Englishman River to Cameron Lake?

With 25C forecast for all this week, come Saturday mid-day I was itching for a ride.  After adjusting his chain, Andy met me at the track and we headed out along 142 and 155 to the Englishman River bridge and into the Cameron Land District with the hope of finding a route into the Mount Arrowsmith Regional Park, or - less likely - right through to Highway 4 just east of Cameron Lake.  Having tried from the other end via the number 4 from the north a year previous and being skunked while heading south near Lockwood Creek by an overgrown singletrack trail obliterated with gulches and ditches, we were curious as to whether the fairly recent logging road activity in the headwaters of French Creek would allow us to head north and connect. 

 

Click the image for a larger view: Our attempt from the north a year previous in red.  The yellow is a possilbe connector still choked with snow.  The red in the south is the limit of our northern penetration into the Cameron Land District.

There was little or no traffic all the way there, and riding in just a tee-shirt and armour mesh it was perfect.  As we crossed the bridge we settled on ascending to an alpine lake (3300ft) to see if it was snow free and fishable, and then to head on towards the previously washed out box canyon turn and cross the headwaters of the Englishman River. 

 

A reservior-lake.  Apparently guarded by cameras at the top of the steep windy road up.  I'm told carrying zap straps and decorating the rear of your vehicle with a seasonal sprig of conifer, fern or holly is the necessary tip of the hat to the Gods that inhabit this spiritual lake (and it also ensures anonimity and reduces flash refection off rectangular aluminum plates).

 

It's a deep lake, with no action right now, probably due to the snow still lining the steeply shaded northern shore.  Mount Arrowsmith is peaking (excuse the pun) out on the top right...

 

The rest of the journey was purely exploratory and we rode up the other side of the Englishman River valley after crossing it's headwaters.  There are some great views right down the valley, but seeing as I've blogged those before, I'll not repeat them here. 

 

Click to enlarge: after the lake, it was up into the Cameron Land District...

 

Pretty soon we crested the hills and began to explore the newly minted roads up there.  The first one, despite being short, windy, steep and ending without a view, was amazing, because the view of Mount Arrowsmith on the way down, previously missed, was epic.  Dresden corner was the epithet we gave to the best viewpoint of the mountain.  Don't ask why, we'll not tell...

 

Above - Click to Enlarge: Crack a beverage, open some jerky and look west from Dresden Corner...

 

 

 

Andy reaching for his camera.  But the little iPhone/garmin gps cameras don't do it justice.  Get there, you'll know what I mean.

 

After that it was trying to find any trail that went north and to Highway 4...No luck, but not because it doesn't exist, but because of snow.  There are plenty of trails here left to explore... I'll leave you with some maps, and a few more pics.

 

Above: Click to enlarge: here we were stopped by snow.  The trails were single track and heavily shrubbed on either side, but a quad or a dirt bike will have no trouble.  There were several trails off of them thad we didn't take...future considerations.  Great views.

 

Above - click to enlarge: the Highway 4 connector looked promising.  Large, although rough, it was still largely snow covered, and not suitable for one wheel drive yet...

 

Odds and Sods...