Quadra Island: Main Lakes Chain Provincial Park

August-September 1998

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Claire Heffernan

Preparing for take-off at the bridge on Village Bay Lake.

Why would anyone living on Salt Spring Island want to spend their summer vacation anywhere else? Well let me tell you. Round about mid-August when the best swimming holes are awash with nosy tourists, lakes have a toxic slick of suntan oil and mosquito repellent and you don't recognize anyone during your mid week foray into Ganges to buy groceries-- then it's time to pack up the tent, cooler, stove, kayak or canoe, and head to the nearest ferry terminal.

But where to go? I'll let you in on our little secret. For the past two years my husband Dan Mooney and I have spent many leisurely hours paddling in one of BC's newest provincial parks, exploring channels and coves, picking through the relics of abandoned homesteads and mining camps, and discovering a network of hiking trails that add an interesting dimension to our camping and paddling experience.

Established as a provincial park by the NDP government on February 5,1996, Main Lakes Chain is a paddlers' delight. Located on the northeast portion of Quadra Island, the Main Lakes Chain is Composed of six lakes: Clear Lake, Little Main Lake Stramberg Lake, Main Lake, Mine Lake and the northern portion of Village Bay Lake. With over 3,000 hectares of mixed second growth forest to explore and 466 hectares of fresh water for swimming and fishing, the park is one of the most biologically diverse and is, with the exception of Vancouver Island, the largest protected freshwater system on the west toast of Canada.

There are over two hundred plant species that inhabit the park and 72 bird species: Depending on the season, you may notice osprey, bald eagles, owls, hawks, peregrine falcons and wintering Trumpeter swans. Although wolf and cougar still roam the island, you're more likely to see beaver or deer on the lake and mink or otter on the beach.

According to Quadra Island Salmon Enhancement Society president Don McEachern, there are runs of sockeye, chum and coho salmon as well as freshwater and salt water Cutthroat trout. However there are only a few places left in the system where sockeye still spawn. And the numbers are dawn right now. "We are asking paddlers to stay out of Shadow Brook Creek that connects Main Lake with Little Main. The creek dries up in summer and paddlers would have to drag their boats over sockeye spawning gravel," said McEachern. "Some day there may be a trail up to Little Main. In the meantime there are still plenty of places to explore without going into this sensitive fish spawning area."

Quadra Island is just a ten minute ferry ride from downtown Campbell River. The park access is a forty-five minute drive from Quathiaski Cove and has two boat launching points.

VILLAGE BAY LAKE ROUTE

Village Bay Lake access is located on Village Bay Road where the road crosses Village Bay Lake. Just before the bridge you'll see a number of parked cars, boats, boat trailers and a telephone. This is also the launching point for those heading up the lake to their cottages. There are approximately 75 private waterfront lots along this lower portion of the lake containing an interesting assortment of summer cabins. There is a ten horse power motor restriction on the lakes.

After paddling the length of Village Bay Lake, the waterway turns into a narrow channel about ten meters wide. On either side is a thick forest of brilliant green tulles that house a wide variety of birds. Emerging from the tulles and entering Mine Lake you'll notice one of the first of many campsites on the lakes. It is a sloping white sandy beach framed in a grove of pine trees. This is the only overnight campsite with an official park toilet.

Mine and Main Lakes have a number of islands and coves with campsites and hiking trails. At the north arm of Main Lake an old logging road heads off from the campsite in a north easterly direction toward Yeatman Bay located just north of Surge Narrows. The trail emerges onto a small beach covered with shellfish. If the tide is low you can continue walking along the beach in either direction to enjoy views of the channel and Maurelle Island.

Mine Lake access is located on Surge Narrows Road where there is some parking, a small picnic area, rough outhouses, a small creek to replenish drinking water supplies and trails along the lake. This access is for day use only.

Overnight Camping is allowed on the lakes in what are referred to as user-created campsites. There are currently ten of these campsites scattered around the lakes. BC Parks representative Ted Kraemer and his staff are in the process of drafting a Park Management Plan to establish permanent trails and campsites, install toilets and picnic tables and print detailed maps and other pertinent information. Kraemer estimates that the process will not be complete until the year 2001.

Narrows Bluff Trail is located just beyond the Mine Lake picnic area on Surge Narrows Road and leads to Camp Holmwood on the north side of Mine Lake. We arrived there in our canoe one Saturday morning hoping to get permission to hike to Narrows Bluff - a scenic viewpoint above the camp. We expected the place to be overrun with enthusiastic young campers but the place was completely deserted. We eventually found the camp cook who poured us coffee and gave us the complete tour of the camp before directing us to the trail.

After a half hour climb up a steep, rocky, well defined goat path, we emerged on top of Narrows Bluff. We enjoyed good views of Sutil Channel, Cape Mudge, Campbell River and the forested rolling hills of north Quadra where there is now little evidence of the three forest fires that have ravaged the hills over the last century, sending settlers fleeing for refuge to the islands in Discovery Passage. We continuously marveled at our good fortune to be in the park on a weekend with only a handful of other boaters.

