Tumbler Ridge - 3 day hikes - set 1

Sept. 10-12, 2024

Should we go or not? After hearing reports regarding the terrible smoky conditions from the COC group already there, we weren't so sure. But I thought if we don't and skies turn clear, we'd regret it. It proved to be a good decision. By the time we arrived in Tumbler Ridge at the end of their second day of hiking, the smoke had dissipated. The air quality alert was removed and we could breath unhindered.

Having just completed a 7-day trek in the Dolomites one week prior, all three of us agreed to cut this holiday a bit shorter. Five days of hiking would be enough. Then I wouldn't miss my oldest granddaughter's 9th birthday. So we did three hikes in Tumbler Ridge and two in the Rocky Mountains that a different group from our club started Sept.19th. Both areas were new to me.

In 2014 the Tumbler Ridge area was designated as a Global Geopark. Dinosaur trackways and fossils, caves and karst formations are some of it's interesting features. A big thank you to Ingrid Fischer who put this trip together.

We took two days to drive the 12 hours to Tumbler Ridge, spending the night at the Robert's Roost campsite by Quesnel. Our site was right by this dock on Dragon Lake. A great spot for Happy Hour. Thanks to Charlotte for doing all the driving and for making four delicious meals (not to mention those pumpkin cookies).

Denise spent only two nights in her tent. It was just too cold. She ended up sleeping with us on the floor in the van.

Day 2 dawns.

A pit stop at Bijoux Falls.

All 16 of us stayed at Lions Flatbed Creek campsite, which is only 1.5 km from the town of Tumbler Ridge. In the evenings we had a fire at our place. The friendly host said he'd help us get the fire started. He left briefly and returned with a blow torch! Temperatures at night plummeted to 4C. Glad we had our heated van but hats off to several in the group who slept in tents.

Hike # 1 - Bootski Lake - Sept. 10

Stats: 14 km / 843m gain / 1836m high

The gravel road leading to this trailhead was long and riddled with potholes. It took us 1.5 hours to drive it.

Large grizzly tracks. Being in a large group was pretty bear-proof.

Azure Aster

The first 3km were on a deactivated FSR. Then the trail climbed steadily through the forest. These scarred trees remain after a 2006 fire.

Fireweed Pearly Everlasting

Emerging from the forest at the 4 km mark.

A sign on the ridge directed us to go left.

The lake was nestled in the bowl in the center of this photo.

Wapitik Mountain looms above Bootski Lake.

Group shot: me, Peter F, Charlotte H, Deborah B, Ingrid F, Lucy S, Patrick R, Al D, Christine C, Peter E

Front row: Denise D, Pat & Lisa S

Missing are Cal F & Judy P

In the first two days three hikers were injured by falls: Cal, Christine & Patrick. Not the best beginning to a trip. Later Charlotte ended up spraining her ankle.

Seven of us decided to check out this steep trail left of the lake. But I turned around at this point, thinking it was too sketchy with the loose scree. I can't risk another fall with my damaged spine.

Us three women ended up turning around. The four men made it to the ridge. But Al said that coming down was really tricky.

So I decided to romp round the lake instead. Lisa found some fossils along the bank.

As with many lakes formed in limestone, this one doesn't have a surface stream as an outlet. Instead it drains underground through cavities in the rock.

As I inched closer to this small marmot, I gained his trust and got to within 5 feet.

Pat (in the orange jacket) is watching and waiting for Al above him, as he carefully picks his way down a very steep section.

Our gracious host, Ingrid. Concentric rings formed along the shoreline of the lake as the water levels slowly dropped throughout the summer.

Mt. Becker.

Hallberd Willow Daisy

Indian Paintbrush We drove by this porcupine.

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Hike # 2 - Boulder Gardens

Stats: 4.65 km / 347m gain / 1:45 hours MT

This was a rest day for the rest of the group. So Denise, Charlotte & I did the hikes they did on their second day. Both of these hikes were shorter and fun to do. Fissures, sinkholes, towers and caves were formed by the dissolving of limestone rock.

