some support. But be sure to wear heavy gloves for holding on to the cables as they are old, rusty, and have sharp loose ends of strands. The entire south slope can have icy sections in winter, and the ice can be covered with snow making the route dangerously slippery.
From the summit, and the microwave tower, the trail leads on the ridge and sometimes to the north of it all the way to the saddle, a kilometer away. Here a logging road comes up to the saddle from the left and continues up and along the eastern ridge of the mountain. The debris and blow-downs from this road and logging operations on the ridge have blocked the old trail along the northern slope. So it is best to simply hike on the ridge top along this logging road which provides open views in contrast with the old trail. Near the end this ridge-top road goes a little down and ends in a clear-cut area with a lot of Salal plants. Following to the left and carefully working one’s way through Salal and debris one can see a shallow gully with a steep narrow trail leading down the trees. The trail is obscure and slippery and the last few metres of it leading to the logging road below require careful scrambling.
Once at the road, one is to turn left and then, at a junction, to the right and follow the main road all the way to the gate where it all began, thus completing the loop.
Since road construction is still in progress at Bald Mountain development area at this date, December 2008, the mountain should be hiked only on Sundays when the construction machinery are not operating.
Features
This trail features forests, lakes, swimming and views.
Hazards
- some scrambling is required
Caution is required in ascending or descending the bluffs on the south side of the mountain, during winter ice may be a problem, particularly on this slope.
Comments
This hike may also be done as a "there and back" ascending the mountain in a counter-clockwise direction and thus avoiding the steep bluffs. Time estimate for this option: 2 hours up, 1.5 hours down.
Trail-conditions
View trail condition reports for this trail.
