Heather Mountain

Location:Youbou

Map

NTS 92C/16

25.0 km round trip.

Terrain: Rough

Approximate Elevations (in meters)

Start End Minimum Maximum Gain

170 1345 170 1345 1175

Heather Mountain Trailhead: (130 km from Saanich Hall, 22k on logging roads, 4wd recommended). Drive north from Victoria on the Trans-Canada highway (#1) to the Lake Cowichan highway (BC#18) just north of Duncan. Turn west (left) and drive on Lake Cowichan Highway and continue until you begin to approach the Lake Cowichan village. Here the highway forks, the left fork leads to the village and the right fork which continues straight ahead leads to Youbou. There is a flashing light at this intersection.

Continue straight towards Youbou, drive through the community and enter the gravel road. Here you are on the North Shore Road with Cowichan Lake to your left. The road could be rough at places and you need to have a reliable vehicle. Drive some 22 km on the road to the very end of the lake where the road sharply curves to the left and goes around the tip of the lake and then becomes the South Shore Road. Here you see a wide-open space to your right and a forestry gate straight ahead at the distance. That is the gate to Branch R. Park on the gravel lot and hike to the gate on the right side. You are now entering private or privately administered forestlands. Ultimate care should be taken to do no harm, especially during fire season.

Branch R is some 130 km from Victoria and requires about 2 hours of driving to reach it. It is a rough road due to lack of recent maintenance. For return it is also possible to take the South Shore Road of the lake for a change of perspective. It is about 5 km longer and is by and large in the same condition as the North Shore Road.

Uses

Backpack	Strenuous.		Best from early July thru early October.
Dayhike	5 boot (strenuous).	10 hours round trip.	Best from early July thru early October.

Description

The statistics given are for the summit, the elevation gain to the meadows is 975m.

Reaching the summit requires going through a network of logging roads, ascending a steep slope where the trail is obliterated due to recent growth, and following a long trail that can be nearly impossible to see in heavy fog and if there is snow on the ground. It is therefore a must to be accompanied by an experienced and knowledgeable guide to assure a safe return. Furthermore, the slopes all the way to just below the summit where blueberry plants grow are habitat to black bears. They are encountered on virtually every hike, sometimes at very close range. It is imperative to stay calm, talk gently so they know where you are, and never get between the mother and her cubs.

One inside the gate, it is a 15-minute hike to the Heather turnoff -- the second logging road on the right. Entering this road one begins to gain elevation quickly as the road gently curves to the right, and it could be very hot along this stretch. Another 25 minutes of hiking on the gentler and more shaded section of the road one reaches a creek washout. Crossing the creek, it takes about another two hours and thirty minutes, including a refreshment stop at a viewpoint on the road, to reach where one must ascend the steep slope that leads to the meadows. There are a number of turns in the road and several switchbacks at higher elevations. Shortly after the last switchback where one crosses a steep ditch there is the very steep slope full of recently planted trees that leads to a forest of mature trees at the top. Further up this road and on the right there is the location of the trail leading to the meadows, now almost entirely overgrown. A knowledgeable guide is essential at this point.

It takes about 40 minutes of working one’s way through this bush and then maneuvering over and under blow-downs near the top to reach the open trail among the trees, and then more of the same to cross another section of fallen trees. Shortly thereafter one enters the meadows with the Heather summit in full view in a clear day -- about an hour away.

The trail crosses the meadows on the left, goes down a little, then up a rocky ridge, then down significantly, crosses some soggy stretch, and finally begins to climb the first of two slopes leading to the summit. There are a couple of routes and some flagging here but the knowledge of the mountain is required.

Near the top of the slope the trail goes through a mix of trees and shrubs, then goes down and up again leading to the left. It passes by a beautiful sub-alpine pond and continues in the direction of the final summit slope. Shortly thereafter the summit and the microwave tower are in full view and the trail is clear on the rocky slope. To the left of this rocky slope is a large field of blueberry plants. It is the habitat of a black bear that feeds there in the late summer; be nice to him!

Features

This trail features flowers, meadows, mountains and views. On a clear day the summit offers magnificent views of distant mountains, including Golden Hinde, Elkhorn, Colonel Foster, Hooper, Marmot, Green, Gemini, Butler Peak, Arrowsmith, Moriarty, Landale, El Capitan, Service, and Mount Sutton. The high altitude Heather Lake can be seen to the north, the Shaw Valley to the northeast, and, beyond the summit, the awesome rock wall just below.

Hazards

Some scrambling is required
Deep snow may be encountered at the higher elevations. It often lingers until late June.
Bears frequent the meadow below the peak.
Mosquitoes can be bad in summer.

Trail-conditions

View trail condition reports for this trail.