Cowichan Valley Bikepacking
We started our trip on Friday evening. After taking an evening ferry to Swartz Bay, we camped at Smonecten campground, just a few kilometers from the terminal. This gave us the advantage of sleeping in a bit and starting our big Saturday ride already on the island.
First, we rode on the Lochside trail for a bit until we got to the turn towards the Brentwood-Mill Bay ferry crossing. We got lucky and spotted a pod of orcas, which we followed along the shore on our climb to Mill Bay. Before the highway crossing, you have the option to stop at a plaza, go to the coffee shop, or get some groceries.
It was getting close to lunchtime, so we took a little detour on the way to Shawnigan Lake and stopped at Merridale Cidery. As the day was very hot, we also spent a bit of time by the lake and refreshed ourselves in the water. After passing the lake, the road finally turned into gravel, and the beautiful Cowichan Valley trail opened up in front of us. We shortly rode over one of the most popular tourist spots in the area - Kinsol Trestle. I highly recommend wandering around a bit and making sure you read the history of this site, as it’s very interesting. Once the trail starts following the Cowichan River, you realize you are suddenly surrounded by a beautiful rainforest. It might be my favourite part of the trail!
The trail is mostly flat and fast rolling, and you don’t need to have super-wide tires. The climb to the campground starts as you cross the 66 Mile Trestle and turn onto the road. If you want to ride around 20 more kilometers, you can keep following the trail and go all the way to Lake Cowichan and loop back to the campground on the north side of the trail. We quickly set up our tents and went to filter water and take a nice dip in the river before the sun went down.
The next morning, we departed on our ride towards Duncan. First section follows the path through quiet residential areas until you join the trail just a few kilometers out of town. The route doesn’t go through the town itself, but you can make a little detour for breakfast if you want. If you need groceries, the store is right by the trail, so you don’t need to worry about rerouting.
After Duncan, you will be on a road for a bit until you reach Chemainus, where you hop on the trail again. You have more options to stop for groceries or coffee here, or, depending on the time of the year, pick endless amounts of blackberries along the trail just past Chemainus. More options for food follow in Ladysmith, after which you take a short ride along the highway to get to Westholme. From here until Cedar is just a quiet road through the farmlands. Don’t forget to look around and admire the mountain views on your way to Nanaimo.
Once you get to Nanaimo, you can stop for another snack before heading to the ferry. Or maybe treat yourself to a little adventure on Gabriola before going home?🤔🙂
Hope you have fun exploring Cowichan Valley!
Notes
If you didn’t have enough luck booking your site at Stolz Pool ahead of time, you don’t need to worry. Park operators are very nice and never turn cyclists away. We had a group of 29 cyclists on our Rally camping here, and they were very kind and didn’t have any problem with it at all - they let us stay at the day use area, which was the best spot in the house, right by the river with a pit toilet not far away. How lovely it is when cyclists don’t need to stress about their shelter for the night? :)
On the second day, leaving Ladysmith, you can opt for either a 2km ride on the highway or take a gravel detour with more climbing through West Bush Main FSR. If you choose the second option, you can find the route in the GB Rally Day 3 route saved in our Ride with GPS club.
Be bear-aware at all times. The park operator at Stolz Pool said they don’t have any problems with bears, but I saw bears by the river and also in the Westholme area before.
There is no potable water at Stolz Pool campground; bring enough supplies or a water filter.
Stolz Pool doesn’t have a reception, which means you also need cash for the payment, as they can’t take card payments.
