Trip 103 - May 14, 2016 (Saturday)

Tacheeda Mountain Trail Hike

North of Prince George BC

Location (via Chuchinka-Red Rocky FSR): Approximately 128 km North of Prince George: about 110 km on Highway 97 to Chuchinka-Red Rocky FSR, and then 18.1 km on Red Rocky and Colbourne FSRs to the trailhead.

Liked: Abandoned fire lookout tower, shade, gentle grade changes, relatively few mosquitoes.

Of note: The trail is flooded shortly after it begins, and one has to hop around for about 100 meters to get through the marshy area to the other side. The trail is also getting overgrown, and your legs might get scratches without long pants. Hiking poles and boots are recommended (if the flooded area is dry when you get there) or essential (if it's still flooded and you do decide to hop around).

Northern BC Backroad Mapbook (3rd edition) Trailhead Coordinates: Page 42 (Anzac) C7.

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Tacheeda Mountain Trail is located off Chuchinka-Colbourne Forest Service Road North of Prince George, and is close to several recreation sites situated by Tacheeda Lakes. It's an easy-to-moderately challenging trail, which leads through a featureless forest to an open area with panoramic, if unspectacular, views. Best of all, at the end of the hike there is a completely intact fire lookout tower, abandoned in 2007 (judging by the journal entries), and ready for your mini-exploration, should you make it through a fairly dangerous flooded area, which happens soon after the beginning of the trail.

1. For directions to the trailhead, check out our previous trip report (Chuchinka-Colbourne FSR). The photo below is the same as photo #15 of that report. Coordinates: N 54⁰42.363' W 122⁰31.752'. Elevation: 739 meters.

Chuchinka-Colbourne Forest Service Road at Tacheeda Mountain Trailhead BC Canada

2. And here is a view of the trailhead when we stood in front of it on Colbourne FSR.

Tacheeda Mountain Trailhead Province of BC Canada

3. Shows you how much of tree encroachment took place here - ten meters further down the trail, there is actually a sign with the trail name, though it's completely invisible from Chuchinka-Colbourne FSR.

Prince George Hike - Tacheeda Mountain Trail Sign

4. The start of the trail is a fine walk in the forest. Shade, few mosquitoes, good times.

Prince George Hiking - Tacheeda Mountain Hiking Trail

5. But, less than ten minutes later, the easy part is over. The trail is flooded, so turn around, if you are not willing to risk getting wet or worse. The first obstacle is this partially submerged log. This is where we slipped and had to use a spare dry sock.

Tacheeda Mountain Trail Flooded

6. The other end of the log was also submerged, though a bit less.

Partially submerged log Tacheeda Mountain Trail British Columbia

7. Crossing the first log is only the beginning. In total, you have to hop from a dry spot to a dry spot, and cross a few more logs for about 100 meters.

Flooded area Tacheeda Mountain Trail BC Canada

8. Another log crossing. At least this one wasn't submerged. Hiking poles with large baskets proved invaluable to help with balance in this marshy place.

Tacheeda Mountain Trail Log Crossing

9. Finally, we are through.

Tacheeda Mountain Hiking Trail North of Prince George BC Canada

10. Then, another rather easy hike in the forest ensued, with the photo below showing perhaps the steepest part of it all. As you can see, it's not all that steep, and it is quite short too. The bigger challenge are several large fallen trees, and a whole lot of plants which might scratch your legs, if you are not wearing long pants.

Hike in Prince George area - Tacheeda Mountain Trail

11. Two and a half hours into the hike, the biggest fallen tree obstacle course on this trail would slow you down for a minute or two.

Fallen Trees Tacheeda Mountain Trail - Hike in British Columbia

12. Ten minutes later, there is a helicopter pad - that's the end of the trail. Coordinates: N 54⁰40.893' W 122⁰29.192'. Elevation: 1,282 meters (a gain of 543 meters from the trailhead).

Helicopter pad at the end of Tacheeda Mountain Trail British Columbia

13. The view from the pad is decent, though the sun was shining in the eyes, making for hazy views. We have substantially darkened the following two images.

Mountains seen from the end of Tacheeda Mountain trail BC Canada

14. Another view from the helicopter pad.

View from the helicopter pad on Tacheeda Mountain Trail British Columbia Hiking

15. But, the best part of the hike, and quite a pleasant surprise, turned out to be this fire lookout tower, located about 120 meters behind the helicopter pad. Here is a view from the pad.

BC Hiking - Tacheeda Mountain Fire Lookout Tower

Here is our video of the views from the helicopter pad:

More ihikebc videos are on our YouTube Channel.

16. Now we are by the tower.

Fire Lookout Tower Tacheeda Mountain British Columbia Canada

17. BC Forest Service logo on the communication tower seen behind the ladder in the photo above.

British Columbia Forest Service logo

18. We have now climbed up the ladder and are looking back at the helicopter pad.

View of the helicopter pad from Tacheeda Mountain fire lookout tower

19. At the fire lookout tower entrance.

Inside the fire lookout tower on Tacheeda Mountain BC Canada

20. Looking at the kitchen area on the right side.

Kitchen area of the fire lookout tower on Tacheeda Mountain Northern British Columbia

21. Looking across at the sleeping quarters.

Sleeping area of the Tacheeda Mountain fire lookout tower

22. The last entry in the radiotelephone station log was made on July 18, 2007...

Tacheeda Mountain fore lookout tower radiotelephone log entries

23. See where a blue plastic water jug is on top of a beige cupboard in photo #19? Just to the left of that water jug is a Tacheeda Lookout Daily Journal.

Tacheeda lookout daily journal

24. Inside the journal, which was at first used by the fire lookout tower personnel, hikers started to leave short messages about themselves and their hike. We have left a message too - you will be able to read it if you make it to the tower :-)

25. And, speaking of the beige cupboard - there is still a lot of food left inside, all of which expired many years ago. But, as a historical artefact, this food, like this entire place, is cool.

If you manage to get through the flooded area at the beginning of the hike, Tacheeda Mountain Trail is recommended for gentle grades, lots of shade, and, of course, the tower.