We did the loop counter-clockwise, staying left at the first junction.

Anglo America's Trent mine on Roman Mt (2027m) across from us, operated from 2005-2014 and then closed due to low coal prices.

Suck it in and squeeze...

Algea patterns.

Boulder tarn.

Pancake rocks.

Doing the Two Towers little lolipop loop.

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Hike # 3 - Tarn & Tower which is right beside the Shipyard & Titanic trail, is only a 15-minute walk.

It gives you a view of the Armada from the other side. Stats: 4.10 km / 307m gain / 1:30 hours MT

Not far into the Shipyard & Tatanic trail, we got a closer view of the Armada from the opposite side.

Two mountain goats kept an eye on us as we passed by.

We stayed left to get closer to the Bismarck Rock. The tilted rock at the end was the size of a school bus.

We could see people on the Prow to the upper right.

Then we continued on to the Titanic. Denise is standing on the Prow. The map on the sign says a trail continues to the higher Waterline trail on Mt. Babcock but we didn't see a trail and it did not show up on my GPS.

Looking down on the Bismarck rock.

A third mountain goat at the base of this slope.

Trying to get past the two dogs, without them growling at us meant walking slowly. Their owner was busy climbing the rock wall.

One of the goats dissappeared into the cave.

After the Titanic we dropped back down and took this trail between the two rock walls.

The Titanic and Prow.

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Hike # 4 - Windfall Lake

Stats: 14.84 km / 887m gain / 1800m high / 5 hours MT

Because we had only one day left here, we opted for the more scenic looking hike. Being warned at the visitor center that the porcupines were nasty at this trailhead, I did not want to drive my Sprinter there. Getting chicken-wire to wrap round the whole 22' long van would've taken too long. Peter F came to our rescue. He offered to drive us and had already bought some wire the day before. It turned out that the group never did end up doing this hike.

Peter made swift work of it, taking only 30-minutes to wrap his tires.

The first half of the trail was through forest with a long board-walk section + a bit of bog.

At 3.5 km there's a junction to the Circular Route. Stay right.

The latter half of the trail involved more climbing. Not far from the lake were a series of stairs.

The view to our right -- northwest.

Our plan was to climb to up onto this ridge. But thanks to AllTrails, we didn't make it. It was dangerously steep. I should've gone by the reviews that said to go round the left side of the lake and then climb up through the bowl.

At Windfall Lake -- southwest.

We ended up climbing up along the gully to the left. We had to bushwhack to get to it.

This photo doesn't do it justice, but the slope is very steep, 44% in fact!

northwest

south

video

We stopped at this point to have a snack. Two of us weren't so sure about continuing the climb.

So we agreed to go just a bit higher to what looked like a flat section.

But once up there, we found that it wasn't any less steep. So we headed back. Turning around on this narrow scree path was quite dangerous. I'm not sure why AllTrails would mark this as a trail.

That cliff seemed alot closer than it actually was. And contrary to what we thought, we later saw that it was still a fair distance from the summit.

Back to bushwhacking, turning right and continuing along the lake.

That bowl to the left is where we should've gone. There was a rustic campsite at this west side of the lake.

This photo gives you a better view of how steep it was. We climbed just above the horizontal strip of rock left of the gully (center of photo).

We were confused as to where the Circular Route was. First of all it stated in the pamphlet, that it started at the campsite southeast of the lake. But the campsite is northeast of the lake, not southeast. And secondly, the blue sign was higher up on the hill, away from the campsite. Both me & Charlotte missed it the first time we were searching for the sign.

The Circular Route got us back up a bit and then dropped down into the valley.

There were a few small caves along the way.

We spent tthe following day driving to the David Thompson Hwy 11, turning east in the middle of the Icefield Parkway Hwy. This is my second blog on our trip. To be continued...