Mt Benson

Map

Nanaimo Lakes 92 F/1

Terrain: Intermediate

Elevations (in meters)

Start End Minimum Maximum Gain

297 1023 297 1023 726

Witchcraft Lake Trailhead: Take the new bypass highway when approaching Nanaimo. Turn left off bypass highway at Jingle Pot Road. Go past the Westwood Lake turnoff on Jingle Pot Road and continue past power substation. Turn left on Kilpatrick Road. Near end of road turn right onto Benson View Road. Drive till the end. Park on the side of the road on a wide gravel shoulder.

Uses

Dayhike

3 boot (moderate to strenuous).

4 hours round trip.

Suitable all year.

Description

The Benson summit can be climbed from several directions - from Westwood Lake, Witchcraft Lake, or the service road. The Witchcraft Lake approach offers the best opportunity to almost entirely avoid clear-cut areas, which are numerous due to recent logging operations on and around the slopes. It is also important to note that the slopes are covered with a complicated maze of new and old logging roads, hiking trails, and biking trails. The following description is therefore intended as general information and is not to be used as a guide for those ascending the mountain for the first time. Given the complicated nature of the trails and the number of junctions encountered, hikers are advised to ascend the mountain for the first two or three times in the company of a knowledgeable guide.

The Witchcraft trail for Benson summit begins at the turnaround at the very end of Benson View Road. A few minutes along this trail one turns left and crosses a couple of small wooden bridges over creeks. One is now facing an old gravel road that continues straight along the lake. There are three trailheads to the right along this road. The first one has a graphic "Benson" sign at the entrance on a tree at the date of this writing - December 2008. This is the steeper trail, and at higher slopes it joins the second trail. Continuing along the gravel road one shortly finds the second trailhead to the right. This is the gentler trail, and is recommended. Further yet along the gravel road is the third trailhead, also on the right. This is the steeper trail leading to a labyrinth of abandoned mountain bike trails, and although it can be used to reach the summit it is not recommended.

Entering trailhead #2 and following along one passes at the base of a vertical rock wall and later on the remains of a couple of mountain bike jump-off structures between two large boulders. At higher levels, the trail also passes over a rocky outcrop that is a lookout and in a clear day offers beautiful views of Nanaimo City and the coast. With a couple of variations along the route, one of which leads to the ruins of a log cabin, the trail emerges at an old logging road. Here there are two options:

Option #1

After reaching the old logging road one ascends the trail directly ahead, rather than going left along the logging road, which would be the second option. After a few minutes in the forest, the trail emerges in a clear-cut area and joins another logging road. Crossing this road one again ascends the continuation of the trail directly ahead. Later on the trail reaches a rocky outcrop with a good view of Mount Benson’s top ridge. The trail passes over this rocky area, descends down to a gully, and then emerges at a wide, fairly level old road. One should turn left on the road, as this is the direction to the summit. After some distance the road switches back to the right and at the end of it a clear, steep trail ascends directly up towards the summit from north/northwest.

Option #2

After reaching the first old logging road one can turn left and walk on the road for some 15 minutes along clear-cuts and ignoring the new logging roads to the left and one to the right. The road curves to the right, crosses a creek and continues up. Then it curves to the left and at some point it becomes a trail that ultimately comes out at the service road in the middle of the twin summits of Mount Benson.

The slightly higher summit hosts a major communications establishment, including buildings and a diesel engine that operates some of the time. The other summit is peaceful and provides a 360-degree view of the surrounding country. On a clear day you can see Mt Arrowsmith, Mt Moriarty, Mt Landalt, El Capitan, Mt Brenton, Mt Washington and many other peaks on Vancouver Island. You can also see the peaks on the mainland as well as the Gulf Islands.

Features

This trail features forests, lakes and views.

Hazards

Some scrambling is required

There can be ice on higher slopes in winter.

Trail-conditions

View trail condition reports for this trail.