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Finally Summit Green Mountain

After almost 2 years trying to get to the top of Green Mountain near Nanaimo, I’ve done it.

I’ve spent even longer dreaming of getting to the top, surveying the vistas, and chasing the marmots (don’t actually do this). But this elusive peak was always just outside my grasp.

At first I didn’t know where it was. After doing some research and realizing it was only by Nanaimo Lakes I no longer had an excuse. Actually finding the damn place was another matter. Anyone who’s done any travel around Vancouver Island, knows you can get lost on the logging roads pretty quick. Luckily I had a nice pretty GPS track my dad had made a few months previous to follow.

My first trip to Green Mountain went well. We followed the route to the base of the mountain and took the proper turn off to start the long gradual climb. A few times I wasn’t sure if we were on the right track since it was taking so long but we eventually hit the “parking lot”. There is a large round area that everyone parks in before heading off into the hills. We were only a week before hunting season when we were up there this time and were a little nervous because of it. I didn’t get shot so I’m happy.

Old ski runs overrun by ferns

Old ski runs overrun by ferns

A few weeks ago we headed up for another try. The day was beautiful, warm and promised not to show us to any hunters.  The trip up was beautiful. We wandered past the old burnt down lodge and played Sherlock Homes in the rubble.

Almost at the top it gets quite a bit steeper, requiring very good balance to an additional 2 limbs to clamber up the slope. Above this though, the top flattens off into a plateau of sorts surrounded by trees. Run to one end and you’ve got beautiful views of the mountains behind Nanaimo lakes and off into the distance. Run to the other and it gives you the sprawling landscape between you, Mount Benson and Nanaimo in the distance.

Not ready to call it quits yet, we spied a neighbouring peak and decided to head that south to visit. Down off Green and into the bush for a bit of hope-theres-a-trail-and-follow-it-for-a-bit hiking. Tensions were rising as we were about to summit the next peak but to our surprise the land dropped away with our destination on the other side of the gully. After a short inspection of bottom and the other side, it looked doable by my hiking party and we pushed on. Grasping the limbs of horizontal trees and bushes we hauled ourselves up the other side of the gully and onto the top of the Green Knob as we now affectionately called it.

GreenMountain-2-PureOutside.jpg

With the ground dropping away hundreds of feet on all sides, being on top of the Knob as like floating on a cloud. Maybe not that day because the clouds were very high but the views were nonetheless spectacular.

Elated that we had actually made it up Green and the Knob to boot, we merrily skipped our way down through the meadows and back to our transportation.

Tick that one of the list, time for a winter ascent!

11 thoughts on “Finally Summit Green Mountain”

  1. I used to ski there as a child and teeny bopper,one of my favorite places…anyway..heading there this weekend for some now shoeing..so looking forward to this..have fun at the yeti!

    1. The Yeti should be awesome. Are you coming?I have yet to ski at Green. I’m hoping to next winter when I get some backcountry gear though. It looks like a beautiful place to ski. How did you used to get there?

  2. im interested in hiking green mountain. could you please give me any info you have. ive noticed that the gates on nanaimo lakes road are always closed, and was wondering if there is another way

    1. Hi Kim!That’s definitely a problem with that area. It’s tough to gauge weather the gate will be open or not. If you have decent truck with 4×4, you can go around the gate but most of us are stuck going through it. Although you’ll need a good truck with 4×4 to get all the way up to where we parked hiking up.It seems to be open all the time right now. Sometimes they post someone at the gate that opens and closes it and can tell you the schedule. I’d recommend calling to see if you could get any information from 250-729-3752 or 250-714-9525.Unfortunately the schedule depends on how much vandalism is currently going on in that area. If it’s bad, they’ll lock it down. Usually its open more and more after it dies down.

  3. i dont have a very good 4×4 anymore, lol . you said there is away around the gate, but which one there is the main gate and then after the cabins there is another 2 orange gates, that would be cool if there was a way all 3 of them, ill call those 2 numbers which i presume is timberwest, and ill ask some questions and get back to you,

  4. Without the 4×4 you’ll be able to get to the road that starts up Green Mountain, which is about an hour from Nanaimo, past all the gates into Nanaimo Lake. There are some good ditches up that road on Green that you may or may not be able to get past.Sorry, those numbers are for Timberwest. I forgot to mention that. I’ve found that if one gate is closed then all of them were and you weren’t going anywhere anyways. I’m pretty sure you can 4×4 around the first one near the gate house, but you won’t be getting past the second and third, there is no room.

  5. feb 20 th 2010.. i drove out to fourth lake and got onto branch k and followed it for a little while untill i came accross a sign going across the road saying road closed, which is where i turned around, the roads are actually pretty decent,, ill be going back soon. decided to go up de cosmos instead

    1. Hey Kim! That’s awesome. I was up there with some friends on Saturday as well! I’m not even sure if the turn off Branch K is labelled. I forgot to look. I follow our GPS track all the time. Let me know when you’re coming up next time. I might be able to come with or provide some better directions.Which road did you go up De Cosmos on? Is the gate still open on the deactivated road before De Cosmos coming from the main gate?

  6. It was so nice to get up there again, it would of been cool to bump into you .. branch k is labeled and it breaks off into a branch K1 further up the road,We drove up past 4th lake and there were people camping at the lake, but we had to stop and turn around a few miles past that due to a big slide that has blocked the road, as of de cosmos i took branch A ,,, the gates are all open right now, i know i should of kept driving to see why they had the road closed but i didnt,lol

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