Afternoon on the Indian Arm Trail

With the sun making a rare early spring appearance in Vancouver Paul, Colin and I decided that we had best make use of this window of good weather. So after a lengthy wait for the less enthusiastic Ward brother we were off to the trail head of the south-western section of the Indian Arm Trail.

The Indian Arm Trail is a mish-mash of trails, routes, logging roads and alpine scrambling. It is far from sanctioned and I am sure that the local government and BC Parks would like to see it disappear back into the forest. The full circuit starts at the end of the first switchback on Mount Seymour road and ends at Buntzen Lake on the other side of Indian Arm (or can also hike in the opposite direction). Many sections of this ‘trail’ are very rough and can be hard to follow so please don’t attempt unless you are an experienced hiker and are ready to spend the night im the woods.

After the initial scramble down from the road and across the creek the first kilometre of the trail is a pleasant walk through the woods. The trail is very distinct and there are even makers on the trees. The first obstacle we encountered was at Scott-Goldie Creek… the log for the crossing may as have been covered in ice. After the crossing the trail begins to travers down gently to get around the ridge between Scott-Goldie Creek and Percy Creek. This is also were the trail becomes rougher and harder to follow at some points.

We ended up stopping above the Percy Creek drainage as the exposure was getting to be a bit much for Kaya. The route at this point begins to climb along the cliff ledges above Percy Creek – looks like lots of fun but it would not have been fair to drag the dog through that.

Lunch!

Rather than hiking back to Mount Seymour Road we chose to descend the bike trail that intercepts the Indian Arm Trail on the southern side of Scott-Goldie Creek. This trail is very easy to follow and is an excellent option for an early bail out. This trail spits you out onto Sasamat Lane which according to the locals is private. Hike south along the road until you reach Indian River Road which will take you back to the Parkgate Area. Watch out for fast moving cars and snobby locals.

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