Alouette Bikeraft Loop
Following the Coquitlam - Squamish bikeraft trip, I was looking at maps figuring out possibilities for the next packrafting challenge, and Alouette Lake caught my eye. Alouette Lake is a BC Hydro controlled lake in Golden Ears Provincial Park that has a very popular public beach and campsite at the south end. Near the north end of the lake, there is a tunnel that channels water east to the adjacent Stave Lake where power is generated. The beginning of the tunnel at Alouette Lake has an intake valve, and there is a BC Hydro service road at lake level beside the intake. I devised a plan to ride to the public campsite at the south end of Alouette Lake, and paddle 10km up the lake to the tunnel intake service road, and ride the gravel road system between Alouette Lake and Stave Lake south before riding back west to Coquitlam to complete the loop.
In the middle of the lake is a narrows that separates the upper and lower portions of the lake. This would mark the halfway point of my paddle. Once I got across the narrows, things seemed to be a bit quieter, and the wind and water were more calm.
This is very rugged territory, and there's a reason there aren't many roads in this area. Heavy water erosion, unstable ground, and steep terrain features make it very challenging to build and maintain roads in places like this. Fortunately for my trip, hydroelectric power generation is in high demand in BC and building roads to service lakeside hydro features is worth the cost.
I rounded a corner in the lake, and Mt Robbie Reid began to appear to the north west. It is one of the most impressive peaks in this region, and this is the closest I've been to it. I hope to climb it soon.
After about 2.5 hours of paddling, I was finally able to see the BC Hydro intake structure and service road on the east side of the lake, and I paddled vigorously to finish off the upper body workout strong. Unfortunately, the access to the service road from the water was less than ideal; the shore up to the road was steep, rocky, and bushy. I would need to find a way up, otherwise I would have to backtrack 4km into a headwind to a road lower down on the lake.
A map of my biking and paddling circuit around Alouette Lake.
It was the final day of August and the weather looked like it would be reasonable for this trip. It would be a little windy, but there would be a tailwind for the rafting portion so it would be a good wind aside from the water being a bit rough. There was no reason to begin this trip super early, so I let things slide a bit in the morning and didn't get out of the house until about 11:45am. The gravel roads I would be riding later in the trip would be rough, so once again I was on my cyclocross bike. I have ridden from Coquitlam to Alouette Lake many times, so the first part of the ride was nothing special - aside from realizing I hadn't brought any spare tubes about 40 minutes into the ride. I did have a good patch kit with me, so I decided to continue with my plans - it would just take a little bit more time to fix a flat if I got one. I arrived at the North Beach campsite in about 2 hours, after 45km of riding. I went as far north along the lake shore as possible to minimize paddling distance, and found a quiet sandy beach to set up my raft at. I efficiently inflated my raft and tied my bike on, and I was off.
I got into a nice paddling rhythm, and things were rather quiet aside from the odd motor boat zipping by. The water was a bit more choppy than what I had experienced on other trips, due to the windy conditions - but the raft is stable so I was never in danger. The wavy water did slow me down a bit, and my paddling speed was slightly lower than on previous trips. I kept my pace steady, and took a few photos as I moved up the lake.
Looking back towards the south beach where I had started the paddle.
Looking north towards the narrows I was about to pass through.
In the middle of the lake is a narrows that separates the upper and lower portions of the lake. This would mark the halfway point of my paddle. Once I got across the narrows, things seemed to be a bit quieter, and the wind and water were more calm.
Looking back through the narrows just after passing through.
Looking north up the lake towards distant peaks and blue skies.
The edge of my bike and raft, headed north up the lake.
My bike mounted to the bow of the raft, and some rough ridges on the west side of the lake.
Looking up at some cliffs and a waterfall above to the west.
The north end of the lake ahead of me.
Looking back south towards the narrows, now seemingly distant.
This is very rugged territory, and there's a reason there aren't many roads in this area. Heavy water erosion, unstable ground, and steep terrain features make it very challenging to build and maintain roads in places like this. Fortunately for my trip, hydroelectric power generation is in high demand in BC and building roads to service lakeside hydro features is worth the cost.
I rounded a corner in the lake, and Mt Robbie Reid began to appear to the north west. It is one of the most impressive peaks in this region, and this is the closest I've been to it. I hope to climb it soon.
The first glimpse of Mt Robie Reid, towering above the north west end of the lake.
Picturesque views to the south.
After about 2.5 hours of paddling, I was finally able to see the BC Hydro intake structure and service road on the east side of the lake, and I paddled vigorously to finish off the upper body workout strong. Unfortunately, the access to the service road from the water was less than ideal; the shore up to the road was steep, rocky, and bushy. I would need to find a way up, otherwise I would have to backtrack 4km into a headwind to a road lower down on the lake.
