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Carmanah
Walbran Provincial Park
Hiking
A variety of viewpoints can be reached from the main trail, which
leads up and down Carmanah Creek from the Carmanah Valley Trailhead.
A junction 1.3 km from the Trailhead offers visitors the opportunity
to travel upstream toward August Creek, or downstream toward the
Randy Stoltmann Commemorative Grove.
- Coast Tower:
Length 1.2 km. Average one-way hiking time: 20 minutes from
the Trailhead. This
easy day hike on a maintained gravel trail
brings hikers to the Coast Tower, a massive Sitka spruce
located at the base of the trail leading in the lower Carmanah
Creek
Valley. This giant tree used to be 92 meters in height until
the top 30
meters blew off in winter storms
in 1997. A viewing platform is located at the Coast Tower,
which is the first big spruce you come across in the Valley.
.
- Junction:
Length 1.3 km. Average one-way hiking time: 25 minutes. From
the parking lot, this is the junction of the trail. From
here hikers can head upstream or downstream. Turn left to go
to the
Upper Valley Trail, which heads toward Three Sisters, Grunts
Grove, Paradise Pool and August Creek. Turn right to head downstream
toward
Heaven Tree and the Randy Stoltmann Commemorative Grove.
.
- Three
Sisters: Length 2.5 km. Average one-way hiking time: 40 minutes
upstream from the Junction. An elevated viewing
platform
at Three
Sisters provides visitors with a unique perspective of three
breathtaking Sitka spruce trees, all growing from the same
spot. These trees
are approximately 78-79 meters high. Wilderness camping is
allowed here on the large sandbar beside Carmanah Creek.
Pit toilets
are located here as well. The boardwalk portions of the trail
end after
Three Sisters.
.
- Grunt's Grove: Length 4 km. Average one-way
hiking time: 1.25 hours from the Junction. Continue past Three
Sisters
to Grunts
Grove,
where you will find a majestic stand of Sitka spruce with
adjacent camping on gravel bars. A great number of spruce
seedlings
can be found growing on the sandbars, which is where spruce
trees
typically start their life in Carmanah. There are also
some large logjams
on the creek near Grunts Grove.
.
- Paradise Pool: Length 5.5
km. Average one-way hiking time: 2 hours from the Junction. Paradise
Pool is a small crystal
clear
pool
where the creek drops slightly. The clear waters are
home to tiny Cutthroat trout and the occasional crayfish. Cougar
tracks
can
often be seen in the mud on the trail where a cougar
has
come down to drink the cool fresh water. The pool is
quite deep
in places
and has a nice sandy bottom. It might look like a nice
place to swim, however the water in Carmanah is very
cold - even
in the
hottest and driest of summers.
.
- August Creek: Length 7.5
km. Average one-way hiking time: 3.5 hours from the Junction.
August Creek is a small
intact watershed
that
flows into Carmanah from a high reverse valley. It
is the largest creek that flows into Carmanah. Backcountry
camping
opportunities
exist on the sandbar just downstream of the confluence
of August and Carmanah Creek. There are no pit toilets
here.
This is
the most upstream campsite in the valley; maintained
trails end at
August Creek.
.
- Heaven Tree: Length 2 km. Average one-way
hiking time: 30 minutes downstream from the Junction. This impressive
Sitka
spruce
is approximately 77 meters tall and is one of the
broadest spruce
trees in the Valley
with a diameter of 3.5 meters.
.
- Randy Stoltmann Commemorative
Grove: Length 2.6 km. Average one-way hiking time: 50 minutes
downstream from the Junction.
The impressive
stand of Sitka spruce trees in this grove range
in size from approximately 75 – 89 meters in height.
These trees all compete for light and are growing
tall as they reach for the sun. A kiosk at this
site offers information about the Carmanah and
Randy Stoltmann. This site is the terminus of the downstream
trail.
Return to
Carmanah
Walbran Provincial Park
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