Indian Arm RT
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 19.65 nm
- Elevation gain
- 79 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Difficult
- Elevation loss
- 79 ft
- Max elevation
- 58 ft
- TrailRank
- 52
- Min elevation
- 0 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- 6 hours 21 minutes
- Coordinates
- 2912
- Uploaded
- February 9, 2015
- Recorded
- February 2015
near Deep Cove, British Columbia (Canada)
Viewed 2018 times, downloaded 1 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
February is a quiet time on this otherwise busy summer inlet with lots of both pleasure and working motor traffic. Due to the steep cliffs on both sides of this fjord-like stretch of water, wakes bounce off the sides and the chop can be quite challenging. On this day, I saw perhaps a dozen fishing boats and other pleasure craft, and really only had a steady north wind and outgoing tide with which to contend.
I launched at Deep Cover Canoe and Kayak, and since it was high tide at the start, I actually put in from the long stone stairs that lead down to the beach. It is just over 17 kilometres to the Wigwam Inn at the north end of the Arm, and I took a slightly longer route back to make it just over 36 kilometres, or 19 1/2 nautical miles, round trip.
I kept a steady 6 kph (3.3 knots) on the way up into the wind and against the tide. I kept to the west shore to attenuate the north or north-north-west wind, and returned on the eastern shore with a steady breeze helping a bit, but also bringing up lots of chop. On the return, even fighting the rollers and sometimes breaking whitecaps, I made between 7.5 and 8 kph (4.3 knots) most of the time.
The waterfalls were especially active on this warm (12 deg C) and rainy day during an otherwise soaking wet and snowless winter.
Waypoints
Information point
16 ft
First Corner, and view of Power Station
From here on, Deep Cove is out of sight and the arm narrows slightly. Across the way are two power stations where generators were or are generating power from Buntzen Lake above.
Information point
-10 ft
People Live Here
There are always lots for sale, but houses abound. Solitude you will not find here, except in the dead of winter.
Information point
0 ft
Just a way point
Campsite
1 ft
Croker Island
On the way up, I went left of the island, past a camp site and stream here.
Panorama
1 ft
Finally Wigwam Inn
From a Distance just after the turn after Croker Island. Now the turnaround point in near.
Mountain hut
2 ft
Approaching the Wigwam Inn
Mountain hut
0 ft
Lunch Spot at Wigwam Inn Dock
It's private, but I mooched a tiny corner just to get out of the boat and stretch and eat. There is also a landable beach and dock on the other side of the arm at Granite Falls. That would have been a better and more hospitable choice. Now don't get me wrong, the yachters were all cordial, inquisitive, and inviting, but the dock surface is 2 1/2 feet above the water, making exiting the kayak very hard, and there was no easy way to go pee.
Waterfall
7 ft
Great Falls
I've never seen the flow higher or the water cascading over to the right.
Information point
7 ft
Waypoint
River
Picnic
14 ft
A Great Little Island to Stop
An easy paddle from Deep Cove, this small island group is rocky but has reasonably good landing spots at most tides. There is a waterfall just to the north east of it.
Provisioning
Comments (1)
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I cannot get my photos to upload. Wikiloc crashes every time. I may try to post them manually, but there was not that much out there, except for Great Falls which was falling in ways it normally doesn't. Probably double the normal flow.