A hike up Nanaimo’s old ski hill at Green Mountain
- Where – All times of year, requires snowshoes in winter months.
- Where – Nanaimo lakes (Green Mountain).
- Why – Hiking / summiting Green Mountain.
- How – Hiking.
- Difficulty – Hard (steep uneven terrain, bush-whacking).
- Cost – Cost of fuel (walking is free).
Location / directions
CAUTION: The logging road is gate-controlled and can be closed, trapping you and your vehicle inside. Gate operation times vary (ie. 8:00am – 4:00pm – Check below for link)
Trail head (49.0543416, -124.3635731
Depending on your vehicle’s capabilities, you may be required to walk the last few km to the trail head.
- From Hwy 1 (Trans-Canada Hwy, south of Nanaimo) turn onto Nanaimo River Road for 21.2 km to the first gate.
- Continue straight for another 7.1 km to the second gate (28.2 km mark).
- Continue straight for 6.8 km, then turn right at the bridge (35 km mark).
- Continue for 210 m, then turn left.
- Continue straight for 5.8 km, then turn left (41 km mark) – this will be at a big wide open Y-junction in the gravel road.
- Continue straight for 1.2 km and turn left onto K line (42.2 km mark) – there is a “K” sign in the trees, beside the road.
- Continue for another 6.2 km and turn left (48.3 km mark).
- Continue for another 650 m to a wide spot in the road, this is the location of the trail head – reaching this area will require a 4×4 vehicle.
Google map directions (different than directions above): https://goo.gl/maps/mRYvVMepb7P6V1zKA
Mosaic map and gate status (gate status may not always be correct): https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=d56107a9ffcd4f74b6f7dc99caa80eb8
The Hike
Green Mountain was once home to Nanaimo’s first and only ski hill. The lodge was built in 1963 and the volunteer operation ran for around 20 years. In 1984 the lodge and the T-bar were vandalized, the cost of repair was too much and the ski hill operation shut down.
Today, the natural wide open meadows that first brought skiers, now brings in hikers, as well as the occasional backcountry skier to visit this wildlife-protected area.
Getting to the mountain is probably one of the biggest deterrents to this hike because it can be difficult to predict if and when the gate-controlled logging road will be open and accessible (it’s usually open for 8-10 hours during the day, but only at certain times of the year).
Another deterrent is the roads on the K-line – the road that leads to the trail head and the base of the mountain. These logging roads are not maintained and have been eroding for years, so you would have to hike in along the logging roads if you didn’t have a capable 4 wheel drive vehicle.
Photo by Mark Dobbs.
The trail head itself starts at a small sign on the side of the logging road, that then heads north-east into a wooded section for around 130 m. The trail in the woods is marked with orange reflectors nailed to the trees.
After you reach the first meadow, start heading up the slope and to the right. If you’re lucky, someone before you may have left flagging tape marking out a direction of travel. You may want to use the “switchback” method on the way up to make things a bit easier. When you reach the top of the tree line, head south-east through the trees into the next meadow over.
Continuing heading south-east until the meadow opens up and you’re able to climb up the slope again, you should start noticing the brush at your feet is getting shorter the further you climb.
When you reach the tree line at the top of the second meadow, you’ll find yourself along a ridge line. Follow it south-east again, though the trees, until it opens up again into yet another meadow. At this point you’ll be able to see some remains from the old ski lift, in the form of steel posts at the top of a point. Make your way towards the steel posts for a clear view of the summit of Green Mountain.
The last leg of the hike is a short, rocky scramble to the top. There is somewhat of a trail to follow up over the rocky ledge, then follow the path across an opening that flattens out to the bluff on the other side, where a pile of rocks had be gathered signifying the summit.
If you plan to hike the old T-bar line down to check out the remains of the lodge, be careful not to go too far, as you will either have to hike back up or bushwhack your way out.
https://wp.me/PbtK0w-5p
Notes:
Gear taken: Backpack, water (1.5 L), snacks, med kit, gaiters, hoodie, rain/wind barker, hiking chair.
Gear used: Everything listed above.
Cell service: At the summit. (1bar)
westcoast island adventures 
I was a Green Mountain kid. As you describe the hike up it’s the opposite of the old Ski out the the Big Meadow. That’s the one with the switchbacks. In the spring that is the best run on Vancouver Island. We would take the T-bar to the top then they put a handle tow up a couple of hundred feet to the base of the summit. We’d then jump the cornice at the edge of the Back Bowl and ski down into the trees. After a bit of glade skiing/bushwhacking you would emerge at the top of the big meadow. In the spring , just after lunch, the snow on top would give you 4-6 inches of slush on hard pack. It was big So turns all the way to the road where your pal would pick you up in a truck and a ride up the hill. Beast run on the Island, ever.
