FOOLS GOLD HIKING ROUTE
Camping near Mamquam Pass.
By Joe Foy
Traversing the length of the Pinecone/Burke Study Area is a 50 kilometre hiking route that gives access to an amazing variety of wildlands. Along with other members of WCWC and the Burke Mountain Naturalists I hiked this route in a series of trips between 1991 and 1993.
This wild-country trek is unique in our area. It's like having the world famous West Coast Trail right in our own back yard! The route takes seven days to backpack and stretches from Coquitlam to Squamish. Or you can do as we did, and hike sections of the route. It's called the Fool's Gold Hiking Route because it crosses country rich with legends of lost gold mines. If you go, remember that parts of the route are unmarked, trackless wilderness. You must be fit, well equipped with survival gear, able to navigate with compass and topographic map and be capable of off-trail wilderness travel. Do not travel alone and always leave a record of your intended route and schedule with a friend with clear instructions to notify the RCMP if you do not return on time. You will be entering the wilds entirely at your own risk so be especially careful on river crossings whether they be on bridges, logs or fords. Remember, play it smart and stay safe. I promise, it will be a week you will remember for the rest of your life!
Number [1] through [31] correspond to centre page map. Elevations above sea level are listed in metres at key points in the route description (_m. asl).
Day 1 - PITT DOCK TO WIDGEON VALLEY
* Attractions - Wildlife viewing, canoeing, fishing, swimming in season.
* Distance & maximum elevation gain - 14 km., +480 m.
You will need a friend and a boat to help out with this first section. Driving east, turn left off the Lougheed Highway just east of the Pitt River Bridge on to the Dewdney Trunk Road. 6.2 km. later turn left on 208th Street (Neaves Road). Follow this road to the [1] South End Dock (0 m. asl) near Pitt Lake, which is 18 km. from where you first turned off Lougheed Highway. Here you can launch your own small boat, or rent one from Ayla Canoes, located right beside the dock. Paddle across Pitt River, near where it comes out of Pitt Lake, skirt to the north of [2] Siwash Island and into Widgeon Slough. Widgeon Slough is everglades-like, rich in wildlife and is in the southern portion of the Pinecone/Burke Study Area. An hour's paddle up the west channel of the slough brings you to a [3] Forest Service campground. Pull in here and get dropped off by your friend. Right behind the campground is an old logging road. This is the start of the Fool's Gold Hiking Route. It is a one hour hike north (4 km.) through second growth forest to the junction of the [4] Widgeon Lake side trail (160 m. asl) The left fork goes to [24] Widgeon Lake, the biggest highcountry hanging lake near Vancouver. Good camping and fishing. Spectacular scenery. To stay on the main Fool's Gold Route, keep right at the junction. After crossing to the east side of Widgeon Creek on an [5] old, half collapsed, logging bridge, (cross at your own risk, or ford the creek) the road becomes more overgrown. Several hours hiking north brings you to the [6] end of the Old Widgeon Road (480 m. asl). There are excellent camping spots here on the gravel bar near the creek.
Cedar Spirit Grove, Boise Valley
Day 2 - WIDGEON VALLEY TO DEBECK MOUTH
* Attraction - Mountain Hemlock oldgrowth forest, views of Pitt Lake.
* Distance and maximum elevation gain - 7 km., +240 m.
For most of the day you will have only your back-country knowledge to guide you. There are no trails. Using compass and map, continue up Widgeon Creek 2 km. to near its end, then, when the creek bed takes a 90 degree right turn to the southeast, leave the creek and head northeast up the steep mountainside through oldgrowth forest. You have a choice of two passes, one on either side of a small peak. Aim for the pass to the right (east) of the small peak, this is [7] Pitt Pass (720 m. asl). It is 1/2 km. from Widgeon Creek to Pitt Pass. The pass to the left (west) of the peak is Spindle Pass. From Pitt Pass bushwack through oldgrowth forest with a thick understorey of blueberries and mountain misery north along a sidehill high above Pitt Lake. After one kilometre, skirt a 10 metre high cliff by following its edge east until you can get down on a series of natural ramps in the cliff face. Cross over a pond covered plateau, previously helicopter-logged, then into a deep dark ancient forest then, north, down a side hill into the DeBeck Valley, taking care to note on your topographic map cliffs to the east and west. Halfway down the hill enter a 60 year old second growth forest. At the bottom of the hill you will burst out onto an old logging road covered in sword ferns. Head down hill, east for one km. along the old road to a fine camping spot near the [8] mouth of DeBeck Creek (0 m. asl) on the shore of Pitt Lake. From this point you can enter or exit the area via boat back to the [1] South End Dock.
