In the new year the Alternate Hikers and the Sunshine Hikers have done a few new or modified hikes. The Boy Scout hike was a short hike in the past which passed through some industrial areas but today it is a beautiful new trail. The trail has some up and down sections and can be slippery in the winter but is quite beautiful. It ends up at the old, burned down, boy scout cabin but provide some spectacular view of the Canal and a waterfall along the way. Return to the cars is back along the same trail or through the industrial area - the route we chose to take this time. Definitely a great new hike if you are looking for something short.

An existing trail behind the Mclean Mill has been cleaned up and made ready for hikers. Access is through the mill site and after a short relatively level hike it becomes quite steep. The day we hiked the trail was cloudy so we quickly ascended into fog/low cloud which limited our views unfortunately. Not a long hike it is easy to find and will be very rewarding if you don't mind the steep incline in the first half of the trip!

Roger Creek Nature Trails. Who in Port Alberni who hikes doesn't know this ever expanding network of trails. Easily accessible from parking lots on Redford or by walking in from the Burde Street side, these trails provide a number of beautiful hikes ranging from easy to medium. This particular hike was chosen because we weren't interested in some of the hike which would take us into snow or very muddy conditions. It is a reasonable length and very enjoyable. Starting at the sign post, you can do a complete loop in about 3-4 hours. We tend to take side trips to see the different views and stopped for lunch so it took us about 4 hours. The bad storms during the past year and a half have altered the trail due to a number of large blow downs. The great bunch of people who are dedicated to maintaining the trails are clearing the worst parts but we found it very interesting as is. One difference now is the appearance of a new logging road. Part of our group chose to continue forward to the road while the other half took the established trail to another logging road but we both ended up back at the sign post within 30 minutes of each other.

Photos for these hikes have been added to the gallery.

Maps for these hikes will be posted soon. I'm having some problem getting the gallery software to accept the jpgs but I'll soon figure out how to fool it!