Trails
| MOUNTAINS | MAPS | EVENT LISTINGS | TRAILS APP |
North Cowichan is home to a rich mix of flow, downhill, gravel and cross country trails for mountain biking mixed in with a myriad of hiking trails taking you to amazing vistas and vantage points in our Municipal Forest Reserve.
Our key hiking and mountain biking destinations include Maple Mountain, Mount Tzouhalem and Mount Prevost. Combine this with additional hiking and equestrian opportunities possible on Mount Richards and we have opportunities close to all residents.
Weekends are busy on the mountains and trails. The busiest times are Saturdays, Sundays and holidays between 9:30am and 3:00pm. Please plan for congestion in the parking lots, and consider visiting a lower traffic launch site; Nevilane or Maple Mountain accessed via Osborne Bay Road.
Municipal Forest Reserve: Service Notices
Mount Tzouhalem - Periodic Trail Closures Starting February 2023, there will be periodic trail closures as part of the 2022 FireSmart project. Please watch for warning/closure signage and personnel on site.
For more information about the 2022 FireSmart project, please visit: https://www.northcowichan.ca/wildfire
Forestry Gates - Mount Prevost, Mount Sicker and Grace Road East The forestry gates are now open.
Maple Mountain Temporary Closures Starting Tuesday, July 5, there will be temporary trail and area closures while the Osbourne Bay water reservoir project gets is underway. Please watch for signage and personnel on site. More information about the water reservoir project can be found here . Please refer to the attached map [PDF - 5 MB] for more details.
Grace Road Area access off of Cranko Road The Grace Road West forestry road accessed from the end of Cranko Road will be closed until further notice.
For more information contact: Shaun Mason shaun.mason@northcowichan.ca or 250-746-3124 |
Using the trails
The Municipal Forest Reserve is available for non-motorized recreational use, such as hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking. Overnight camping, campfires, and fireworks are not permitted in the Municipal Forest Reserve at any time.
E-bikes
- Permitted: Class 1 (100% pedal assist, with no throttle) that have a maximum assist speed of 32km/h.
- Not permitted: Class 2 and 3 e-bikes that have a throttle. Other throttle-activated devices, such as motorized scooters (electric stand up scooters) and one wheel boards (electric skateboards) are also not permitted on municipal trails.
Mountains
| Mountain | Permitted Uses | Description |
| Maple Mountain | Hiking, Mountain Biking, Equestrian | Located between Maple Bay and Crofton, Maple Mountain is a rich mountain for hiking, biking and equestrian. Great sanctioned trails and awesome vistas of the area. |
| Mount Tzouhalem | Hiking, Mountain Biking | Looking east from Duncan, Mount Tzouhalem (The "Tzou") is the landmark which offers trails to the Cross, vistas overlooking Cowichan Bay and a myriad of mountain biking and hiking trails. |
| Mount Richards | Hiking, Equestrian | Found across the road from the main access to Maple Mountain off of Osborne Bay Road. Mount Richards is home to great access for hikers and equestrians. |
| Mount Prevost | Hiking, Downhill Mountain Biking | Mount Prevost, rising out of the western viewscape in the Cowichan Valley, is home to another cross and is destined to be our hiking and downhill mountain biking home. |
Trails App
Get the North Cowichan trails app that shows all forestry roads and sanctioned trails for hiking or mountain biking. The app includes trails on Maple Mountain and Mount Tzouhalem, with expansion to the rest of the forest reserve in future years.
With the app you can:
- geolocate yourself on the mountain
- find and identify hiking, biking and equine trails
- get trail descriptions and elevations
Maps
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We are working on sanctioning trails (gps tracked, inspected and maintained) on a mountain by mountain basis. With that sanctioning, comes the posting of geo-referenced maps for each forest reserve. Our future years are planned out as follows:
- 2023 - Mount Prevost
- 2024 - Mount Richards
As a result, maps with sanctioned trails will only become available on a mountain by mountain basis as we move through and work on each mountains trail network.
Maps are available below for printing or uploading to an app that uses geo-reference information. A common app being used is Avenza, which is downloadable via the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store for your smartphone.
| Mountain | Geo Referenced Map Download Link | Original Maps |
| Maple Mountain | printable and geo referenced map [PDF - 4 MB] | |
| Mount Tzouhalem | printable and geo referenced map [PDF - 3 MB] [PDF - 2 MB] | |
| Mount Prevost | To be released in 2023 | Click here [PDF - 1.1 MB] |
| Mount Richards | To be released in 2024 | Click here [PDF - 1.1 MB] |
| Mount Sicker | Currently not planned | mount sicker.pdf [PDF - 1.2 MB] |
