Bastion FSR
The Bastion area fills the whole space between two arms of the Shuswap. White Lake sits in a bowl at the western end. All of the area to the east is heavily wooded with cedar at lower elevations and spruce/fir at higher elevations. Bastion Mountain rises above the shores of Sunnybrae, but it is really just the west end of a long ridge which runs for 25 km to the northeast. The highest point is actually in the middle in an area that has been extensively logged, but the high points afford views all the way up the Arm to Sicamous. At other points both arms and the Narrows are all visible at the same time. The Monashees rise above Anstey Arm to the far east.
The entire length of the Bastion FSR is much too long to hike, but is well-suited to a mountain bike route, although it will take all day. There are geocaches along the whole route too so anyone wanting to do some backroads exploration can spend the day exploring.
The route can be traveled in either direction, but we went clockwise so all directions follow this choice.
Starting from White Lake continue along the north shore past the White Lake Provincial Park campsite. The road is a good two-wheel drive route, but with some potholes. The road passes the end of the lake and gradually climbs into the higher end of the valley to the east. Vegetation is dense in this area and cedar is the dominant species. The road reaches a junction. A sign pointing to the left indicates a Rec Site. Within a kilometre down this side road is Herman Lake, a marshy small lake with a boardwalk leading out into the lake from a small BC Forest Service camping site. A quiet spot.
Herman Lake is just a side route since the Bastion Forest Service Road (FSR) is the right fork. From this fork, there will be a climb from 700m to over almost 1700m over many miles. There will be a number of junctions along this way. Most of the junctions are obvious but a few waypoints are provided here.
- Junction 1 – N50 54.633. W119 10.088 – the Herman Lake junction – go right
- Junction 2 – N50 53.969, W119 07.118 – the left fork goes down to Tillis Landing and the right fork (ignore the middle one) climbs up the mountain – go right
- Junction 3 – N50 52.802, W119 07.271 – go right (continue to climb)
- Junction 4 – N50 52.678, W119 07.949 – go left
- Junction 5 – N 50 50.739, W119 09.283 – go left; continue down the mountain
The whole route does not require 4WD, but the route over the top and down the south side is a little rough so high clearance is recommended. You will have to go slow. Mountain bikers should carry a spare tire. A GPSr would be an asset. Leave lots of time and bring your camera.
The route comes down to the lake and to a good road, way out in Bastion Bay, 21 km from the TCH. A two car system is probably the best choice for mountain bikers. Bastion FSR is a bit of an adventure, but an enjoyable challenge.