Note: the Shellalligan Pass Trail was originally named The Shellalikum Pass Trail, or the Tsalilikum Pass trail, which over time has been shaped into ‘Shellalligan’ and is very likely not its original name. In fact even the various signposts along this trail have different spellings of Shallaligan, as shown in the photos below, taken on 30th September 2022.
Shellalikum Pass Trail has recently (end of July, 2020) been trimmed up of overgrowth and is, as usual, a delight to hike. There is cell phone reception on parts of the trail.
The above map shows the location of the Shellalikum Pass trail. http://© Copyright: Open Streets Map copyright: https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright
You’re in for a treat, especially hiking the coastal sections of this trail system.
One of the isolated, silent little bays within Village Bay where the Shellalikum Pass Trail passes along the coastline here and provides stunning coastline vistas. The fractured granite colours and textures and coatings of kelp, moss, and other natural ingredients, are composed by Mother Nature here into continuous works of art.
The Shellalikum Pass trails system has no cellphone reception, except along very small stretches near or along its Village Bay Main Logging Road stretch.
To access this trails system drive north from Heriot Bay for about eight miles until you see Valdez Road, signposted, on your right. Drive down Valdez Road for about seven kms. , past Marina Drive on your right, for a further half-kilometer to the first side-road on your left, Hartford’s Woodlot 25, signposted, also signposted with a trails sign, and turn down this road which takes you 1km to the first trail-head and parking spot, and 2 kms to the major trail-head and its parking spot. You’re in for a treat now, because if you hike along this trail from the farthest of these two parking spots, you soon come to a rocky beach where the trail hugs the coastline and takes you north and west around numerous pretty little bays, into the large inlet of Village Bay. You can decide which loop of these trails you will hike before you set out.
The Shellalikum Pass trails are signposted at regular intervals and include good maps like the one above at regular intervals along the trails. You can hike this trails system as a figure-eight, or as two loops, or hike just one or other of the two loops.
The intersection of the trail with Boletus Road is at point N 50°, 09.248’, W125°, 12.470’ and this point marks the end of the west section of the trail, as shown below
The intersection of Boletus Road with Village Bay Main Road is shown in next photo below, and is at point:
N50° 9.161′, W 125° 12.607′ This point can also usually be driven to, on the Village Bay Main Logging Road, which is the first road on the right after Valdez Road as you drive towards Village Bay Lakes (it’s a rough road, so drive slowly)
From this intersection, which can also be driven to from Village Bay Lakes Road, walk east along the logging road and follow the TRAIL signs to the short trail which links up with the road back to your car. The final, short, piece of trail is at point: N50° 08.920′, W125° 12.220’as shown in photo below. Note the pink tape on the left and trails signs on the right. You go right, for five minutes to a logging road, then go left on that road and follow it until it hits the logging road where your car is parked.
You don’t get much prettier than this little inlet, just one of numerous little bays along this coastal trail. Marina Island can be seen in the distance, with the south tip of Read Island on the left. This beautiful coastal section has recently been marked with orange flagging tape to make it easier to follow.
The trail takes you to picaresque and somewhat isolated Village Bay, the site of a squatting Vietnam War draft-dodger/ hippie-type colony during the 1970s. The remains of their shacks can still be seen around the edges of Village Bay, mainly on the north shore. This trail will soon be described here in detail.
A great blue heron is a magnificent bird to watch along Quadra’s coastline. Herons stand stock still for long periods then suddenly plunge their beaks into the water to catch small fish and others little creatures.
A bright green tree frog is a native to BC, and chirps loudly on warm spring nights.
More photos below of the outstanding scenery seen along the Shellalikum Pass Trail. Note the fractured granite ‘artwork’ which comprise the coastline here; Mother Nature’s.
Above: Two hikers sit beside the trail and enjoy the peace of Village Bay
One interesting find during today’s hike of this trails system (30th Sept. 2022) was this stump beside the trail. From the charred marks on this stump, we can see that this tree was felled by hand sometime between 1880 and 1925. The plank notch is clear to see, yet it has been thoroughly burned over, indicating that the tree was felled prior to the great forest fire of 1925 which swept much of Quadra, including this area of the trail. The other charring on the stump has mostly weathered off and dropped off, but the notch, due to its position in an overhang, has been sheltered from the weather and the burn mark is still quite obvious.
Here’s a native BC red-legged frog which hopped across the Shellalikum Pass Trail during the recent clearing work on 31st. July, 2020. Sometimes it’s the smaller things which are the most fascinating.
This page was updated on 30th September, 2022.