Our Five Favourite Fall Hikes In and Around The Foothills
It’s October in Lantzville. One of our favourite seasons. The leaves are changing colours, the sun is shining but the air is a bit crisper, and up at The Foothills the views are putting on a spectacular display. Lantzville is a somewhat hidden gem for fall hikes. With a little effort, or sometimes a lot depending on the grade of your chosen trail, you will get a pretty spectacular payoff. Today we are sharing our top 5 fall hikes in and around The Foothills area.
Copley Ridge
We don’t like to play favourites, but right in the heart of The Foothills, Copley Ridge has to top our list of fall hikes to add to your to do list. Copley Ridge Recreation Loop takes hikers by the beautiful Knarston Falls in a large trail network. Given the number of trail opportunities, this is usually a peaceful and quiet route with little encounters with others. Overall, a nice short hike with decent elevation in a beautiful dense forest. Stay bear aware in this area! Hikers can start the trail from either end and complete a circle route on the numerous area trails between the powerlines and the Copley Ridge trail. Parking is either at the end of Aulds Road or near the hydro lines on Normarel.
Copley Mountain Lookout
For local Foothills residents, this trail starts at end of the newly developed Tonnere Way. It starts with a beautiful lookout which only get better at the top of the walk. There are many trails at the top of the hill and opportunity to keep going onto Heisterman's Haul Trail for a longer adventure.
Lantzville Loop
Possibly the most popular trail on our list, the Lantzville Loop is a 5.8km trail that as the name suggests, loops around with a nice view at the top of your effort before you turn back around. While this route follows mostly an out-and-back trail with a small loop at the top, there is a larger upper loop that gives views to the south including Mount Arrowsmith. This loop links up the standard lower loop, too! Won’t be uncommon to see some bears in the area so be on the lookout for the 4-legged kind too.
Heikkila Canyon and Vansickle’s Waltz Loop
Discover this 7.9-km loop trail near Lantzville, British Columbia. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 2 h 16 min to complete. This trail starts at the top of Harwood Drive and follows old logging roads. There are a couple of steep downhill sections but should be no problem for anyone who does any hiking. A portion of the trail follows Heikkila Creek making for a relaxing hike listening to the sounds of the creek.
Lonetree Mountain (Bald Mountain)
A 3.7 km out and back trail that depending on your pace can take from 40 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, you will see some folks enjoying this trail as their running route before or after work as it is a quick and challenging trail run, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. There is a loop for this hike. The steeper section is on the west side of Lonetree. At the top, if you head to the east, the trail winds down the slope where it joins onto the main road (Vipond), near Heikkila Creek.
