Bella Coola via Cariboo-Chilcotin Back Roads

Thanks for the link. It's hard to tell from the photos, but with the water crossings and ruts it does look a little worse than some of the roads we were on.

Hey, I'm the one that was asking the questions so I don't think you've side tracked it at all. Thanks for the information. It's all part of the planning for next year's trip.

simply outstanding ! .... BC is a beautiful place in the summer time, eh ?

I've ridden here for 20 years and still only seen half, but the Fraser Canyon area is perhaps my very favourite strech with the Similkameen a close 2nd .... thanks for sharing !

Nice waterfall!

I was a bit worried about that too - thanks for your comment. This whole RR and dialogue is fantastic....we wouldn't have had Gunnerbuck's comments if you hadn't mentioned that road, and I know he's been around BC a bit!

Thanks hwunger. BC is also pretty nice in the spring and fall. I've ridden or driven on just about every numbered highway in the province and I'm gradually finding my way around more of the Forest Service Roads. I think I'm enjoying those more.

It was pretty cool. I believe that Hunlen Falls is even more spectacular but it's a 3 hour hike one-way from the trail head along the Atnarko River. We weren't very well equipped for hiking on this trip so we didn't get in there.

Not to worry. I welcomed the feedback. I too have read a few of Gunnerbuck's reports and he does get around.

The weather was holding up beautifully and we had another back road we wanted to explore so we booked another night at the Rip Rap and left our gear set up for the day.



The day began with a little bike maintenance. The KLR had a burnt out tail light and the LED tail light in the R100 had shaken loose on the rougher roads. It was pretty cool to walk into the gas station in Bella Coola and ask for a tail/brake light bulb. The fellow wandered over to a bin, fished one out and asked for $1.49. It was nice to see the old fashioned way with no packaging to dispose of. These two minor issues were the only ones we had on the whole trip other than checking oil and lubing the chain.



While taking care of the bikes we also took the chance to air out the camp gear.



Adrian in his PJ's was checking out the river from the top of the dike.



He was checking out the fly fishermen on the gravel bars on the far side of the river. Since it was the inside turn, the water was a lot slower and shallower over there. The land on the far side of the river is owned by the same people who own the Rip Rap. Their guests are able to fish from that land and all of the fish in the photos posted around the campground have been caught from that area.



It was a very nice morning to be out fishing. All the comforts of home including camp chairs.



As mentioned the water is a lot deeper and faster on this side of the river so it wouldn't be a great spot for catching a salmon.



This is another view of the Rip Rap Campground with the offices, wash house and laundry on the right. Had we camped in the field we would have gotten a lot more morning sun, but we liked the privacy of our secluded campsite.



We rode into Bella Coola and had breakfast at the same restaurant as yesterday which I've now remembered is the Bella Coola Valley Restaurant. Many of the same people were there from yesterday and we felt right at home. After breakfast we carried on past the town site down to salt water on North Bentinck Arm.



We visited the BC Ferry Terminal. The ferry service has really been cut back in the last couple of years. The 16 car ferry only comes in from Bella Bella twice per week and requires a transfer to a larger ferry there to carry on either north to Prince Rupert or south to Port Hardy. This has drastically cut the tourist traffic through the valley and it also means the reservations are essential for cars or bikes for those wishing to do a circle route. A friend led a group through around the same time we were there. They were on street bikes and they made their reservation for the ferry in January.



A couple of kilometers past the Ferry Terminal there is a small hydro-electric plant at Clayton Falls. This plant provides most of the electricity for the valley. The falls are a short walk up behind the plant.



Clayton Falls are a bit low this time of year but in the spring it really gets moving. We were told that a number of people have drowned in the pool below the falls. It looks like a nice place to swim, but the currents drag people into cavities below the falls and they can't get out.



Some wag decided a surfer dude should be added to the warning sign.



Clayton River flows out into North Bentinck Arm. I loved the color in the water from the glacial silt.



Across the inlet is the Tallheo Cannery. The commercial fishery in the area began in the 1890's and the cannery was built in 1916. It operated until 1947 when commercial refrigeration negated the need for canning salmon at source. The Cannery is now operated as a bed and breakfast and tours are available. There is no road in and it can only be reached by boat. For more information you can click BellaCoolaCannery.com. It sounds interesting and on another trip it might be worth a visit.



