Mt Arrowsmith

Mount Arrowsmith is arguably the coolest place within 2 hours of downtown Nanaimo. The turnoff onto the logging road is a little over an hour west of Nanaimo, just this side of Port Alberni.

One of the great things about this 2km-high mountain is its accessibility – you can drive halfway up! But the final stretch is a rough logging road (not-so-gentle-on-mom's-car).

The turn-off from the highway is just past the top of "the hump", which is the big hill you have to climb on the way to Pt Alberni, just after Cathedral Grove. You'll know the turnoff from the highway because there's a turning lane, and a sign at the entrance that mentions the old ski resort (we think).

Once you've turned onto the logging roads, keep an eye on the mountain in front of you, and try to stay left. You'll eventually start climbing the old road that goes to the old ski resort. (To climb the Judge's Route (more climber-oriented, better for achieving the main summit), there's a place on the right somewhere - but we can't confidently give directions to that.)

Keep driving up the switchbacks until you pass a dizzy drop on the left, protected by concrete barriers that are slipping away. The views west to Port Alberni are stunning on a clear day. Just after this, you'll turn into a little valley on the right, and you can see an old un-paved road going up into a cut-block (clearcut). The main road continues, but this is where you should park (you can open the location in Google Earth), and walk up the old road. After a few minutes, you'll find a well-established trail that goes into the trees, and UPward.

This route will take you to "the saddle", a gorgeous ridge that connects Mt Arrowsmith with Mt Cokely. When you get to the Saddle, you'll see a beautiful small lake down and to the right. To the right of that is the "Stairway to Heaven" trail up to the ring of peaks.

Back to the list of Nanaimo area hiking spots

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Open in Google Earth (kmz file)