Day 3 - DEBECK MOUTH TO MID VALLEY
* Attraction - Views down DeBeck, Disk Canyon, Coastal Western Hemlock oldgrowth forest.
* Distance and maximum elevation gain - 5 km., +560 m.
Hike northwest back up the old logging road to its end which is just over 3 km., about halfway along ford Spindle Creek. The road bed is quite steep and overgrown in places. Just past the end of the old road you will come to the [9] Disc Creek Canyon (480 m. asl) with a thundering waterfall below you. Do not try to cross the canyon! Bushwack east, down the slope parallel to the canyon, through old logging slash. Ford to the east side of DeBeck Creek and bushwack up the hill to another old logging road. Hike northwest for one km. to the end of the road then enter the oldgrowth forest of DeBeck Valley. Directly across from you, on the west side of DeBeck Creek, is the confluence of [10] Third Creek (520 m. asl). The headwaters of Third Creek are located in the lake-studded alpine meadows surrounding the [11] Five Fingers Spires. It is a rugged side trip up the north side of Third Creek into the alpine terrain above. However, to continue on the Fool's Gold Route use compass and map to bushwack north through oldgrowth forest with little under brush and lots of moss, along the bench above the east side of DeBeck Creek to a [12] magical camping spot (560 m. asl) in an ancient hemlock grove near some small side streams.
Cabin Crossing, Fool's Gold Trail
Day 4 - MID VALLEY TO BULL PASS
* Attractions - Views of the Five Fingers Spires, rare valley-bottom grass meadows, old pack trail, Coastal Western Hemlock oldgrowth forest, view from the pass of entire DeBeck Valley.
* Distance and maximum elevation gain - 7 km., +500 m.
Continue hiking northwest up DeBeck Creek. Here and there you will see the blaze marks of an old trail. From time to time you will break out of the oldgrowth forest into large open meadows. [13] Consolation Creek joins DeBeck Creek (680 m. asl) from the west. It drains Consolation Lakes, located at the base of the Five Fingers Spires. From the Consolation Creek confluence continue for several hours up DeBeck Creek, climbing up to [14] Bull Pass (1,060 m. asl). Keep just to the left of a small cliff as you ascend toward the pass. There are great views back down DeBeck Valley from the top of the cliff. Camp in the pass amongst meadows and stunted forest.
Day 5 - BULL PASS TO CEDAR SPIRIT GROVE
* Attractions - Alpine rambling, views of Bull Bowl, Bull Canyon, Cedar Spirit Grove, Coastal Western Hemlock oldgrowth forest.
* Distance and maximum elevation gain - 5 km., +0 m.
From Bull Pass hike west then north through forest and meadows taking care to skirt the beginnings of a canyon system, into the [15] Bull Bowl (800 m. asl), a large mountain-fringed expanse at the headwaters of Bull Creek. Views of cascades and peaks surround you. In the valley bottom, grassy meadows are interspersed with groves of yellow cedar. To the west is a side-trip to the Bull Bowl. The Bowl is surrounded with alpine meadows and many small lakes and streams. To continue down the Fool's Gold Route, hike north, following Bull Creek, which is part of the Boise Creek system. Stay on the west side of the creek as the valley narrows into [16] Bull Canyon (680 asl). Hike just along the edge of the canyon and below a long talus band in a strip of gnarled oldgrowth forest. Further on, the talus slope ends and you can walk further away from the canyon. At the end of the day you will come to a bench with a large grove of ancient redcedar trees called the [17] Cedar Spirit Grove (560 m. asl). This grove is the most spectacular stand of redcedars known to exist near Vancouver. Cedar trees over 1,000 years of age and 10 metres in circumference are common on the bench and slope above Bull Creek. Camp here.