Another view of North Bentinck Arm with the clear waters of Clatyon Creek mixing with the glacial waters of the inlet.



Right behind Clayton Falls, the Clayton Creek FSR heads up to Gray Jay and Blue Jay Lakes, our destination for the day. In the next 20 kilometers, the road climbs up to a saddle at 1220 meters (4000 ft) before descending to the lakes.

Clayton Creek FSR follows the creek up the steep and wooded valley.



There are a multitude of streams flowing off the steep mountainsides. Its seemed like we crossed a bridge every couple of hundred meters.



Half way up, we stopped at Mt. Fougner Recreation Site. It was located on a small pond with a couple of semi-level campsites. It didn't look well used.



It was at this point we were advised to take "Caution, Steep Grade Ahead". You mean it hadn't been steep before this point?



From the recreation site, we climbed up the side of the mountain through a series of 6 or so switchbacks. Notice Adrian riding on the inner track as it's a long way down on the left.



I managed another photo on one of the relatively flat sections leading up to a switchback. After this point it was steep, rough and narrow so I had to keep both hands on the bars and concentrate. It's a little hard to take photos while standing on the pegs.



We finally reached the summit which is a saddle between two mountains. The elevation was 1220 meters or 4000 ft. We traipsed around taking in the breathtaking views in all directions. I apologize in advance for the photo-fest, but I have already culled out about 75% of the photos I took.



The view to the southeast looking up the Clayton Falls Conservancy. That would be Big Snow Mountain in the middle.



Looking west through the pass across South Bentinck Arm.



Looking back down Clayton Creek Valley towards Bella Coola.



Once again looking southeast towards Big Snow Mountain. Every time I turned around the view seemed different.



A close-up of Big Snow Mountain on the right.



A northwest view as the road starts to descend down the other side toward Blue and Gray Jay lakes.



Looking west across Bentinck Arm, this is Bentinck Spire.



To prove we and our bikes were actually there, here is Adrian at Clayton Pass.



And here I am at Clayton Pass.

Wowed I am. I tried to get up that road 10 years ago and it was blocked by avalanche wash. Thanks for showing me what's up there. Now I need to go back and check out your ride in person. I'm enjoying the heck out this.

Great RR, you folks who live with this in your backyard are beyond blessed. Thanks for taking an Ontario resident along for the ride.

I'm glad you're enjoying the trip Mike. The area has way more to offer than you can see in a week-long ride.

Thanks Tridor. We try not to take it for granted.

Suffering from sensory overload, we carried on over Clayton Pass and down the other side.



Down the road a short way, we caught a glimpse of Bentinck Arm through the trees. This section was steeper and rougher than the road up and we knew we would be riding back up as there is no other way out.



At the bottom of the steep slope we rounded a switchback and spotted Gray Jay Lake off to our right. The road doesn't go to Gray Jay Lake but a hiking trail does.



The road passes between the two lakes and we pass Blue Jay Lake on our left. There is a nice little Recreation Site here with about 5 camp sites. There was a Toyota Tacoma set up in one of the sites, but we didn't see the people around.



If there are fish in this lake, it is likely stocked. Any stream flowing out of here would be extremely steep with many waterfalls so it's unlikely that fish would naturally migrate here.



Passing Blue Jay Lake, the road continues its steep and rocky descent.



We rounded one more switchback, descended another half kilometer and came to the end of the road for us. The Backroads Mapbook shows the road continuing on down the hill right to South Bentinck Arm, but it is marked "road washed out". The upper 5 kilometers has recently been re-opened as a "Trail" with warnings about use when it is wet as it has a number of water crossing and muddy sections. It had been dry for a few days and on lighter bikes we might have given it a try. Another consideration was that we hadn't refueled this morning since we had only done a bit more than 100 km yesterday. We knew that Adrian wouldn't have an abundance of fuel to make the trip down and back.



We turned around and returned to the Recreation Site at Blue Jay Lake.



