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Vancouver, BC
Canada
559 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2011 : 7:38 PM
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(note correction on Aug23- all direction errors fixed)
Mount Hallowell is located at the north of Sechelt. I heard the peak view was great and also there is an old fire lookout shack so decided to try this mountain out; I reached the peak finally at my third attempt. Now here is a dummies's guide - so anyone interested can reach there.
REACHING TRAIL HEAD
If you are coming from Vancouver(Langdale) on Sunshine Coast Hwy, the turn off road(Malaspina Station rd- there is a sign)to the right is 5.6k past Garden Bay road / Suncoast hwy intersection where Petro Canada gas station is.
<Petro Canada Garden Bay intersection>
<Malaspina St rd turn off point>
After turning off into gravel Malaspina St rd, at 1k, turn right to an obscure small road. If you reached the Malaspina powerstation itself you have gone too far.
<1k turn off>
This small road goes under the powerline as you enjoy the view on your right, then turn left at the fork(2.5k after turning into Malaspina st rd). Now from here there are some waterbars and some steep eroded sections and slightly encroaching plants so you might choose to park your car anywhere before reaching washout-bridge parking spot(another 2.1k from this fork). If you drive a narrow width high clearance 4x4 then you can easily make till the end of the road.
<some overgrowth on the road past the fork>
The trail head washout-bridge location parking can accomodate 5-6 cars.
FROM TRAIL HEAD
So from here the hike starts.
TIME TAKEN; From this parking spot to the peak fire lookout shack took 54mins. From the peak down to parking spot was 39mins(including a few minutes getting lost). Fast runner can do 45mins ascent, and 33mins descent. The footing is not very clearly visible often and fast running on descent there would be difficult. If you are walking, it would probably take around 160mins for ascent, 120mins for descent.
The trail follows this washed out logging road but mostly it is quite open and easy to follow though I was dodging alder branches left and right and crouching like playing the video game especially on the way down, or I might have been appearing to be playing shadow boxing.
There are many switch backs then soon you will see the first major clear fork that goes to the left (I went before and got to some kind of mining exploration hole, with all minor branchouts to deadends), so KEEP TO THE RIGHT AT FIRST FORK then there is another fork to the sharp left in 300m or so. Take this SECOND FORK TO LEFT. If you are running fast you might miss it as it is Y letter shaped fork.
<Y letter fork>
This in fact looks more of road than trail now with some faint car tire tracks somewhat noticeable. The steeper ascent pretty much ends for the time being.
Then you see a flagging to the left with some widend section of this road in 1.5k or 2k. There were two high clearance small 4x4s here so this point is somehow reacheable by car if you choose to. It took 35mins to this point from my trailhead.
As you take left, which is a real foot trail and it goes under nice old growth forest for a while in very gentle ascent. It is flagged but you want to hone your hunch and look out well as often at windfalls you might lose directions. Soon you will reach some old overgrown logging road opening(but hardly noticeable so) with various conifers and alder growing and not runnable at several spots. Keep looking up and use your hunch as often the trail is completely covered by bush/low conifer or simply unclear tracing and it is very hard to see where to go from this point sometimes.
The trail then repeats going below nice old growth and some rocky openings in often very steep rise. This last part of the trail is similar to Elphinstone mountain trail. Mount Hallowell is only 1250m but there is a feeling of nice high elevation when you are going up towards the peak area. At the very end you are with very low tree growth and I felt like going up to the sky.
There is an extensive growth of Shore Pine(Lodgepole Pine) at the peak(where the shack is) for some reason and the view is slightly blocked. Towards North and North West the view was absolutely fantastic. Western view is great from about 100-200m before the shack. South was rather poor, East was so-so. Come to think of it now probably one can walk through the Shore Pine stands from the building to reach the East end of this cone peak and get a grand view towards East. The shack was in a good shape and people can sleep in it. Not sure but with the top area's flat shape maybe this was a cone shaped volcano?
It is notable on the way back the trail is quite confusing at foot trail area as flagging or trace was not easily seen as on ascent. I got lost several times.
So to conclude, if you are passing through this area on a sunny day, you might want to give it a try. There is a rather nice feeling at the peak area.
Anyway here are the views from the top.
<Toward South; Karen Range>
 
<South East; Rainy peak and Tetrahedron>
<East>
<West; Taxada & Vancouver Islands, and Sakanaw Lake>
 
<More West and North>
    
<The shack>
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Edited by - trailrunner on 08/23/2011 11:03 AM
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 canine loving, machete-toting bushwhacking lake seeker, Indiana Jones hat-wearing off-road 4x4 guru
Surrey Hole, BC
Canada
6788 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2011 : 9:51 PM
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| the door looks like a much later addition? |
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Hope, BC
Canada
7098 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2011 : 11:04 PM
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Another great fire lookout report with awesome views. Reminds me of the Harrison One.
Thanks for sharing! |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
559 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2011 : 07:25 AM
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| Thanks for the comments guys. Yeah the door with glass was sort of strange- perhaps someone tried to restore? I did hear some environmental group did some work on this hut. Roof is an expensive cedar shake(unless they split some old growth downhill), not ashpalt, and it was not leaking so it might be new as well. Stairs are firm, too. |
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Mt Hallowell- Dummie's guide
