Galena Bay to Gerrard

May 25, 2023

Lots of bear sightings

We were planning an early-ish departure from home. I woke before 6 to rain. What? I’d missed that in the forecast. Oh well. The weather still generally looked promising, and at least there was no smoke from forest fires. But based on the radar, it looked like we might be in for a showery day.

It was an easy 50 km drive south to Shelter Bay, a route I've ridden many times, but in the interest of time, we drove today. Argh. I lost a long Voile strap along the way from home, which I needed to strap my tent to my handlebars. My annoyance was short-lived, because Adele donated a bungee which worked like a charm. Problem solved.

Showers had just about ended when we parked in the boat launch 'no overnight parking' zone (but we'd let the provincial park know of our plans), and it had fully stopped raining by the time we popped onto the 9 am ferry. The interior ferries in BC are the responsibility of the highway department. They are free, and have a much better reputation than the pricy coastal ferries.

Anyone who has taken the ferry to Galena Bay will know that we had a steep hill to start our trip. But at least there was almost no traffic and the road had dried up.

There'd be no gentle warmup. Our first pedal strokes were on a steep uphill.

We rode on great new pavement as far as the turn to Beaton, then hard pack unpaved, but easy riding to the unincorporated community of Trout Lake. Although were were riding on a BC numbered highway, there's no pavement for the 80 km between the Beaton turnoff and Meadow Creek.

We had three bear sittings before lunch - good thing we have bear spray. Happily, the bears wanted nothing to do with us, so the views were fleeting.

We pretty much had the road to ourselves (well, us and the bears).

Our lunch spot was the marina in Trout Lake. There were no boats to be seen, but a great dock. And some lawn chairs to sit in. The lake water level was really high.

Trout Lake's population was 1,000 in 1900, but there are only about 40 permanent residents now, plus a few seasonal places - it's popular here with snowmobilers in the winter, and there's fishing to be had in the summer. Gerrard rainbow trout are apparently the largest rainbow trout in the world.

Gravity-feed dispensers at the local gas station. Yikes. After a career as an environmental consultant, I wouldn't recommend anyone invest in this site without doing a bit of an investigation...

The road past Trout Lake was in surprisingly good shape despite the warning signs. It was not washboarded, muddy, or puddly. Two long uphills had us at over 1000 m elevation, well above the lake.

It's a highway, but not recommended by the government who maintains it.

We had a lovely 12 km descent to finish the day at the former townsite of Gerrard (current population = 0). We had two more bear sightings in the afternoon, including a wee cub. No sign of mom. We had a bit of spitting rain in the afternoon, but only enough to make it feel damp. No need for rain gear.

Viewing platform for Gerrard rainbow trout at the start of the Lardeau River. Spawning season is in late April to early May, so we missed it. We saw only a couple of fish.

We camped at a Rec Site (formal campsite on provincial land, but no fee) at the east end of Trout Lake with nobody else. It was not fancy, but there were picnic tables and outhouses. Too bad the site had no view of the water, but there was the lovely sound of the Lardeau River and a zillion birds, including lots of humming birds. But also some squawking geese that we tried to shoo away. There was an interesting trappers cabin right next to our campsite.

The weather cleared up before dinner, and provided us with a beautiful sunset.

Trout Lake from the start of the Lardeau River.

Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles)
Total: 62 km (39 miles)

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Rachael AndersonGreat photos! I’m glad you didn’t get rained on.
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