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Buntzen Lake Loop

May 3, 2014Buntzen Lake Hikesbuntzen lake, hike, scenicadmin

The Buntzen Lake loop is the most popular trail in the park. This 10 km route can be done as fast as 45 min if you’re running and up to 6 hours if you just take your time, enjoy the views and have a picnic.

Route from GPSIES (click on ‘Details’ for large image)…

Route from Google Earth…

Buntzen Lake is situated at roughly 130 m above sea level and the highest point on the trail is around 225 m. The single highest elevation gain on the trail is 70 m over 1.1 km.

I usually do the loop starting on the west side of the lake (starting at the old floating bridge area, now mostly a land bridge); some people prefer the other way. The west side is hillier, longer and more shaded. When taking this route, you’ll see this view at the half way point…

Also, starting on the west side, once you reach North Beach, you will have completed 60% of the loop. Here is North Beach…

Below are a few random trail photos…

Here’s a little video of one of my hikes around the trail in February 2014…

★★★★★★★★★★★

Before heading out on your hike, make sure you are well prepared. This means, having the TEN ESSENTIALS. It is also important to leave a trip plan (route details and estimated return time) with someone you trust.

Bring your smartphone, fully charged and put it in airplane mode while hiking. I always bring back-up battery packs for extra piece of mind. It is highly recommended that you bring a GPS device; I use my smartphone with a GPS app (Backcountry Navigator). The GPS will work in airplane mode. Learn how to use it before your hike.

For anyone new to hiking, there is a rule to which hikers follow; it is called “Leave No Trace” or LNT. The concept is generally to pack out what you pack in and respect nature, so all future visitors can enjoy what you have enjoyed.
To learn more about LNT, please check out this BLOG by a certified LNT Trainer.

★★★★★★★★★★★

Industrial Decay

May 1, 2014Buntzen Lake Blogadmin

Industrial activities have been occurring at Buntzen Lake since the early 1900s. The activities include: building of the tunnel, dam, penstocks, pumphouses, and electrical transmission lines. During my many hikes in the area, I have seen several examples of what I call industrial decay.

Below is a discarded and broken ceramic insulator I saw on Pumphouse Road…

Near the pumphouse, you can see the old pipeline exiting this 25 m metal cylindrical tube
I think its some sort of back flow prevention…

Next is a detail view of something on the top of the above shown cylinder…

The area around north beach was recently (May 2014) scanned for artifacts by someone and the artifacts were on display on the memorial. I think this is very cool. Below is a photo of the artifacts…

There is a shortcut from Diez Vistas Trail to Lakeview Trail, following a creek.
To my surprise, I saw this discarded industrial metal drum…

Close to the dam, I found these chunks of metal, which may have been sections of the original penstocks…

And here is a detail view of the manufacturer’s plate;
It reads… ‘BC Iron Works Vancouver, BC’…

Below is a section of the old water pipeline that was built in the early 1960s…

And here’s an interesting apparatus on a section of the pipeline…

Below are some old concrete hydro pole stands…

And next is a detail shot of rusty bolts on a hydro pole stand…

Here’s another photo of redundant hydro pole stands…

I saw this old wooden hydro pole on the Old Buntzen lake Trail…

Lakeview Trail

April 26, 2014Buntzen Lake Hikesbuntzen lake, hike, Lakeview Trail, nature, scenic, Swan Fallsadmin

Lakeview Trail is, in my opinion, Buntzen Lake Trail’s bigger brother. This trail is an alternate route to traverse the west side of Buntzen Lake. There are more ups and downs and it’s about 1km longer than the Buntzen lake Trail. After completing Lakeview Trail, I usually take the east side of Buntzen Lake back to the parking lot. There is a great viewpoint of Swan Falls and the North Beach area near the end of the west side traverse.

The stats…

Distance: 12 km
Time: 2-4 hours
Low point: 125 m
High point: 220 m
Elevation gain: 95 m
Cumulative Elevation gain: 500 m
Trailhead: 49° 20’ 11.3” by 122° 51’ 29.7” (Google Map)

Here are the photos…

Lakeview Trail commences at the Pump House.
See location HERE (its the left route option).

