Distance From Vancouver to the Beginning of Ashlu Main
FSR:
About 99 km - 65 km via Highway 99 (Sea-to-Sky) North to
Squamish Adventure Centre, then keep driving straight on Highway 99 and
turn left onto Squamish Valley Road 9.6 km later, then drive for 23 km
to Squamish River FSR, and turn left onto Ashlu Main 1.2 km after that.
Liked:
Decent road surface until the end of 2WD road for
both Ashlu Main and A-600 branch road, several good natural views, dam
view (Ashlu Main), shadow in the forest while walking on both Ashlu Main
and A-600.
Of note:
Not too many
mosquitoes but numerous annoying flies, very few views while walking on
Ashlu Main for several hours past the dam (where the 2WD road ends).
Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Backroad Mapbook (2010 edition) Coordinates
for the Beginning of the FSR: Page
21 (Phantom Lake) G2.
Related
Website:
Squamish District FSR Conditions.
Subsequent Trip:
Squamish
River FSR Ashlu Main Second Trip.
Nearby FSR Trips:
Squamish River Main,
Squamish River
Ashlu, Squamish
River E-Main,
Squamish River FSR Washout.
Other Forest Service Roads Trips:
Chehalis (by
Harrison Mills),
Chilliwack
Bench,
Chilliwack Foley, Chilliwack
Lake,
Chuchinka-Colbourne (North of Prince George),
Clear Creek
(off Harrison East),
Florence Lake
(access to Stave Lake by Mission), Harrison
East,
Harrison East Second Trip,
Harrison West,
Jones Lake
(near Hope),
Lost Creek
(by Mission),
Mamquam
River (by Squamish),
Nahatlatch
(near Boston Bar),
Parsnip
West (by Mackenzie),
Scuzzy (by
Boston Bar), Shovel
Creek (off Harrison East),
Sowaqua
Creek (by Hope),
Windfall Creek (by Tumbler Ridge).
19. At the 4.0 km mark, there is
a good view of Ashlu River.
Ashlu River near Squamish BC Canada
20. Also at this spot, there is
this very interesting device to warn kayakers of rapidly rising waters
due to the discharge from a dam upstream.
Kayaker Warning Device Ashlu Main FSR British Columbia Canada
21. At 6.7 km, there is an
unmarked road split. To the right is Ashlu Main. To the left/straight is
A-600 branch road. We went straight/left here to explore A-600.
Ashlu Main and A-600 FSR Split Squamish River FSR Province of BC Canada
22. A-600 2WD road ends at 8.8
km. The road narrows and becomes very rough. There is a turnoff to the
dam there too, and the dam itself is easy to see, but the best view is
from Ashlu Main. Here is the narrowing of A-600.
A-600 Squamish Forest Service Road
23. Looking the other way.
Straight ahead is where we drove from, and to the left is the turnoff to
the dam.
A-600 FSR by Squamish British Columbia Canada
24. And so we parked right here
and started walking down the narrow part of A-600. In about ten minutes,
this busted tractor would stop everything except bicycles and walkers.
Busted Tractor on A-600 Road near Squamish British Columbia Canada
25. And, about ten minutes
later, A-600 ends where several badly trashed buildings are standing in
a picturesque setting.
A-600 FSR end near Squamish BC
26. According to Backroad
Mapbook, Osprey Mines used to be located in this area. We did not find
any mines here.
Busted buildings at the end of A-600 Forest Service Road near Squamish
BC
27. But sure found lots of
bullet holes.
Bullet-ridden building at the end of A-600 FSR near Squamish BC
28. No more dining in here.
Inside a busted building at the end of A-600 Forest Service Road by
Squamish British Columbia
29. After visiting A-600, we
returned to the road split seen in photo #22, and turned onto Ashlu
Main. Very soon we encountered a mini quarry by the roadside.
Stone Quarry Ashlu Main FSR near Squamish British Columbia Canada
30. Nice stones.
Stones on the side of Ashlu Main Forest Service Road by Squamish BC
31. A few minutes later, we are
crossing a small river. Good views from the bridge.
River view from Ashlu Main Forest Service Road near Squamish BC Canada
32. Less than 2 km after the
split with A-600, Ashlu Main 2WD road ends with a view of a dam. On the
other side of the river you see a road which very shortly comes to a
point seen in photo #24.
Ashlu FSR Dam near Squamish Province of British Columbia Canada
33. And so we parked right here,
and started walking on Ashlu Main. The road became narrow and rough in
several areas, though mostly it was in decent shape, probably because
very few people drive here.
Squamish River Forest Service Road - Ashlu Main - BC Canada
34. It is a pleasant walk on a
hot day due to all the shade. The only problem - you do not see much.
Just the trees. A bicycle or an
ATV would be very good here.
Ashlu FSR by Squamish BC
35. The first decent view comes
more than an hour into the walk - there is a small bridge and a fairly
impressive waterfall there. Be very careful
when checking out the creek on the other side of the bridge
- the small log serving to keep you from falling
into that fast flowing stone-filled creek could be slippery from the
waterfall's moisture, and, if you decide to step on that log to get a
better photo of the creek below, it might not end up well.
Waterfall off Ashlu Main FSR Province of British Columbia Canada
36. And then we hiked for
another 45 minutes with just glimpses of mountains here and there, but
not much else. The reason for such persistent walking was because a guy
we encountered on A-600 earlier in the day said that some days ago he
drove an
ATV on Ashlu Main all the way to a washed out bridge, and saw
some decent views. However, it was getting late in the day, and it was
time to have a break and head back. Just when we were going to return
while seen nothing impressive, there was a split on the road. As the
river was heard on the left, this is where we turned.
Ashlu Main FSR
37. Several minutes later, we
encountered a badly worn-out bridge.
Worn-out bridge by Ashlu Main FSR
38. The worst part about having
a meal break on this bridge were the flies, which decided to have us as
THEIR meal break. The best part was this view, which made the whole
walking trip (somewhat) worthwhile.
In conclusion, Ashlu Main is not
the most impressive of all the other major Squamish River FSRs, but it is a fairly smooth road, it has its attractions, and
having a free campsite by Squamish River does not hurt either.
ihikebc.com
Trip 053 - Squamish River FSR Ashlu Main Page 2 of 2 |