Adventures in Powell River: Manzanita Bluffs or Bust!
Savary Island from Manzanita Bluffs
There’s an old joke among hikers that when you ask how far something is, the answer will often be, “Oh, a mile, mile and a half.” Well, that would be a bit of a stretch if you met someone at the Malaspina Road trail head and your destination was the Manzanita Hut on the Sunshine Coast Trail (SCT). It’s more like three and a half miles, or five and a bit kilometres. It’s a good vigorous hike with lots of ups and downs before you reach Manzanita Bluffs, which overlook Lund, and then Savary and Hernando islands with Vancouver Island in the distance. It’s quite a view.
Hernando Island from Manzanita Bluffs
And the Sunshine Coast Trail is quite a trail. Stretching 180 km from Sarah Point to Saltery Bay, it meanders through stands of old growth, skirting cut blocks here and there, and area lakes like Lois, Lewis, Inland, and the two Sliammon lakes. Along the way, take time to soak in the beauty of the place. As you focus on the often uneven path, it’s easy to miss the gentle creeks, surprise clusters of rhododendrons, and peek–a-boo views through the trees.
Glimpses of paradise
It’s also important to remember this is the wilderness and you’re surrounded by wildlife. This is bear and cougar country, and on rare occasions, elk sightings have been reported. More often, eagles will drift by at eye level as you take a water break upon a viewpoint bluff.
Nicola Gildersleeve holds the record for completing the trail end-to-end in one go: 33 hours, 50 minutes. That’s extreme! She shaved off a whopping 10 hours from Ean Jackson’s previous record which had stood for a decade. For people who are not super heroes like Nicola and Ean, taking a week or so to do the entire trail is more realistic.
The unique characteristic, and one of the things that makes the Sunshine Coast Trail so appealing is that it’s accessible from multiple points so if all you want is a day hike with friends, treks up to Manzanita Bluffs is perfect.
Miles from anywhere, but close to home.
It’s about two hours from Malaspina Road and much of the Gwendoline Hills trail section of the SCT is among the trees, helping to keep temperatures cool on a warm day. This stretch has a difficulty level of “moderate” according to The Sunshine Coast Trail, 3rd edition, by Eagle Walz. And Eagle would know. He, and the other members of Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society (PRPAWS) started linking existing trails and old logging roads to build the SCT over 20 years ago. No one knows the SCT like they do. So far, they’ve built 13 huts with plans for another in the next year. Along the way, they’ve been joined by other volunteer groups like the ATV Club, Rotary, and the BOMB (Bloody Old Men’s Brigade) Squad. Grants from Island Coastal Economic Trust (ICET) have been key in making the SCT a world-class hiking system, and the longest hut-to-hut hiking experience in Canada. Staying at the huts is free, with no reservations to make. And if you do have to share, what better way to make new friends than to bunk with hikers for a night!
Get yours today!
PRPAWS and Tourism Powell River have designed a Sunshine Coast Trail Passport program and here’s how it works: hike to a hut, take a photo of yourself at the hut, take the photo to the corresponding business sponsor for that hut to obtain a stamp for your passport. Once you have all the stamps, take your completed passport to Tourism Powell River for a completion stamp and certificate. It’s quite an accomplishment.
On this day, my buddy Chris has his sights on Manzanita Hut.
Mission accomplished!
André and Chris at Manzanita Hut. Chris is even wearing his SCT Manzanita Hut t-shirt!
One more stamp for his passport! Working on earning all stamps is so much easier with friends.
Chris, Charlotte, André, and Kevin and pooch Maddie at Manzanita Bluffs.
Friends of all kinds!
Even rambunctious Maddie takes a break now and then along the trail.
The way home always seems shorter. Your step quickens and as you near Malaspina Road again you feel a great sense of accomplishment. Maybe there were times you felt a little winded but there were other times you felt like you could fly. The journey never really ends though, there are just pauses along the path before you take that next step, and then the next.
For more information about the Sunshine Coast Trail, please visit http://www.sunshinecoast-trail.com. Happy trails!
Angie Davey
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