Saturday 21 June 2008

Distance

Description

0 km

Start at Brennan Park Recreation Centre

Run north out of parking lot and merge left onto Centennial Way. Turn right up the side of Highway 99, being sure to stay inside the white line. Cross the Mamquam River Bridge and stay north on Highway 99.

Immediately after bridge, go right down a steep bank to the river (be careful) then go left along the trail with the river to your right. Go about 2Km until you reach a big sign board at a golf course. Go hard left onto the middle trail into a swampy area. Stay on this trail for about 1K until you reach a broad trail and a yellow gate. Go right onto a gravel trail under the power lines.

Carefully cross Mamquam Road and take trail along highway in front of shopping centre. At the hotel, turn right and up residential road. At first 4-way, go left. At next 4 way, go right. In about 100m you will see a trail between the houses marked Coho Park. Enter trail and stay left and uphill.

Follow a creek for a ways. When you come to a new, well-groomed single track trail, go left. Cross log bridge on trestle trail then continue on flat. At intersection, go right and up onto Lumberjacks trail until you come to a street. (Perth Drive)

Go through the yellow gate. At the first fork in about 100m, go left along a crest trail. (If it's clear, enjoy views of the Tantalus mountain range!) Take care on steep stony downhill!

Continue straight. There will be a couple of short hills. (Ignore the two turn offs to the left.) As you approach trees, the main trail bends right: IGNORE this and fork left on thinner trail into trees (Jack’s Trail). Climb gradually for ~3km to Alice Lake.

RP #1

Alice Lake.

Fork left and run to the west of Alice Lake.  Pass behind the picnic tables, cross the small bridge near the washrooms and turn left onto the paved road.  Continue towards Hwy 99.  At the top of the steep hill turn left onto single track.  Descend and then turn right onto Wonderland.  After Aid Station 2 climb back up Alice Lake Rd. and past the campground entrance.  Continue ~600m on the small road to the yellow gate where the trail begins.

Climb gradually for ~4km staying on the main trail until park sign for Fawn Lake. Go left onto a broad trail which narrows to become the “Bob McIntosh Trail”.

As you come into a recently cleared area, go left at a mini crossroads that goes to Dead End Loop. Follow this loop until the first fork in the trail then go left. This will bring you back to the power lines. Go left and steeply uphill to the top of stony “Rock & Roll” hill. (Dare you to run it!)

A long fast downhill section starts here, alternating between the broader Mashiter Trail and several single tracks to the right. Follow course markings carefully! Pick up “Rob’s Corners” to right of main trail which brings you out by a shelter near a yellow gate. (powerlines mark the general route in this section.)

Turn right and immediately left onto “Cliff’s Corners” then back onto Mashiter trail for ~500m. Take a sharp right into bushes (that takes a wide corner off Mashiter), and then right back onto the main trail.

Within 100m, go right onto Tracks from Hell trail (marshy) and follow for 1K. Cross wide trail onto Mike's Loop, climbing gradually through the trees for about 1K. Cross a small pond on a wiggly bridge. Go uphill onto Marc my Word trail then take a steep, technical downhill onto Border Patrol trail then Mashiter trail.

Proceed onto “Roller Coaster”, a single track with great views of the Chief and Howe Sound.

Stay left and downhill on narrow trail. As trees get bigger, trail turns dusty/rocky and forks right. Go carefully down the hill and out onto paved road at Perth Drive.

Continue down Perth Drive to stop sign at school. Go left onto the Boulevard. Cross a bridge into Quest University, then immediately right onto a dirt road. Stay on this road for ~1.5K until you reach a wide, gravel road.

Take the road uphill. There's a short section of paved road at the university but all in all, about 4K of gravel road. Go left onto a broad trail that climbs gradually through some slightly overgrown clear cuts. Go left down a narrow trail (Psedapseuga trail) that will take you back to the gravel road. Go right and back down to the gravel section just past the university then turn left into the parking area.

The trail steeply down and cross the Ring Creek Falls bridge. Continue straight on fairly flat trail for ~1K. (Ignore right turn) At top of small hill, fork right and steeply down. After a short hill, continue on main trail and then down steep black stoned rough road. Cross Powerhouse Bridge and up slope to yellow gate. The flat broad road continues for ~2.5km. At intersection with wide gravel road, go left.

This is a long, uphill slog. Stay on the main Mamquam Forest Service Road, ignoring secondary routes. This is an active forest road: traffic should be light but take care. The Mamquam River & gorge should always be to your left. At no point on this section should you be on a single track.

As the Mamquam glacier captivates you, look out for a large bridge. Cross the bridge, then go left onto the first trail (marked by a blue painted boulder) in ~250m This is the climb up lava flow hill.

This next section should be familiar! Continue on main trail and down steep black stoned rough road. Cross the Powerhouse Bridge and go uphill to a yellow gate. At intersection, go right

At junction with Smoke Bluff Trail”. turn right. Follow this trail, briefly up and then down and after ~1km out to the Climber’s Parking Lot. Cross over Logger’s Lane (paved road) and enter wooded trail forking to right. Proceed for ~1.5km straight following flagging, crossing over Finch Drive towards the soccer field night lights and the finish line, to the left (West) of the Rec Centre. Congratulations!