Trip 308 - May 9, 2024 (Thursday)

Mount Erskine Trail Hike

Mount Erskine Provincial Park

Salt Spring Island, BC

Trailhead Location: At the end of Trustees Trail (it's a road name) near Ganges on Salt Spring Island, BC.

Liked: A fairly short and uncomplicated trail to excellent views of Salt Spring Island, Vancouver Island, and a passage between them. Views of remote islands. Shade in the forest. No bugs.

Of Note: Steep unbarricaded dropoffs at all three viewpoints, uneven ground, rocks and roots, hiking poles and boots are recommended.

Vancouver Island, Victoria & Gulf Islands Backroad Mapbook (9th edition) Trailhead Coordinates: Page 11 (Duncan) D2.

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Mount Erskine Trail in Mount Erskine Provincial Park is located on Salt Spring Island, BC (one of British Columbia's Southern Gulf Islands) which can be reached via a 35 minute-long sailing from Swartz Bay ferry terminal on Vancouver Island near Victoria. There are two other ferry terminals on Salt Spring Island, including at Vesuvius Bay, which we show in this trip report. The trailhead for Mount Erskine is located not far from Ganges (which is "downtown" Salt Spring Island with most services) via Lower Ganges Road - Rainbow Road - Juniper Place - Spring Gold Way - Trustees Trail (it's a road name).

Mount Erskine Provincial Park has many trails (all are numbered), and there are maps at key intersections showing your current location. We took trails 2, 1, and 3, checked out the views, then proceeded via Manzanita Ridge Nature Reserve to Toynbee Road, and then hiking back through the roads to the parking lot on Trustees Trail. In hindsight, it probably would have been better to return the same way, or by hiking one of the several loops in Mount Erskine Provincial Park, as there isn't much to see in Manzanita Ridge Nature Reserve, and hiking back via the roads wasn't all that great.

It took us 1.08 km of hiking to reach viewpoint #1, another 300 meters to get to viewpoint #2, and 270 meters more to get to the summit and viewpoint #3, for a total one way distance of about 1.6 km. As the summit is located at the elevation of only 440 meters, Mount Erskine hike should be good (snow-free) for most of the year.

* All hiking distances are based on a GPS odometer and are approximate.

1. Here is a Google Maps location of Mount Erskine Provincial Park on Salt Spring Island, BC. Our trailhead is closer to the center of the map.

2. We are in Ganges area of Salt Spring Island, driving on Rainbow Road towards Juniper Place.

Rainbow Road Salt Spring Island BC

3. Turning left from Rainbow Road onto Juniper Place after about 2.3 km after starting on Rainbow Road (turned from Lower Ganges Road).

Salt Spring Island BC - Rainbow Road at Juniper Place

4. After 600 meters, Juniper Place became Spring Gold Way. We are now 550 meters later on Spring Gold Way.

Juniper Place becoming Spring Gold Way - Salt Spring Island British Columbia

5. After 1.5 km since we turned from Rainbow Road onto Juniper Place, Spring Gold Way ends at Trustees Trail (it's a road name), where we turned right.

Spring Gold Way at Trustees Trail Salt Spring Island BC

6. 300 meters later, Trustees Trail ends. Mount Erskine trailhead is just to the left.

Trustees Trail - Salt Spring Island - British Columbia - Canada

Here is our video of driving from Ganges to this parking lot.

7. Here it the trailhead. Coordinates: N 48⁰51.178' W 123⁰32.460'. Elevation: 230 meters.

Mount Erskine Trail trailhead

8. Technically, it's Mount Erskine access trail for 90 meters, but let's count it as the trailhead.

Trailhead of Mount Erskine on Salt Spring Island BC

9. Here is a map of Mount Erskine Trail. You can hike a few loops, and end up at a different trailhead too (which is what we eventually did), but the quickest way to get to all three viewpoints is via trails 2-1-3. We have indicated our parking location at the end of Trustees Trail with a red square in the top right corner, and marked all three viewpoints of Mount Erskine hike with corresponding numbers. Blue arrows indicate our route to all three viewpoints. It's 1.08 km to viewpoint #1, 300 more meters to #2, and 270 meters after that to the summit (viewpoint #3).

Mount Erskine Trail Map

10. Mount Erskine hike begins. At 40 meters here.

British Columbia Hiking - Mount Erskine Trail

11. The official start of Mount Erskine Provincial Park at the 90 meter mark.

Mount Erskine Provincial Park sign

12. Now at 210 meters of Mount Erskine Trail.

Mount Erskine Trail Hike on Salt Spring Island BC

13-14. At 1.08 km, we are at the first viewpoint of Mount Erskine hike. Followed by a panorama.

First Viewpoint of Mount Erskine Trail

15-16. A fairy house is right across the viewpoint. Does the door open? Watch the video below and find out :)

Salt Spring Island BC - Mount Erskine Trail - Fairy house

Here is our video of the views from the first Mount Erskine viewpoint.

17-18. As you are hiking on Mount Erskine, BC Ferry Quinsam can be observed going back and forth between Vesuvius Bay Ferry Terminal on Salt Spring Island, and Crofton Ferry Terminal on Vancouver Island.

BC Ferry "Quinsam" seen from Mount Erskine on Salt Spring Island

19-20. Here is Quinsam approaching and docking at Vesuvius Bay Ferry Terminal.

BC Ferry Quinsam at Vesuvius Ferry Terminal on Salt Spring Island

Here is our video of BC Ferry Quinsam and both ferry terminals.

21. En route to the second viewpoint.

Salt Spring Island Hiking Mount Erskine Trail

22. The second Mount Erskine viewpoint arrives 300 meters after the first one.

View from second viewpoint of Mount Erskine on Salt Spring Island BC

23-27. Left to right followed by a panorama.

Panoramic View from Mount Erskine on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada

Here is our video of the views from the second Mount Erskine viewpoint.

28. 300 more meters of hiking...

Hike on Salt Spring Island - Mount Erskine Trail

29. ...and here is the third Mount Erskine viewpoint (summit). Coordinates: N 48⁰50.901' W 123⁰33.077'. Elevation: 440 meters (210 meters elevation gain from the trailhead for an average grade of 14%).