Here is the route (click on ‘details’ for larger image)…

Here’s a map of the area from Google Earth (click on image for large size)…

A comparison of the Lakeview Trail / West Side of the Buntzen Lake Trail shows:
Total one-way distance from the pumphouse to the suspension bridge is 4.9 km vs. 4.1 km;
Maximum elevation gain is 150 m vs. 100 m; and
Cumulative elevation gain is 240 m vs. 130 m

The route statistics, when returning on the east side of Buntzen Lake, are:
Distance: 10.9 km
Maximum elevation gain: 150 m
Cumulative elevation gain: 340 m

Besides a more strenuous hike, Lakeview Trail is much less busy than the Buntzen Lake Trail and it is also used by bikers and horses, which I have seen very few. You’ll see more large trees (1 m diameter) and fewer large tree stumps.

Below is a nice view you’ll see on the hike…

There are signs for two viewpoints, but the southern ‘viewpoint’ is obstructed by trees. The northern viewpoint is at 250 m elevation and you see a great view of North Beach, Swan Falls, the Tunnel and Eagle Mountain. See below…

Below is a view of the Lakeview trail as it passes along the hydro right-of-way, before entering the forest again…

Here is an old Lakeview Trail sign…

This photo shows where the Lakeview Trail runs close to the Buntzen Lake Trail…

Below is a creek that flows alongside a section of the Lakeview Trail…

Next is a large downed tree alongside the trail…

Here are a couple more serene Lakeview Trail photos…

★★★★★★★★★★★

Rough-skinned Newt

April 25, 2014Buntzen Lake Bloganimal, April 2014, buntzen lake, creature, fauna, nature, slimyadmin

Today on the Buntzen Lake Trail, I saw a little Rough-skinned Newt. It was on Pump House Road, just steps from the bridge. When I posted this on Flickr, someone thought it was a Western Redback Salamander, but Ivan Phillipsen, of Wild Pacific Northwest, informed me that it was a Rough-skinned Newt.

It blended in with the road so well, I almost walked right past it.

Luckily, I took my good camera today so I could get a good shot.

After I finishing taking my photos, I used a stick to take him to the side of the trail. He was stiff as a board. I hope that is a defence mechanism !

This amphibian is much more commonly seen than the Western Red-backed Salamander, because the newt walks around in the open, whereas the salamander is much more secretive.

Toxin-resistant garter snakes are the only known animals today that can eat a rough-skinned newt and survive.

In evolutionary theory, the relationship between the rough-skinned newt and the common garter snake is considered an example of co-evolution. The mutations in the snake’s genes that conferred resistance to the toxin have resulted in a selective pressure that flavors newts which produce more potent levels of toxin. Increases in newt toxicity then apply a selective pressure favouring snakes with mutations conferring even greater resistance. This cycle of a predator and prey evolving to one another is sometimes termed an evolutionary arms race and has resulted in the newts producing levels of toxin far in excess of what is needed to kill any other conceivable predator.

Old Signs

April 22, 2014Buntzen Lake Blogbuntzen lake, hike, nature, signsadmin

During your visit to Buntzen Lake, you’ll notice several old signs around the area. The signs are wood, with yellow lettering (Except for the first example below, which has more colours). Below is the sign at the entrance to the park…

By the way, follow this link to see what the entrance sign looked like in 1995.

Some of the signs are in low traffic areas and many people never seen them, such as these two signs near the Swan Falls trailhead…

Here are two signs, you’ll see by the parking lot…

At south beach, you’ll see this sign…

Even the Warden’s office has a little sign…

There are a few ‘Viewpoint’ signs around on the trails. Here is one that is located on the east side of the Buntzen Lake trail…

Here are two old Lakeview Trail signs…

The next two photos are on the west side of the Buntzen Lake Trail. I’m not sure what help these signs are. There are no really alternate ways to go !!

Here is a tiny equestrian sign on pumphouse road…

And below is a sign that has seen better days !!