Hiking in Bella Coola

[Bernd]

Hi I'm new here; I'm a 35 years old German mountain enthusiast and plan to spend my summer vacation 2006 in British Columbia (approximately 3 weeks) some time in July and/or August. On this occation I would like to visit the Bella Coola Valley (of which I found some really nice images on the web) to do some hiking there, maybe also scrambling up ridges or summits if possible.

 

There are only very few companies in this area offering guided hiking, and a private guide is expensive. So does anybody know about an alternative? Is it recommendable to do easier hikes alone (because of bears etc)? Or does anybody know other possibilities to find people or groups who plan to go there this summer?

 

Thanks for your help.

Edited January 28, 2006 by Bernd

[Bigtree]

Bernd, I lived and owned a cabin in the Bella Coola Valley for a number of years in the '90s.

 

Grizzlies can be problematic anywhere in the valley bottom (i.e., from tidewater up to the Antnarko River at the bottom of the "Big Hill") but in particular when the salmon are running (pretty much spring through the fall months).

 

My favourite place by far for day and multi-day moutaineering adventures was the Noeick Meadows/Ape Lake Trail area which you access from the Nusatsum Forest Service Road (~ 20 km from tidewater then a ~ 15 km drive to the pass). Another spectacular place better for hiking than mountaineering is up on the plateau in Tweedmuir Park.

 

If you haven't seen it already, check out the following web site: http://www.bellacoola.ca/index.html. There's a couple of basic maps and some good information to get you started.

 

As for guides, there's so much to see and do and if time is limited I strongly urge you to spend some money and hook up with a local. I noticed on the web site referenced above that Doug Baker is now now guiding. I worked with Doug a few years back and recall him being a decent and talented fellow (Doug Baker, Box 313, Hagensborg, BC, V0T 1H0, Phone: 250-982-2537). Gary Shelton is also a fellow worth tracking down - he's a bit older than Doug but ran a hunting guide service so knows the mountains extremely well.

541075-BCoolaMap.pdf

[Don_Serl]

 

Two useful guides cover the area:

The Bella Coola Valley & Vicinity: Hiking Trails & Routes [iSBN 0969723903], and

Hikes in Tweedsmuir South Provinical Park [iSBN 0969723911].

 

Both are by Scott Whittemore. They were published in 1993 and 1994 respectively. So far as I can tell, they are both out of print - they're no longer available at MEC, for instance. Perhaps you can find copies on abebooks.com or some other site. Or do some web searching and track down a couple retailers in Bella Coola - they might still carry them. At very least, they must be available in the local library up there.

 

I have a cabin in the Chilcotin, near Tatla Lake, up on the plateau about 200km east of Bella Coola. We are friendly with and pass through the property of a German expatriate to access our cabin, and I know he has done some guiding of German tourist groups. His experience lies more with the Chilcotin than the Bella Coola valley, but he might be of use to you. PM me and I'll pass along his contact information.

 

Good Luck,

cheers, don

[Bigtree]

Hi Don. I know Scott from my valley days and did a couple of hikes with him. He's an ordained minister now back east. I'll try and contact him through a friend who knows his exact whereabout and see if I can provide some specific leads on how to get ahold of the guidebooks.

[Bigtree]

Bernd, here's the response from Scott regarding his 2 books on the valley and surrounding area:

 

"The first book, on the Bella Coola area, is out of print, though I still have some and could send them. MEC (Vancouver)and many of the stores in Bella Coola and along the Chilcotin Plateau (and in Williams lake) have the other. If you know how many of either book or both that the guys might want, I can send them some, or they can look for the Tweedsmuir one at the above locations.".

 

Let me know if you are interested and I'll see what can be done.

[Bernd]

Hello Bigtree and Don,

 

thanks a lot for your answers and your help so far. Yes, I tried to get in contact with Doug Baker from Hagensborg but I was told that he's out of town for a while. So I just have to wait a little.

 

Bigtree, do you know the area on the pictures on the following website:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41039231@N00/sets/110051/

 

These images impressed me a lot; places like these are just what I thought about to go.

 

Of special interest for me would be the first book mentioned by Don: The Bella Coola Valley & Vicinity: Hiking Trails & Routes

 

If there was a possibilitiy to get a copy it would be great and help me a lot to plan my trip. I would of course be interested.

 

One more question: Since you know the valley which time during summer would you consider to have the most stable weather?

 

Once again, thank you for your help!

[crazyjizzy]

I strongly urge you to spend some money and hook up with a local.