We had been told about the trail out past Gray Jay Lake and the Bentinck Arm Viewpoint. The Backroads Mapbook lists this as an easy trail and we had talked about hiking out there. Unfortunately we weren't as prepared as we would have liked for a hike. Next time we do a trip like this I would like to add a small day-pack to the kit so that we could carry things like water, our GPS, the spot tracker, bug spray etc. with us rather than leaving them on the bike. I would also like to get a holster for the bear spray. This was one area where we were seeing a lot of fresh bear scat on the road (some still steaming) so having the bear spray handy would be a good idea. Also Adrian hadn't brought his hiking shoes today so it would be a long trek in his riding boots.



So we lazed around the recreation site for while having some snacks for lunch. Gumby got to get out of the tank bag and look around as well. As we were leaving a couple returned up the hiking trail to the Toyota and gave us a wave. We would run into them later that evening at the Rip Rap. We heard later that it was a relatively easy hike and the views were spectacular. Oh well, something to look forward to on the next trip.



We managed the climb back up at Clayton Pass without incident. It was a first gear climb standing on the pegs most of the way, bouncing over all sizes of rocks. At the top, the changing light made for some more photo opportunities.



A short distance down from the summit was another trailhead. This trail was listed in the Backroads Mapbook as moderately difficult. The viewpoint here supposedly has excellent views the other way back towards Bella Coola.



The scenery up here just sort of makes you feel a bit small.



We took it easy tip-toeing down the steep upper slopes.







We stopped on the bridge near the Mt Fougner Recreation Site for a break after the steepest part of the hill. We weren't too worried about blocking traffic as we hadn't seen another car on the road since leaving Clayton Falls. The funny part was after this we met about half a dozen vehicles heading up the FSR as we were coming down the last part. We wondered where they were all going as it was getting later in the day.



Gumby and I waving hello from Mount Fougner. We rode the rest of the way down to Bella Coola and Adrian hit reserve just as we entered the main road by Clayton Falls. After a gas stop in town we did a bit of exploring.



We visited Stewart Park and I decided to be a tree-hugger with one of the big cedar trees there. We tried and failed to find the Thorson Creek Petroglyphs mentioned in the Backroads Mapbook.



We had seen a sign on the highway yesterday advertising the Bella Coola Salmon Packing Company so we wanted to check it out. We rode east past Hagenborg to Saloomt Creek Rd, turned north across the Bella Coola river, then followed the signs to the Packing Plant. It was a pretty cool place at the end of the road where we picked up a pack of Salmon Jerky to have with our supper.



The Saloomt River road bridge across the Bella Coola River is a rather large one-lane Bailey Bridge.



Alas, there were no bears visible on the river banks. We returned to the campground and enjoyed a wonderful dinner, eating our fill of Smoked Salmon Jerky.



We adjourned to the viewing platform after dinner with a handful of beers and spent another enjoyable evening watching the river go by. The couple we had seen up at Blue Jay Lake showed up, as well as some other campers and we exchanged stories of adventures well into the evening.



Twilight over the Bella Coola River and still no bears in sight.

While there were still lots of places to explore and experience in the Bella Coola Valley, we reluctantly packed up, turned the bikes east and headed inland.



It was the start to another beautiful day in the valley. These sunny days just don't get old.



We had been warned to watch for washboards on "The Hill" but it must have been graded recently as it wasn't bad at all. Maybe that's just relative to the roads we had been on the last couple of days. I understand they haven't paved the hill as it makes for easier maintenance in the winter. It would be right on a freeze-thaw zone which would play havoc with frost heaves and broken pavement so it's easier just to grade it. We were followed by a semi-trailer up the hill. Every time we stopped for a photo we could see him grinding up the slopes below.



Once again we were impressed with the job someone had done carving this road out of the cliff. The lack of guard rails and the long drop off to the left kept our attention.



We had to stop at the summit for one more look down the valley. The air was clearer this day and with the morning sun light behind us we experienced a better view of the coast mountains.



We had a quick run across the unpaved road to Anahim Lake. We noted that the speed limit was 80 kph but traffic was non-existent and I don't think there are many speed traps out this way.



