Attempted the loop trail on Sunday, in a counter-clockwise direction. Extremely overgrown so the going was not a lot of fun. Turned back when the branches closed in lower and started to hang up on my roof rack. Pinstripe city. Would be nice to get in there with a small tractor with a brush cutter and knock it all back a couple meters........or just buy a more baddass rig with no paint ;).
Be aware that the road maps are extremely detailed/complete, even showing grown over logging Spurs that have not been driven in years, and some gated roads are not displayed as such.
Pick a route and people here can advise. The Gordon River Main is a popular route between Port Renfrew and Lake Cowichan.
Up in the “north island” (loosely anything north of Campbell River), the privately held lands, with private logging roads, turn into crown forest lands with public FSRs. You will generally not find gates or road closures unless there is active logging in a block the road passes through. In this area, a large amount of caution is needed as the off-highway logging trucks are used, which take up the full width of the road. Travel is best done on weekends, or if during the week, with a radio to monitor the road channel, or with your wits about you. Logging is often a little slower in the summer due to the fire risk, so you can get lucky and see no log trucks, but that is rare.
If you want to educate yourself a bit, read up on “The Dunsmuir Land Grant (grab)”.
With the exception of the route between Port Renfrew and Port Alberni, which can be completed on gravel logging roads with the help of back roads mapbooks, the rest of the route you are describing will be mostly on pavement. What is not always clear to foreigners, is the wilderness of southern Vancouver Island is mostly private, gated forest lands, due to some historical blunders by dodgy governments, decades ago. What is not private forest land is park land. There are ways to get into these lands for “wheelin”, known to locals, but in general it’s not a great place for “overlanding”, in the sense of long journeys for days off highway. Many of the roads you might find in map books and satellite photos you will find to be gated.
Anyways......it’s a beautiful place, and worth visiting, but if you imagine yourselves “overlanding” along endless wilderness roads, Southern Vancouver Island will prove to be a challenge for you.
Attempted the loop trail on Sunday, in a counter-clockwise direction. Extremely overgrown so the going was not a lot of fun. Turned back when the branches closed in lower and started to hang up on my roof rack. Pinstripe city. Would be nice to get in there with a small tractor with a brush cutter and knock it all back a couple meters........or just buy a more baddass rig with no paint ;).
Cool photos. Nice Tacoma!
This is the book:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/1897225741/ref=mp_s_a_1_1/140-7477772-1673...
Be aware that the road maps are extremely detailed/complete, even showing grown over logging Spurs that have not been driven in years, and some gated roads are not displayed as such.
Pick a route and people here can advise. The Gordon River Main is a popular route between Port Renfrew and Lake Cowichan.
Up in the “north island” (loosely anything north of Campbell River), the privately held lands, with private logging roads, turn into crown forest lands with public FSRs. You will generally not find gates or road closures unless there is active logging in a block the road passes through. In this area, a large amount of caution is needed as the off-highway logging trucks are used, which take up the full width of the road. Travel is best done on weekends, or if during the week, with a radio to monitor the road channel, or with your wits about you. Logging is often a little slower in the summer due to the fire risk, so you can get lucky and see no log trucks, but that is rare.
If you want to educate yourself a bit, read up on “The Dunsmuir Land Grant (grab)”.
http://forums.clubtread.com/30-british-columbia-vancouver-island-hiking/...
With the exception of the route between Port Renfrew and Port Alberni, which can be completed on gravel logging roads with the help of back roads mapbooks, the rest of the route you are describing will be mostly on pavement. What is not always clear to foreigners, is the wilderness of southern Vancouver Island is mostly private, gated forest lands, due to some historical blunders by dodgy governments, decades ago. What is not private forest land is park land. There are ways to get into these lands for “wheelin”, known to locals, but in general it’s not a great place for “overlanding”, in the sense of long journeys for days off highway. Many of the roads you might find in map books and satellite photos you will find to be gated.
Anyways......it’s a beautiful place, and worth visiting, but if you imagine yourselves “overlanding” along endless wilderness roads, Southern Vancouver Island will prove to be a challenge for you.