The intake valve of the inlet wasn't open, so water around the intake was flat. When the intake is open (generally in the springtime), there would be a water vortex here over the intake valve, which would make paddling tricky and dangerous. However, right now the valve was completely shut and the water was calm. I paddled into the intake area marked yellow boomsticks, and was able to find a decent place to get out of my raft. I cleared some bush out of the way, and was able to finesse my bike up onto a semi-flat spot that didn't have too much bush. I awkwardly dismantled my bike from the raft here, and carried it up the steep bank and a bushy narrow staircase up to the road. I made a few more trips to get all of my gear over to the road from the bushy shore. Once all of my gear was at the road, packing everything up was a piece of cake. I took a few more photos of the lake beside the intake structure, and then started up the road.
The beginning of the road was very steep - in fact it is likely the steepest road I have seen in my life. I pedalled parts of it, but in general it was much more efficient just to walk my bike up and not even attempt to ride, especially with the large load on my bike. The first 1km of the road averaged 20%, and this included a heinous 500m section that averaged 28%. The road was also very loose on the steep bits, which even made walking a bit tricky - riding any bike up this would be nearly impossible. This is an example of why they don't build roads in places like this unless they really need to. I was able to hike up the road quite efficiently, and got to the top of the climb less than 30 minutes after leaving the lake. The total climb had 300m of elevation gain in less than 2km, and topped out at an elevation of 430m at the crest of the Alouette - Stave dividing ridge. This ridge is unique in how it's steep and narrow and bounded by 2 large lakes on either side. Below me to the west was Alouette Lake, and below me to the east was Stave Lake. Luckily for me, the roads I'd be riding from here on were along the top of the ridge and wouldn't be as steep.
I started cruising southward down the ridge. The smooth, compact, and flat road was a nice change. I enjoyed some soft rolling downhill bits before I had to do a bit of climbing again. This ridge is dotted with lakes, so there was some nice scenery along the way.
The yellow boomsticks marking the intake area; Mt Robie Reid above.
The end of the road and the intake structure, with Mt Robie Reid above.
The beginning of the road was very steep - in fact it is likely the steepest road I have seen in my life. I pedalled parts of it, but in general it was much more efficient just to walk my bike up and not even attempt to ride, especially with the large load on my bike. The first 1km of the road averaged 20%, and this included a heinous 500m section that averaged 28%. The road was also very loose on the steep bits, which even made walking a bit tricky - riding any bike up this would be nearly impossible. This is an example of why they don't build roads in places like this unless they really need to. I was able to hike up the road quite efficiently, and got to the top of the climb less than 30 minutes after leaving the lake. The total climb had 300m of elevation gain in less than 2km, and topped out at an elevation of 430m at the crest of the Alouette - Stave dividing ridge. This ridge is unique in how it's steep and narrow and bounded by 2 large lakes on either side. Below me to the west was Alouette Lake, and below me to the east was Stave Lake. Luckily for me, the roads I'd be riding from here on were along the top of the ridge and wouldn't be as steep.
I started cruising southward down the ridge. The smooth, compact, and flat road was a nice change. I enjoyed some soft rolling downhill bits before I had to do a bit of climbing again. This ridge is dotted with lakes, so there was some nice scenery along the way.
A typical section of the gravel road on top of the ridge.
A flat bit of road in steep territory.
Looking down at Florence Lake from the road.
I had to find my climbing legs for a few minutes where the road rises over a bump in the ridge. However the climbing didn't last long and I began a long descent on some pretty rough gravel. This ridge is a very popular 4-wheel drive recreation area, so the roads are quite worn, especially on the steep bits. My arms got numb from the bumpy descent, but I didn't get a flat tire.
A view to the west of ridges on the other side of Alouette Lake.
I passed a few more lakes where there were lots of people camping. I eventually hit a more major gravel road that was wide and smooth that provided relief to my body and bike. After cruising down a gradual downhill for a while, I found my self in familiar territory where Florence Lake Rd meets Stave Lake Rd.
Looking over at the Stave Lake Flats - a very popular recreation area.
I made a stop at the Stave Lake day use area beside the old Stave Hydro Dam. A public water fountain at this beach has saved me on many long rides in the past, and would help me on this one. I filled up my bottles, and started west along Stave Lake Rd where I enjoyed some smooth rolling hills.
I continued along familiar roads, and my legs welcomed the flat terrain of Pitt Meadows. I cruised through Pitt Meadows and Port Coquitlam pretty efficiently, and after one final steep climb, I arrived at our front door in an exhausted state. It felt good to have pulled off another challenging bikeraft route without any major hiccups.
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