South Slope Trail

Statistics

Directions

From Highway #7 (Lougheed Highway) in Port Coquitlam, turn north on to Coast Meridian Road. Follow Coast Meridian north for 5 km and up a hill. Turn right on to Harper Road, following signs for the Hunting and Fishing club. Continue as the road transitions to gravel and park near the gated road loading into the park on the right, just before the gun club.

The C38 bus operates from Coquitlam Station to the Port Coquitlam area daily. Get off at the "David at Oxford" stop (#53803), then walk east for 500 meters on David Avenue to Coast Meridian Road. Turn left on Coast Meridian and follow it 1.3 km to Harper Road. Continue on Harper road for 2 km to the park entrance, a walk of approximately 50 minutes from the bus stop. An alternate walking route is to turn right off of Coast Meridian on Highland Drive to Argyll Street, then head up Argyll to a short path that goes up to Harper Road. For bus schedules and information, visit the Translink website.

Details

There are two approaches to Sterling Loop Trail:

#1. From Harper Gate, hike up the old logging road (Harper), turning left at the first junction (Coquitlam Lake View Trail). Follow CLVT up the gradual grade, staying to the right at the signed split with Woodland Walk. Continue on CLVT under the power-lines, across Pritchett Creek, staying to the right on the main trail until reaching a signed "T" intersection. Turn right and follow that trail back down past a sawdust pile (an old mill site) to the signed South Slope trailhead.

#2. From Harper gate, hike up Harper logging road, continuing, instead, straight ahead at the first junction. Take a natural left on Harper as it turns uphill, departing from a more minor road continuing straight ahead. Follow Harper up the gradual grade, under the power-lines, then bending around a ravine and continuing a gradual climb to a more level area where there is a trail fork. Harper angles uphill to the right through an open green gate. Take the trail running straight ahead instead. Soon after crossing Pritchett Creek, you will come to the signed South Slope trailhead.

Follow South Slope up a fairly steep route which takes you along the edge of the scenic Upper Pritchett Creek Canyon. Watch for a surprise relic from yester-year on your left! After the canyon, South Slope continues up a gradual incline, angling away from Pritchett Creek, and eventually ending at a "T" junction with Sterling Loop Trail. South (right) of this "T" split, the old Sterling Loop once led back down to Harper. Although this portion of Sterling Loop below South Slope is still shown on BC Parks' Burke Map, it has long since overgrown and has been de-activated. At the "T" intersection, turn left from South Slope and follow Sterling Loop to Coho Creek. The high-water crossing is first on the right, but a few steps beyond, the main crossing has a small, scenic waterfalls. Beyond Coho Creek, Sterling Loop ascends though quiet forest past Lily Pad Lake, then Hourglass Lake and finally Ted Kay Lake, where just beyond that point, you will find its junction with the Burke Ridge Trail. A left on the latter takes you on to Burke Summit; a right takes you back to the site of the old ski lodge and Harper Road.

GPS Waypoints

Harper Road gate / park entrance	N49.31377 W122.74903	10U 518241 5462367
Side road junction #1 (to Lakeview Trail)	N49.31260 W122.74409	10U 518600 5462238
Side road junction #2 (to Powerline Trail)	N49.31148 W122.74262	10U 518708 5462114
Powerlines	N49.31939 W122.74013	10U 518886 5462994
Side road junction #3 (to South Slope Trail)	N49.32775 W122.73772	10U 519058 5463924
Pritchett Creek crossing #1	N49.32881 W122.73771	10U 519058 5464042
Pritchett Creek crossing #2	N49.32945 W122.73692	10U 519115 5464114
Junction with start of South Slope Trail	N49.32995 W122.73709	10U 519103 5464169
Upper Pritchett Canyon	N49.33190 W122.73332	10U 519376 5464387
Derelict bulldozer	N49.33244 W122.73303	10U 519397 5464447
Small creek crossing	N49.33264 W122.73270	10U 519420 5464469
Trail begins following edge of old clearcut	N49.33319 W122.73115	10U 519533 5464531
Trail begins following old marshy road	N49.33505 W122.72823	10U 519744 5464738
End of old marshy road	N49.34132 W122.72651	10U 519867 5465436
Waterfall at Coho Creek crossing	N49.34205 W122.72725	10U 519813 5465517
Trail follows above large ravine	N49.34329 W122.72123	10U 520249 5465656
Lily Pad Lake	N49.34552 W122.71886	10U 520421 5465905
Hourglass Lake	N49.34966 W122.71610	10U 520619 5466366
Junction with Burke Ridge Trail	N49.35039 W122.70773	10U 521227 5466449