Junior Member
Hi there, I got a cow draw this year and I'm wondering about access. I'm on Van Island and I've only spend a little bit of time on the computer as I don't have maps yet. On Google earth it looks like the only access that connects to bridges is by Purden lake. Is this the only way in?
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HuntingBC Champ
7-18 has very good access via the Walker Creek FSR in the East and the Mcgregor-Pass Lake Road in the west end. The Mcgregor-pass lake road brings you into a larger network of roads once over the MCgregor river than the walker creek side which is a single road with no spurs (at least no longer open anyways). The way in by purden lake you are refering to is the Mcgregor-pass Lake Road. The only con about this road is that it has not been graded in a long time and is pretty pot hole riddled but is certainly drivable, just slow going.
Senior Member
Your not far from my house... I'm just west of purden... I'll see if i can do some exploring for ya and find a nice way in...
also If your coming up from the island, pm me and you can pull in for the night and rest...have a beer and fire....
Senior Member
You can shave an hour off the potholes by taking the Willow River-Upper Fraser route.
HuntingBC Champ
I would say that hunt is going to be a challenge for someone that has never been there before. It would be prudent for you to do a little pre-season reconnoitering besides shopping for guidance here. That area could get hit with an early and plentiful snow dump and given that the hunt commences on Oct 10, it could be a safe bet you will see snow. Take extra help with you, be mindful of bears. The blacks will most likely have gone to bed, but the grizzly will be shopping for that last meal be for they tuck themselves in.
Didn't see Torch's post come up before I posted. There's an offer that you can't refuse.
Last edited by Jagermeister; 06-27-2011 at 09:38 AM.
".....It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of a Trudeau government than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their prime minister......"
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Now that is a class act, a person cant ask for moreOriginally Posted by Torch
Archery G33K
I was gonna say ... go in the upper fraser way .... there is a way to get there via north fraser too if I recall correctly
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Willing to help and answer archery related questions to the best of my ability ...all you gotta do is ask
Senior Member
So I just finished looking at the maps of the area...All three routes will work but fuel is your biggest concern...unless you have large tank(s).
1st Option: You can go in north of the fraser (past PG and go right) but its a long drive on a main fsr and you end up at the same spot (fraser river bridge) as if you go in via upper fraser....NOT GOOD
2nd Option: You can go out past purden lake which may be open to grab fuel (this is important), but I am not sure if the gas pumps are open in winter...I'll ask this week when we go there for dinner. BUT the fsr is WAY past purden (1hr+) on thw highway...then back up the fsr (sande creek?) but again you end up at the fraser river bridge.(SAME PLACE AS ABOVE).
3rd Option: Drive to pg,go east on hwy 16...left on upper fraser rd (giscome hwy on some maps), left on ferndale rd...stop for beers and fire and sleep...back onto upper fraser,stop at willow river (LAST GAS STATION/GENERAL STORE), keep heading down the upper fraser to the east until you cross the fraser river bridge (pavement ends) and then go to the left...stay on the pass lake road until you hit the macgregor river (campground available) cross the bridge and go left or right WELCOME TO 7-18!!!
Right will come to a dead end a ways down the road but you may be able to hike/quad in further...
Left will take you around the mountain range you are facing (Dezaiko range) as you cross the bridge and put you in the next valley over...along with access to some other areas, but becareful not to croos into the other ajoining mu's (the bounday's are usually marked but don't count on it...
I'm gonna see about a drive up that area anyhow so if I remember I'll post up what I see...Just remember YOU ARE VERY REMOTE even though its road accesable...even my house will be a good 2 hours away... that said you will probably see folks around...just not many. I don't know muchabout the hunting pressure in that area...I'm new here..
Last edited by Torch; 06-27-2011 at 12:31 PM.
Senior Member
So I just finished looking at the maps of the area...All three routes will work but fuel is your biggest concern...unless you have large tank(s).
1st Option: You can go in north of the fraser (past PG and go right) but its a long drive on a main fsr and you end up at the same spot (fraser river bridge) as if you go in via upper fraser....NOT GOOD
2nd Option: You can go out past purden lake which may be open to grab fuel (this is important), but I am not sure if the gas pumps are open in winter...I'll ask this week when we go there for dinner. BUT the fsr is WAY past purden (1hr+) on thw highway...then back up the fsr (sande creek?) but again you end up at the fraser river bridge.(SAME PLACE AS ABOVE).
3rd Option: Drive to pg,go east on hwy 16...left on upper fraser rd (giscome hwy on some maps), left on ferndale rd...stop for beers and fire and sleep...back onto upper fraser,stop at willow river (LAST GAS STATION/GENERAL STORE), keep heading down the upper fraser to the east until you cross the fraser river bridge (pavement ends) and then go to the left...stay on the pass lake road until you hit the macgregor river (campground available) cross the bridge and go left or right WELCOME TO 7-18!!!
Right will come to a dead end a ways down the road but you may be able to hike/quad in further...
Left will take you around the mountain range you are facing (Dezaiko range) as you cross the bridge and put you in the next valley over...along with access to some other areas, but becareful not to croos into the other ajoining mu's (the bounday's are usually marked but don't count on it...
I'm gonna see about a drive up that area anyhow so if I remember I'll post up what I see...Just remember YOU ARE VERY REMOTE even though its road accesable...even my house will be a good 2 hours away... that said you will probably see folks around...just not many. I don't know muchabout the hunting pressure in that area...I'm new here..
Option 3 is yor best bet here. if you go the option 2 route take a left off the highway on the bowron and that brings you out at the upperfraser road just before the bridge. the pass lake road is very pot holy and slow going. from town it takes about 3 hours to get to the mcgregor suspension bridge. i wouldnt do option 1 unless you want to road hunt all the way in. but your looking at adding 2 - 3 hours to your trip. the north fraser is also quite rough. the walker creek fsr is pretty limited unless you have a boat, i wouldnt recommend it.
Skylining is sitting on the horizon - like a nipple on a boob.
Senior Member
i have been told that the sande creek fsr out past purden lake is a rough ride by quad let alone a truck...thought i'd pass it along
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