[1-Trail sign to Mt. Webb and Radium Lake - click to enlarge]
This trail is located 150 miles east of Vancouver, British Columbia in the Upper Chilliwack Valley at Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park encompassing 9,258 hectares.
The Hudson Bay Company cut the first recorded trail up the Chilliwack River in 1855, improving the Indian Trail which joined the nine Indian villages between Vedder Crossing and Chilliwack Lake.
The Radium Lake trailhead (16 km return) is accessible from the Chilliwack Lake campground which will take about 4 hours with an elevation gain of 910 m.
Park users should always be aware of bears and other wildlife.
[2-This bridge was closed but the hikers persevered by going on]
Second bridge is a wire cable suspension bridge – this bridge has now been removed.
After the bridge the trail becomes steeper.
[3-Gray Jay - click to enlarge]
The Gray Jay (Perisoreus Canadensis) is larger than a big chickadee. It is 11.5 inches long ranging in mountain forests and woodlands close to campsites. A bowl shaped nest of twigs lined with feathers and hair is built up to 30 feet in a tree. It lays 3 to 5 green-gray spotted eggs, which the female incubates for 17 to 18 days. The young leave the nest two weeks later with juvenile birds a darker gray all over, with a whitish mustachial streak.*
In another 2.5 km the creek is crossed again.
On the other side is an old cabin site.
Further on in a half a kilometre the creek appears again.
[4-Radium Lake - click to enlarge]
[5-Looking at the col - click to enlarge]
At the north end of the lake is an old service cabin.
Be warned there are loads of mosquitoes present.
[6-Radium Lake - click to enlarge]
You can also continue past Radium Lake for a 45 minute hike on a good trail up to the col between Mt. Webb on your left and Mt. MacDonald on your right.
[7-Two hikers scrambling up a gulley to the Macdonald-Webb Col - click to enlarge]
[8-Mt. Webb - click to enlarge]
Mt. Webb is 2164 m in height.
Sources: Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park
Map of trail to Radium Lake and Mt. Webb
*A Field Guide to the Birds of North America by Michael Vanner, p.166
Photo Credits: [1][2][4][5][6][7][8]-Iwona Kellie CC=flickr, [3]-m d d CC=nc-sa-flickr.
