Hayward Lake Hiking Trail

Description

This hike circumnavigates Hayward Lake, which is a huge reservoir created in 1930 upon completion of Ruskin Generating Station, 14 Km west of Mission. The trail is maintained by BC Hydro and is situated between Ruskin Dam and Stave Falls Dam on the Stave River system.
The hike is rated B2b and takes a leisurely 6 hours to complete. It is comprised of the Reservoir Trail - a 10 Km forest trail along the eastern shoreline, and the 6 Km Railway Trail - on the western shoreline which brings you back to the parking lot, just north of Ruskin Dam on Wilson Road.

Upcoming and past Events at this Location

• 2009-03-28 Hayward Lake Day Hike

Directions to Hayward Lake Hiking Trail

Travel west from Chilliwack on Highway One to the Sumas Way exit in Abbotsford. Turn north on Sumas Way and take the Abbotsford Bypass around to the Abbotsford-Mission Highway and continue north to Mission. Taking the left-hand route of the Abbotsford-Mission Bridge, head west on Lougheed Highway (Hwy 7) for 10 Km until you reach the turnoff for Ruskin at 287 St. (just past Silvermere Lake). Turn right on 287 St. (Wilson Rd), drive 3.5 Km north until you see Ruskin Generating Station on your right. Continue up the hill where you will pass Ruskin Dam. Just past the dam you will soon see a parking lot below the road, and on your right. (total travel time from Chilliwack is 45 minutes, and distance is 53.7 Km)
Park here and, if you want to hike the Reservoir Trail first, walk a short distance south to the dam and cross over, watching out for vehicular traffic. Take the path north on the other side which takes you through a forest, and eventually over a floating bridge (20 min. from parking lot). Once across the bridge, continue north along the eastern shoreline for 6 Km until the trail approaches Dewdney Trunk Road. Just before reaching the highway, you pass Steelhead Creek which descends down into Steelhead Falls. A trail is provided off the main route for an excellent view of the falls. Although stairs and a lookout platform are provided, extreme care must be maintained at all times.
As you approach the highway, follow the trail west and cross the Blind Slough Dam, which is on Dewdney Trunk Road. Once across, follow directions south to the Stave Falls Generating Station Visitors Centre and continue through the parking lot into the Hayward Lake Recreational Area. This is always a good place to stop for lunch or short break. Distance traveled so far : 10 Km.
Note : the museum is open Mar – Oct, 7 days a week, and a small fee is required.
Heading south from the picnic area takes you onto the Railway Trail which starts down the west side of the lake for 6 Km and back to your car. This is a fairly level portion of the hike but does have three steep but short climbs made necessary by recent slides. Total distance traveled : 16 Km.
This is a very nice hike with lots of photo ops, and very little climbing involved. The forest route can get muddy after a rain, especially in the spring or fall. Slide warnings on the west side are provided by BC Hydro and rated Low Medium High or Extreme.
Note : As Ruskin Dam is scheduled for a seismic upgrade in 2009, public access across the dam will be removed once construction starts. BC Hydro information signs state that construction will take approximately 6 years to complete, however access to the dam could be returned within that time frame.