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We moved back to VI in 1965 and became members of the Snobird Society. The first T Bar was established from the Purple Onion Lodge and it was a Poma a setup which was inappropriate for the snow depths on the mountain. The original Co. gave up on the operation as there were difficulties after 5 or 6years. I broke my ankle and Achiles Tendon jumping into the north bowel in 68 leaving me with a cast to my groin for over three months A group out of us formed the Snowbird Lift Society and set out to install a more appropriate lift in a better location over by the old snowbird ski club A frame, which could sleep 70 people. By selling debentures we raised enough money to purchase a Dopelmeyer T Bar. Bob Findlay, former CEO of Mac and Blo and I surveyed in the lift line on Aug 17 in the early 70s.. A large group of talented, motivated people worked our asses off to put that lift in .It was a cult operation with many dedicated individuals. Bruno Clozza was our main man. I became the Treasurer. Scary!! While we had some great skiing it was a difficult situation with snow drifts of 14 ft and a difficult road access. We tried to get the Govt to help build better access but with no success. Many people were burnt out and when Forbidden Plateau firstly and later Mount Washington opened and that is where we went. We stayed at my parents place in Cumberland and were seen as traitors. No more fighting our way up K30. But there was a mystique to Green Mountain that persists to this day. We’ll never forget Green Mountain.
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There were 2 separate developments on Green Mtn. By 2 different groups. The 1st was a Poma lift through the meadow and the old towers are still standing. There were also several rope tows that were part of this development. There was a lodge at the bottom of the lift line called the Purple Onion Lodge. This development failed as the lift system was designed for areas that didn’t get more than 10ft of snow and Green Mtn got 25-30ft of snow and buried the lift for the few years they attempted to use it. This group also used the large A-frame lodge near the top of the mountain. This lodge was separate from the group that developed and ran the lifts and was also used by skiers in the second development.
The second development was in the more treed area adjacent to the meadows and there were eventually 2 t-bars and 2 lodges. This failed when a group opposed to the ski hill development because they believed the skiers were having a negative effect on the Vancouver Island Marmot colony that thrives on the mountain. What these morons didn’t realize was that the Marmots and skiers got along great and the success of the Marmot Colony was greatly assisted by the human activity that kept the predators away from the Marmots.
After the group of idiots destroyed the ski development the predators were no longer deterred from the area by all the human activity and the predators came in and ate all the Marmots.
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I and my friends Ron Grant and Russ Heughan joined the Snobirds when our lodge was at Silver lake in the Saddle behind Mount. Aside from the rope tow, we would skate on the lake or fish in the summer. That lodge was a tight fit but we roughed it. It burned to the ground and we then moved to Green Mountain. The three of us bought hundred dollar debentures and worked on the A Frame and the tows. The last time I was there was with Ron, Russ, Joe Horne and Dave Green. Our car broke the drive shaft on the way up to the parking lot so we hiked up expecting other folks to be at the A Frame which was under construction. We phoned from the car park but there was no answer so we continued to the lodge. No one was there and the floors were packed with snow. We cleaned off that around the barrow heater and put down plywood sheets to put our sleeping bag on. The fire melted the ice and we were soon afloat but still dry. It was cold enough to have ice slush in the ruhm. We hunkered down after a cold dinner, talking with each other until we finally fell asleep. During the night a blizzard came in and we had about two feet of new powder with sunny skies in the morning. We decided to hike out and perhaps, if we were luck flag a ride with a logging truck. We did not think about it being Sunday. Russ, however was determined to try out his new skis and went for a run. He was back in ten minutes with a broken ski. Turns out he could not see the ground under the snow and had run into a stump under it. One broken ski for sale… only used once. When we got down to the mainline we were twelve miles to the lumber camp and we started slogging. Within a few minutes a fellow appeared in his truck. He was out for a drive after the blizzard to look about as it being Sunday he had time off. He took us back to his camp where we got a lift into Nanaimo and caught the bus back to Victoria. Joe and our friend Chuck Hanan returned the next day and repaired the car so it was a case of all’s well that ends well.
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Sorry missed my omission … Silver Lake is in the saddle behind Mount Brenton.
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