tips for camping around goldbridge/lilooet/big bar (1 Viewer)

[semlin]

heading up camping this Thursday with the family. first night stop will be goldbridge/gun lakes. I was thinking from there of heading up the mud lakes FSR and trying to cut across to the big bar ferry. Does anyone have any tips on good routes or cautions? I can't seem to find any online ministry of forestry maps or road advisories for the cascade of chilcotin forest districts so I am using the mussio mapbooks right now. We will be out alone and no winch so not looking for anything too challenging.

 

[Deny]

If you are talking the china head road that goes from the mud lakes area to the big bar ferry, it is not very difficult, and a very cool trail, the club did that trail a few years back, and I remember a couple with a stock jeep cheroke asked us if they could tag along, and they had no troubles. If you would have gone to a meeting and talked to Mike M he could have told you all about it.
Cheers,
Deny

 

[semlin]

thanks deny, it is china head i was thinking of. yes I should join your club considering how much i post on your notice board, but it seems like every time you guys organize a meeting I have a conflict.

so where around there might one camp?

 

[Deny]

When we did it a few years ago, we camped the first day at mud lakes, there are a few nice spots by the lake, then we were actually planning to do the windy ridge trail, but due to muddy conditions and a truck almost going over the edge, we decided to turn back. Saturday we camped in the middle of nowhere, as it was getting dark and starting to snow (August long!) and then Sunday we woke up drove up to the peak of Poison mt. and the whole china head trail to big bar, where we camp just before the ferry on the banks of the Fraser below the little fenced inclosure for horses. But there are a lot more spots to choose from!
Cheers,
Deny

 

[semlin]

well Deny thanks for the tip! i found china head on the third try and it was spectacular at the top but my wife was not impressed with the off camber sidehills and washouts to get up there or the washouts to get down. I should have skipped the poison mountain trail beforehand because the stuff around mud lakes used up all her patience! Anyway we managed to soldier on and made a great weekend of it in the end. big bar was great and the cariboo was awesome

for future reference active logging has moved the start of the china head trail and it is darn hard to spot now. basically two ruts heading off from the new logging road at a bridge. the china head bridge is gone so you have to immediately ford and then the first mile of the trail is along the base of a sloughed sidehill. it did not look auspicious but very nice up top. I posted some photos in chat under "ih8 slumping sidehills" . i wouldn't say it was hard but slow 4wd all the way and it would be hairy if it was muddier.