Every time I’ve driven to Port Alberni and beyond, I pass Cameron Lake and have looked longingly across the lake at the old trestle on the other side. I always wondered how you got there and imagined you’d be privy to a pretty spectacular view from that spot.

Fast forward to a day a couple weeks ago where it was too beautiful to stay inside and I wanted to get out and play. My friend suggested the trails around Cameron Lake and I readily agreed if it meant finally getting to go see the trestle!

We started the journey at a little “parking lot” (read: slightly wider part of the road) off the highway just before the entrance to the Cameron Lake picnic area. If you’ve ever gone past Cameron Lake, you’ve passed this spot just as you are approaching the day use area and, if you’re like me, you’ve always wondered why cars are parked there when you pass it. Now I know it’s because the car owners are out there hiking!

Once parked, you hop onto the tracks and follow them off to the left towards the lake. About 100 feet from the car, we encountered a trestle! I was so excited because I had no idea there was more than one trestle on this section of the tracks. My friend calmly informed me we’d cross about 5 trestles on the walk and I silently cheered for the adventure this would be!

The first trestle carries you over Little Qualicum River. It’s probably only 20-25′ long and is not that high over the river. After crossing this trestle though, I certainly sped up a bit so we’d hit the next trestle sooner. In about 5 minutes, we were there! The second trestle was a bit higher, but about the same length and it crosses a little valley vs. a river.

The third trestle was higher yet and still had its old service platforms off the side. It was hard not to think of that scene from the old movie, Stand By Me, when the boys are crossing the trestle, but luckily trains haven’t run on these tracks in many, many years so there was no real concern. I snapped a foot picture and we continued on our way.

The fourth trestle was certainly getting higher and it had a couple rough spots. For anyone a little uncomfortable with heights, I’d recommend you walk over the beams slightly off-center so that you get the impression you are walking on solid ground. Much like our adventure to The Abyss in Nanaimo, I was dangling my feet through the holes on the trestles, so clearly heights are not an issue for me!

The last trestle was the largest and highest trestle of the day and is the one I’ve looked longingly at from the highway across the lake. The view from here did not disappoint and I was so pleased to have finally visited this spot! The trestle itself is reminiscent of Kinsol Trestle in size and stature. Like Kinsol, it’s also an old timber trestle, but it hasn’t had the same restoration efforts and you are still walking on the old tracks and beams vs. a solid bridge like the restored Kinsol.

It was about 3-3.5km to this fifth trestle. I believe that the trail keeps going around to the far end of the lake, but we turned around here to head back to the trail head for Wesley Ridge.

Getting me to go up Wesley Ridge took some convincing on my friend’s part. It’s a steep trail that apparently some people have compared to the Grouse Grind in North Vancouver. I’ve done the Grouse Grind and can definitively say it wasn’t my favourite experience. But, I guess it’s not every day you find yourself at the bottom of the Wesley Ridge Trail so up we went!

The trail is quite steep but relatively short. You climb the equivalent of 78 floors and at least one part has a rope installed to help you if needed. The trail is a combination of gravel and dirt, some parts a little loose so certainly watch your steps and make sure you have solid footing along the way. We climbed for a bit (mostly because I was super slow!) but at the top, you find The Benches. Your efforts climbing up is rewarded with a spectacular view down and over the whole of Cameron Lake and across to Mt. Arrowsmith.

The trail continues from The Benches to the Radio Tower and then to the far end of the lake. We unfortunately did not have time for that on this trip, so we rested at The Benches, had a snack and a drink of water, and eventually headed back down towards the car.

With summer just around the corner, there are so many beautiful days ahead of us! Getting out and exploring a place on the Island I’d never been to before was exciting and I arrived home feeling both exhilarated and happily exhausted from the adventure.

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