Gold River boasts B.C.’s most eye-catching trails (see for yourself)

The Mid-Island ATV Club and ATVBC recently co-hosted the regional ATV conference in Gold River, B.C., which showcased the immense beauty of Vancouver Island while seated on an ATV.

“It’s been a few years since ATVBC has put on a face-to-face meeting on Vancouver Island, with the last one hosted in nearby Campbell River,” said Graham Lindenbach, Vancouver Island ATVBC regional director. “Gold River was chosen for this event because it has so much to explore.”

The 60 riders who attended the event were divided into four groups that went in different directions. Here are some photos of the places that they explored.

“Muchalat Lake has over 40 campsites and is about 12 kilometres from town,” Lindenbach said. “Beyond Muchalat the Nimkish Mainline, which is one of the Island’s longest forest service roads, will take you all the way to Beaver Cove. The other way out of Gold River is the Head Bay FSR. 68 kilometres down this road will lead you to Tahsis. This is an extremely scenic route, with mountain views, caves, and lakes. There are so many roads to explore: Nasook, Tlupana, Conuma, Kleeptee, and Tsowwin, to name a few.”

“The first ride was out of Gold River to McCurdy Creek, traveling up and over an alpine pass near Big Baldy Mountain, and returning to the ocean at Muchalat inlet,” said Lindenbach. “From there, we took the Nasook mainline, riding over the headland to the log dump at Kleeptee Creek. There is the opportunity to take a side trip to the beautiful Cougar Creek Rec Site—a highly popular site for fisherman and campers alike. When you ride out of Gold River, the roads are steep and the views are plentiful.”

After the event wrapped up, two groups of quads headed out on the North Island 1000 adventure route.