Day 6 - CEDAR SPIRIT GROVE TO SCARY CROSSING
* Attractions - Waterfalls, Coastal Western Hemlock oldgrowth forest, hiking trail, old cabin and mine workings.
* Distance and maximum elevation gain - 5 km., +200 m.
The Cedar Spirit Grove is near the confluence of the Bull and Boise creeks. A well marked trail begins in the Cedar Grove. Follow the trail north along a bench above the Bull, then west as it heads up the Boise Valley. About an hour from the Cedar Grove you will come to the [18] Cabin Crossing Junction (520 m. asl), marked by a signpost pointing the directions to Squamish and Coquitlam. If you ford Boise Creek at Cabin Crossing you will soon come to an old prospector's cabin and mine workings, then to a logging road that exists northeast via the lower Boise Valley to logging roads in the Upper Pitt River. From these roads it is a four hour hike to the [31] North End Dock on Pitt Lake, where you can enter or exit the area by boat. However, to continue on the Fool's Gold Route to the Mamquam logging road and beyond to Squamish, you must not cross the Boise here. Instead, stay on the south side of Boise Creek. The Fool's Gold Route heads west along the valley bottom trail and breaks from the oldgrowth forest to cross three large rock-falls, providing wide-open views of the unlogged valley around you. A rare sight indeed in today's Lower Mainland mountains. You are in the heart of wilderness. Just past the last rockfall you come to Frypan Camp, built by the WCWC trail building team of '92. At the end of the day you will come to [19] Scary Crossing (760 m. asl) which is a three pole bridge over the Upper Boise Canyon and is indeed very scary to cross. You can cross over the Boise to the north side here (at your own risk), or continue down the trail for a few minutes to Wet-Foot crossing, and ford the Boise without scaring yourself silly. There is good camping here beside the creek.
Day 7 - SCARY CROSSING TO MAMQUAM ROAD
* Attractions - Yellow cedar groves, views of Meslillooet Icefield, Mountain Hemlock oldgrowth forest, Alpine meadows.
* Distance and maximum elevation gain - 6 km., +800 m.
From Scary Crossing the trail climbs north up the hillside. You will travel through groves of yellow cedar and have views of the [20] Meslillooet Icefield across the valley. This is the closest glacier to Vancouver and feeds the many lakes and streams in the Bull Bowl. You will break out of the forest at the [21] Mamquam Pass (1,360 m. asl), a large level alpine area with a few stands of mountain hemlock trees. Great views down the Boise from here. Continue climbing and sidehilling west along the trail to a high point just below the peaks (1,560 m. asl), then down to Hopeful Meadows, so named because of a poem by an unknown author inscribed on a tree. After Hopeful Meadows, the trail first enters forest, then a recent clearcut to the [22] Mamquam logging road trail head (1,040 m. asl). You may have arranged to have a vehicle or mountain bike waiting for you here, or it is a 35 km. hike to Squamish at the end of the road.
Road access to this point from Squamish is as follows. From Vancouver, take Hwy. 99 to Squamish. About 1 km. before you reach Squamish, turn right just before you cross the Mamquam River bridge. Set your odometre at "0". The gravel road is good for most 2 wheel drive vehicles if you take it slow and easy. The road is a public "industrial" road so you must be on the look out for logging trucks which have the right of way. At 3.7 km. keep left. The right fork heads to the Indian River road system. At 12.7 km. keep left to cross a bridge over to the north side of Mamquam River. At 26.7 km. keep left. Then at 27 km. turn left again and begin to climb a steep switch-back hill. After this point keep your eyes peeled for "water bars" which are ditches cut across the road to divert rain water. These may prevent your 2 wheel drive vehicle from continuing further. At 33.5 km. the road crosses a small bridge over November Creek and forks. On the sidehill ahead of you is a recent clearcut. The Fool's Gold Route starts from the end of the left fork about 100 metres from the bridge. The Fool's Gold Route goes through the clearcut to the forest above.