 

YEA! How much money?

[mattp]

Here's a link you might find interesting (exploration and climbing in the Monarch Icefield area):

 

Bella Coola Symphony, by George Whitmore

[Bigtree]

I don't know what Doug, Gary or any of the guys charge in the valley these days but suspect its pretty modest. Regardless, its a very long drive up from Vancouver (~ 14 hrs) and assuming the fellow only has a couple of days to spend in and around the valley, it makes sense not only from a safety perspective but to maximize his enjoyment.

[crazyjizzy]

You didn't get the joke. I was talking about "hooking up with a local"

[Bigtree]

Sorry - I'm in a Monday fog.

[Bigtree]

Bernd, I checked out the pictures on the Flickr site - very nice. I don't recognize the specific locations but suspect they are around the headwaters of the Nusatsum, Noeick and Gyllenspetz Rivers (all around the Ape Lake area/Monarch Icefield MATTP refered to above).

 

Mid-July through September is best - usually hot and sunny with strong outflow (evening/morning) and inflow (afternoon) winds. Lots of bugs as well June - July.

 

Regarding Scott's first book, as he mentioned above, its now out of print. However, I've sent him an e-mail to see if he can spare 2 copies. I'd like a copy for myself so will keep one and will forward you the other. PM me your e-mail and mailing address and I'll advise you when I receive your copy and how much it will cost. I recently shipped a Thommen Altimeter to Switzerland for repair and it cost ~ $7-8 or so - would expect the same for the book.

[Dru]

The images are all taken on the east side of Nusatsum River, well north of Ape Lake and the Monarch and just south of Nusatsum Peak itself. Mosquito Pass may be reached via a bushwack. This is a trailless area and requires competence in route finding and map reading.

 

For easier scrambling and hiking I would recommend the Rainbow Range in Tweedsmuir Park which is accessible by trail from the top of the Big Hill.

 

Another good idea would be to follow the Turner Lakes Chain trail past Hunlen Falls then gain the rolling alpine terrain above the lakes as it is much less steep and technical than in the Nusatsum area and the views are just as good.

[Bernd]

An outdoor adventure company in the valley - not Doug or Gary - told me it would be about 300 Canadian Dollars per day if they would provide a private guide just for hiking - not technical mountaineering.

[Bigtree]

Dru, you are quite correct in terms of location. The Flickr site mentioned a ~ 4 day trip so incorrectly presumed the picture poster had headed way up river.

 

While I agree with your comments with respect to map reading, bushwacking etc., Nusatsum pass (and most local mountains adjacent the valley) is pretty easy to get to given the road constructed well up the west facing slope immediately below Mosquito Pass to access a large patch of blowdown timber sold and subsequently logged in the mid-90's. Cacoohtin Cr. on the other side of Mosquito Pass is also pretty well roaded and provides pretty easy access (relatively speaking given that some bushwacking is necessary) for a short 2-day up and over trip.

 

No argument about Tweedsmuir/Rainbow Range being easy to get to. The Turner Lake chain is also a nice trip however it requires a costly flight in or a very long hike in from the Atnarko (usually filthy with bears throughout the summer months) not to mention the fact that much of the area has been burnt up in fires in the last few years. My recommendation is still a valley-based adventure.

[stinkyclimber]

Long way into the Turner Lake area? Maybe I am thinking of a different area or access has changed, but we managed, in one day, to go from the trailhead to a fair bit past Hunlen Falls, and that was with 8-day winter packs and skis and sleds on our backs, postholing the last 3 km. From there, it is a short day into the alpine of the Rainbow Range.

 

The main trail into and past Hunlen I remember as being great, and if you want to save time, once you get to the lake, there is (or was) a lodge up there that in the summer runs boats along them for a fee. The Rainbow Range alpine looked awesome - we were on a ski traverse at the time, and everyone said they'd want to come back in the summer to ramble in the area.

 

I don't know about the bear issue, nor about the recent fires (altho I suspect that once you are up in the alpine, it wouldn't matter).

 

I would also recommend the Ape Lake area. I only saw it in the winter, so don't know about summer hiking, but it was a stunning area. I would have thought that you would need some glacier travel experience to really enjoy the area, but maybe there is more unglaciated terrain than I thought.

 

Have fun. It is a beautiful part of the world.

[Dru]

Can't get to the Rainbow Range from Turner Lakes - I think you mean Glacier Peak? Rainbow Range is north of the summit of the Big Hill.