Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park

In May I went camping at Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park. The hiking trails were closed by snow, and water levels so high that the boat launch was inaccessible. My neighbour suggested we drive to the south end of the lake and hike in to the reserve. The 11.5 km. road is not suitable for cars, but a 2 wheel drive truck is no problem (use caution). As we neared the end of the road, Depot Creek was washing over the road, so we decided to add an extra kilometer to the hike and not drive through as the ability to drive out would be uncertain. The easy trail is normally 5.4 km. return. Along the way there is a visible line where 2nd growth forest meets old growth. There is a beautiful sandy beach here, but it was under 1 meter of water. The trail ends opposite the mouth of the south Chilliwack River. This part is a narrow peninsula with an old beaver pond to the south and lake to north. Near here my hiking partner walked right past a rare and endangered spotted owl. It was napping about 3 meters off the trail, and resembled a boulder. On the return trip it had moved to better cover about 10 meters off the trail. This place is so beautiful I wish I could post all the photos.