See the Stoltmann Wilderness on Your Own!
Upper Lillooet River Access:
All distances (km. 0) are measured from the Petro-Canada in Pemberton.
- Take highway 99 to Pemberton. Turn left at T-junction beside the Petro-Canada station. Last chance for gas!! Set odometer to 0.
- At 1 km, turn right at T -junction in town. At 3 km, turn left at T-junction onto Pemberton Farm Road.
- 25 km. Turn right onto the Hurley River/Upper Lillooet River Road. You will soon cross a bridge over the Lillooet River.
- 34 km. Take left fork going straight ahead towards Meager Cr. Hotsprings. This is the Upper Lillooet River Road.
- 63 km. Continue straight ahead past Meager Ck. turnoff.
- 69 km. Continue straight ahead on Upper Lillooet River Road, At 70 km you will come to a "car wash", where a stream crosses over the road. Check depth if you don't have a 4x4. At 72 km, stay left at fork.
- 74 km. Stay right. Left fork goes to bridge crossing over Lillooet River west of Keyhole Falls.
- 75 km. Bridge crosses Salal Creek. Take left fork just after bridge. At 75.5 km, park car at edge of the bog just before the washed out section of road. Hike along the remaining road heading towards the Lillooet River and a washed-out bridge.
The surveyed trail route into the pristine Upper Lillooet Valley starts here. Go down the gravel bank to the river level and follow the orange tapes along the river's edge. The route is sometimes on open sand bars and sometimes in the woods nearby. The third sand bar you reach is a great place to camp-out and enjoy this expansive valley.
There are two easy hikes you can do from here to see the old-growth forests of this valley. The first is a surveyed trail route that continues west along the edge of the river, crosses a tributary and then goes uphill through the woods. Watch for rare white pine trees on this climb. Follow the taped route all the way to a Douglas fir grove and to a fantastic waterfall streaming down a fluted volcanic face. From the waterfall you can return to your camp on the sandbar by the same route or cross the creek under the falls and follow a taped route back to the same trail just above the sandbar campsite.
The second hike you can take from the sandbar camp follows a taped route north over to the forests that are in the most immediate danger of being logged. Follow the tapes across the brush flats. When you arrive in the Douglas fir groves, the tapes will take you east along the exact line of the proposed road. You are looking at a forest that is immediately threatened. This is a good place to get a sense of what we may lose and to think of what you might say in your letters to government!
Upper Elaho River Access:
All distances (km.0) are from the traffic light on Hwy. 99 at MacDonald's in Squamish.
- Take highway 99 through Squamish. Last chance for gas!! At 9.9 km turn left towards airport at Alice Lake turnoff onto Squamish Valley (and Paradise Valley) Road. At 13.5 km take the left fork on Squamish Valley Road.
- 33km. End of paved road as you enter Interfor TFL 38. On weekends there is sometimes a security guard stationed at the entrance. At 34.1 km you will pass the Ashlu River bridge. Don't cross - stay right on Squamish Mainline Road.
- 61 km. Turn left at Mile 37 sign and cross bridge onto "E-Main" Road. Watch out for another gate ahead. At 61.5 km continue straight past Interfor Empire Logging Division yard. At 65.0 km stay right on E-Main past bridge on left. Don't cross.
- 71 km. Branch road to the left crosses Elaho. Keep straight on E Main Road.. Do not cross bridge.
- 76 km. Nice campsite on river.
- 96 km. Take left fork onto El 000 road. Stay right at Mlle 60 and drive to nearly the end of the El 000.
Cross-ditches across the road on the last kilometre make it impossible for all but a 4x4 to cross. Park here and hike along to road's end and the start of the Elaho Trail Survey Route.
The surveyed trail route into the pristine Upper Elaho Valley is a pathway cleared through the blueberry shrubs and marked with red diamonds nailed to trees along the path. After one kilometre you will come to the "Elaho Giant" a Douglas fir tree 30 feet around. It is thought to be the third largest Douglas fir in BC. Continue over a log & rope bridge that crosses Sundown Creek, then through the oldgrowth forest for a further kilometre and you will see several large white pine trees along the trail. This species of tree is very rare. One kilometre more brings you to Lava Creek Canyon. The trail winds past several huge Douglas fir trees then crosses the creek on a log & rope bridge. The trail climbs up the other bank to a fantastic viewpoint. WCWC volunteers are continuing to clear the trail survey route further up the Upper Elaho Valley. During your hike you will notice flagging ribbon and blazed trees. These marks were left by International Forest Products road surveyors. The Elaho Valley is an endangered wilderness area.
Topographic maps: |
Logging Roads: |
Energy, Mines and Resources OR
World Wide Books and Maps
The Upper Elaho area maps are 92J-4 and 92J-5. |
Hug the right side of the road and drive slowly with headlights on and side window open. Pull well off the road if a logging truck is approaching. On narrow winding sections of road you should be right behind an industry vehicle as they are radio equipped. Better yet, drive up after 6 p.m. when most industry vehicles are off the roads. Check your spare tire and jack. |
