Bear Hill, Dec 4, 2012
Car poolers will be leaving the centre at 9:15 as usual, and we'll be leaving the boat launch parking lot at 9:45
Car poolers will be leaving the centre at 9:15 as usual, and we'll be leaving the boat launch parking lot at 9:45
Bear Hill is a 4km hike with 156m elevation gain. Time is about 1 hour, depending on hiking speed. At the top, hikers are rewarded for their efforts by a 180 degree panoramic view to the north.
Starting from the boat launch parking lot at the north end of Elk Lake, take the the lake trail clockwise. After about 5 minutes you will see, to the left, a clear path to Brookleigh Rd and a Bear Hill sign. Follow Brookleigh Rd to the right for another minute or so, then cross the road to pick up the Bear Hill trail as indicated by another sign. After about 20 minutes you will reach the communication tower. To the right there is a short path to a viewpoint. Getting back on the main trail, follow the sign to the summit, then take the trail to C Saanich Rd. After a short trek you will see another summit sign. A short path leads to the best viewpoint on the hike. The summit is about 10 minutes past the tower site.
Backtrack to the C Saanich signpost and keep right to descend. The descent may be hazardous because it has a few rock faces and can be rugged. Descend down to Bear Hill Rd, then go left. Bear Hill Rd ends with a short trail that opens up to Bear Hill Rd again. Continue down Bear Hill Rd, crossing Brookleigh Rd. Keep going until you see a steel gate on your left. Past the gate you will see the Elk Lake trail. Follow the trail clockwise back to the boat launch parking lot. Note: You can shorten the hike by turning left at Brookleigh and following it to the parking lot.
How to get to the parking lot (driving time is about 26 minutes):
Hiking route map:
Elevation profile (it's not really that steep, it just feels like it):
Stats:
Bear Hill December 4, 2012. GPS stopped recording near the end, probably due to a low battery:
https://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=209938729472309822028.0004d00f8c3f2f6c2d651&msa=0&ll=48.540208,-123.404059&spn=0.012261,0.027874
Bear Hill January 16, 2012:
https://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=209938729472309822028.0004b6af7715a691fbd88&msa=0
Bear Hill December 4, 2012. GPS stopped recording near the end, probably due to a low battery:
Bear Hill January 16, 2012:
Pics from our December 4, 2012 hike
Let the sun shine through!
The trail up was a little wet,
Rainbows were everywhere this day. This one was spotted on the way up.
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. If you can't find any, you are lost; definitely a bad sign.
So, I forgot to actually take a picture of the view from the top. Duh! I'll just slip one from last year, no one will notice.
Make sure you look up once in a while, or you may miss this.
No horses today.
Almost back. The sign says Elk Lake Trail.
Some attendees at the Coot convention going on at Elk Lake.
Previous hike pics
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