You don't have to be a class four white water paddler to enjoy the lakes. The area is family oriented with good swimming beaches and short paddling distances between destinations. While we were parked on Surge Narrows Road across from Mine Lake in August of 1997, a terrible wind storm came up. Even though 120 km/hr gusts rocked our small truck for hours and nearby trees creaked and groaned, branches and tops snapping with unnerving ferocity, the lake remained relatively calm because it is so sheltered

Experienced paddlers can complete Main, Village Bay and Mine Lakes in one day. But to really soak the magic and solitude of the lakes, an overnight camp is in order. For experienced paddlers and portagers I recommend several fresh water/salt water loops.

Safety Tips Far Salt Water Paddlers

Do not venture onto the ocean with out a marine chart and the correct tide tables. For tides you will need the Canadian Tide and Current Tables: Volume 6 Barclay Sound and Discovery Passage. Remember that when you are calculating slack tide for example to navigate Surge Narrows add one hour to the tide time for daylight savings. Otherwise you could end up inl very dangerous tidal rapids.

VILLAGE BAY TO GRANITE BAY (THREE TO FOUR DAYS)

Leave one vehicle on the south side of Granite Bay at an old log dump and your party can then return to the Village Bay Lake access to begin your trip. Paddle north to Main Lake and land on the beach at the first large bay on the north east section of main Lake. Portage the boats approximately 1.2 kilometers downhill to Yeatman Bay. Enter the salt water here and head north, preferably with the tide, to Octopus Islands Marine Provincial Park. Spend one or two nights here exploring, being very careful not to venture beyond the Octopus group without consulting a tide chart and local knowledge as the tide rips and whirl pools can be very dangerous beyond this area.

Head into Waiatt Bay and pick up the .8 kilometer level portage that takes you across the peninsula to Small Inlet which is also part of a marine park. This portage has a lot of downed trees making hiking even with a small pack quite arduous. I shudder at the thought of carrying a canoe or kayak through here. However the trail is passable.

The portage is also on private property. The owners are considering a trade or government buy out so the trail may some day be in the park and eventually cleaned up. Please respect private property - no tree cutting (even windfalls) and absolutely no campfires. I advise that the portage be traversed at high tide to reduce the distance carrying equipment and boats.

If you are feeling really energetic you can take a side trip (without the boat) up to remote Newton Lake for the best swim you'll ever experience. The Newton Lake trail cuts off in a southerly direction from the main portage trail. This trail is also on private property so no camping or campfires.

After lugging your gear from Waiatt Bay to Small Inlet you'll probably want to spend another night and a day exploring Kanish and Granite Bay before picking up your vehicle and returning to Village Bay Lake. There is ample parking at both launching points.

VILLAGE BAY LAKE TO STEAMSHIP BAY (OVERNIGHT)

Enter at the Village Bay Lake access to begin your trip. Paddle north to Main Lake and land on the beach at the first large bay on the northeast section of Main Lake. Portage the boats approximately 1.2 kilometers downhill to Yeatman Bay which is part of the park. You can camp one night here or you can head south through Surge Narrows to the wharf haul out just north of Bold Point. Always negotiate Surge Narrows at slack tide. Consult local tide tables and ask other boaters about the best time to navigate this narrow channel.

After Surge Narrows continue heading south along Hoskyn Channel toward Bold Point. In the bay just before Bold Point there is an ancient wharf (a port-of-call for steamships). This wharf and the road leading out of Steamship Bay is a public access. Leave your boat at the wharf and walk 20 minutes back to Village Bay on Bold Point Road to pick up your vehicle. There is private property on both sides of the Steamship Bay access so no overnight camping or fires here either.

You don't need a boat to enjoy this new park. If you're just hiking in the area there are a number of trails that lead to lakes, viewpoints and beaches. The Quadra Island Tourist Information Center and some stores carry a hiking trail map showing ten popular trails. Discovery Islands Realty has also produced a detailed map that can be purchased for $2 from island grocery stores or can be picked up at their office just outside Quathiaski Cove.

If you would like to rent a canoe or kayak or require a guided tour, contact Coast Mountain Expeditions: 250/2870635, Spirit of the West Adventures: 250/285-2121, Geophilia Adventures: 250/ 285-3308, Coastal Spirits: 250/ 285-2895. There are a number of well stocked stores on the island as well as schools, churches, restaurants, hardware and arts and crafts

It is difficult to imagine that less than ten years ago Main Lakes Chain was part of Crown Land Tree Farm License No. 47 and slated for logging. When islanders discovered in 1989 that portions of Main Lake were part of forest company giant Fletcher Challenge's five year cutting plan, they banded together to form the Evergreen Alliance and began developing their own plan to protect the area. Finally in 1996, after nearly a decade of persistent effort by residents of Quadra, Sonora, Read and Cortes Islands, Moe Sihota, Minister of Environment, Lands and Parks, granted protected status for not only the Main Lakes Chain but also Small Inlet, Waiatt Bay, Surge Narrows and South Read Island, paving the way for a Class A status provincial park.

Claire Heffernan works in the hospitality industry and is a devoted canoeist, hiker, cyclist and free lance writer living on Salt Spring Island.