We did a quick tour through Anahim Lake and Adrian topped up the fuel tank at Grandma's Gas. "Grandma" recommended Donna's Place just down the road as a good place to eat. Donna was just opening up at 11 AM and even though there was no breakfast on the menu she was happy to cook us up an excellent breakfast of bacon and eggs.



Back on the road we passed through some typical Chilcotin plateau ranchland. Considering the dry spell we experienced and the camp fire ban, the fields were pretty green. I don't think they were irrigated. I loved the fences up here. They avoid putting posts into the ground and the fences last a long time.



The run from Anahim Lake to Tatla Lake was accomplished in good time on the "paved" but seal coated roads.



We stopped at Tatla Lake to once again top up with fuel and provisions. We were heading south down towards Tatlayoko and Chilko Lakes and we didn't know when we would next have a chance to stock up. This general store/post office/gas station/garage/liquor store/clothing store/tack store/Notary Public etc., had just about anything you could wish for. The owner took us back into the shop to show us his old Honda CX650 tucked under a tarp. He used to ride it back and forth to Vancouver in the day.



It looks like someone bodged together their own trailer to haul their Kayaks. If it works, why not. Judging by the height at the back of the van they might be a bit overloaded and may have trouble getting into some of the rivers and lakes.



We consulted the Book of Lies and the GPS for our upcoming route south.

From Tatla Lake we left the pavement of highway 20 behind and headed south on Tatlayoko Lake Road.



The mountains surrounding Tatlayoko Lake beckoned us south, but we had to make some choices. It was already mid-afternoon and we wanted to try the loop through Tsuniah Lake and Chilco Lake. We decided to forgo Tatlayoko on this trip as we felt we would be too pressed for time. It would be one more place to come back to on a later trip.



We turned east onto Tatlayoko-Henry's Crossing Road.



The road traveled almost due east and we kept passing back and forth from pine forest to grasslands as we traveled across the plateau. The sky was amazing.



Adrian was hanging back to stay out of the worst of the dust.



We came over a rise and Choelquoit Lake came into view with the Chilcotin Mountains as a backdrop. We had to stop for a while to take it all in.





Choelquoit Lake sits at 1172 meters (3845 ft) and I'm sure that and the clear blue sky had a lot to do with the color of the water.



My attempt at a panorama shot.



Near the east end of Choelquoit Lake there is a Recreation Site. It looked like a nice place to stop but we needed to get a bit further today.



We crossed the Chilko River at Henry's Crossing. We considered heading south to the northern end of Chilko Lake. There is a small Provincial Park Campground there and a lodge but we had heard that the park campsite was closed to tents due to bear activity in the area. We met a couple on an ATV on the bridge and they were able to confirm we were on the right road to Tsuniah Lake. We had our sights set on the Nu Chugh Beniz Campsite on the middle of Chilko Lake so we carried on.



Tsuniah Lake FSR was marked an "Active Industry Road 2WD" and for the most part it was in pretty good shape.



There were long stretches that passed through swampy ground and were very rutted and rough. It would have been pretty muddy through here a month or so ago but it was dried out now so we were able to bounce along in first and second gear, in and out of the ruts.



The scenery kept us entertained along the way. That is Murray Taylor Lake in the distance.



The temperature was rising into the upper 30's (°C) and we were working hard to ride the rutted road so after an hour or so we stopped for a break. There's nothing like a warm and shaken beer on hot day.



There's not much chance of a police road check out here. We hadn't seen another car for a couple of hours.



We thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet. There was no one around for miles.



After around 2 hours we had traveled the 18 kilometers to Tsuniah Lake. We checked out the Tsuniah Lake Bay Recreation Site.



We took a look around and immediately decided this was where we were stopping for the night. It was the nicest campsite we had seen on the trip. It was lakeside, with beautiful scenery, the campsites were park like and carpeted with pine needles and we had it all to ourselves.

Or so we thought. Just as we were taking off our gear a fellow strode out of the trees and greeted us with "We've been waiting for you guys!"

Did he have a banjo?

My guess is a in the air and they got busted for and

Continued next week, same time same channel!

Next week is only 8 hours away

BigDog

Nope, we got away with that heinous crime.

Sorry about the cliff-hanger. I didn't mean to leave it that long. Life got in the way.

So on with our story!