First Creek, Seal Cove

I went to First Creek Trail three times in short succession in early October. I discovered the trail by accident and intuition, on the dead end of Seal Cove Road. The first time I checked it out was wearing trail runners, I didn’t get very far. The next time I came back for real with hiking boots, and did most of the main trail. The last time I came with boots, gaiters, and two hiking poles and completed 2/3 of the alternate coastal trail. I was still recovering from Covid, so I plodded along at a really slow pace. The trail conditions on the alternate coastal trail were quite rough, inlcuding major bogginess, tree root climbing, brambles, low-tide briney river crossing, knee-deep muck, rusted steel cables, barbed wire, and missing trail markers. I would only recommend the alternate route for people who are already familiar with Prince Rupert hiking conditions. The main trail is OK enough for newbies, though it’s kind of spooky. This trail and the alternate route are detailed in The Outsider’s Guide to Prince Rupert.

Crazy tree fort. I swung on the swing, but otherwise didn’t trust the structure. This is right near the main trailhead.

The main trail looks to be 30+ years old based on the signage getting swallowed by the cedars.

Either you get a million different flags, or none…

The beginning of the main trail has old boardwalks. I recommend hiking shoes and hiking sticks.

Nice open forest on the main trail. You can hear the eagles calling from the nearby wildlife rehabilitation centre.

Tranquil mushroom tableau on the main trail.

In the sunlight like dustmotes you can see water droplets.

The alternate coastal trail rewards you with these views.

The Great Mushroom Tree. I turned around after discovering it - the coastal alternate route trail after this was not well-marked.