Capturing the Art of Nature
Lorenzetta – Hunter Creek FSR
After passing by for years, we finally dropped in to explore this valley. It was big enough that we didn’t finish!
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2010
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I have driven past the Hunter Creek area for many years; occasionally I even stopped at the rest area along the side of the highway. This only emphasized the presence of the valley to the south that seemed hidden behind a steep cliff face with no clear place of entry. Over the years I kept telling myself that we need to check out that area but the time to visit never seemed to arrive. So finally I decided to schedule the trip to Hunter Creek and see if there was anything to see. Well the day finally arrived and we were on our way to the rest stop and the valley behind it.
Upon exiting the highway we turned onto the side road and started looking for the entrance to the FSR. We initially drove past it as it seemed marked for private use but after driving well beyond the spot the road showed on the map we returned and tried the private road. We soon saw the familiar forestry sign naming the road and we felt relieved as we finally located the entrance. Parked to the side were a few forestry machines so we knew the area was still active.
The first part of the road is quite steep as it makes its way along a cliff face to the entrance to Hunter Creek. Once it reached the south going valley the road leveled off and we had a wider road to drive. The road was laced with a series of partial ditches that came only half way across the road on alternating sides. It made for easier travel than having to deal with a normal cross-ditch. Soon we crossed Hunter Creek where we had a lovely view of the creek bed and the swirling water as it made its way over and around large rocks. Our next stop was at a small clearing where we had a view of the mountains to the west. I also noticed a lovely patch of mushrooms scattered over the clearing that provided a few interesting photos ops.
Leaving the clearing we next came upon a small creek with a lovely waterfall that was worth a series of slow shutter photos. We continued up the road and came to a fork, we selected the busier branch to the right which soon re-crossed Hunter Creek and headed up the far side of the valley. The road gained elevation quickly and we passed a couple of branches that looked inviting and which we planned to explore on our return. Soon we were in the recently logged area and there we met another vehicle on the road. It was a family – the father was hunting, his wife and three kids out for the drive! We continued past them and soon started down a larger cross-ditch. But at the bottom we couldn’t move! It seems that the transmission was not turning the tires despite the RPMs of the engine. The chap we passed offered to pull us back level, which we accepted. After looking over the truck and not noticing anything we decided to head back down – quite dejected as the day seemed lost.
Once back down and across the creek to that first fork we decided to head up the other side it as it seemed less steep and the truck wasn’t showing signs of any worsening problems. So we slowly made our way along and through the cross-ditches as this branch was deactivated. As we crossed each ditch without problem we felt bolder and we kept going even as we gained elevation. Soon we came upon the family again while the father was scanning the slopes for a deer. He never did find one up there. We continued along the road to a view point where we ate our lunch. Then we continued further along the road, we came to an older area that had been logged perhaps last season. Once past the logged area the road showed signs of being little travelled and we had rougher conditions to over-come. The road was still quite passable and the truck acting fairly well so we continued along for a few kilometers until some rock fall narrowed it a bit too much. We parked the truck and walked the short distance to the end where we had a lovely view of a rock face, a fall-coloured slope and a view of the Fraser Canyon. From there I could actually hear the noise from the freeway!
After enjoying the sights at the road-end we started back to the truck and then made our way slowly back along the road. A couple of the cross-ditches seemed steeper in our return direction and one of them bent our rear bumper! We were able to bend it back a bit so it doesn’t look too bad, but it still needs some further straightening. Before long we were back to the initial fork and onto well-travelled road. Soon a pair of motor bikes passed us as they made their way into the valley.
We stopped a few more times to take in the fall colours and to enjoy the area. I didn’t want to chance some of the rougher sections until the truck is looked over. So there are still a few sections that need more exploration. Despite the truck issue we enjoyed a full day out there and saw some lovely sights and colour though it wasn’t as much colour as we could have seen if we had travelled further up the Coquihalla. So the area was definitely worth the effort to explore.