I was up on Sept 29, 2012. I approached via Gold River. There is a huge washout about 2km south of the final Gold River crossing between East and West roads. You have to take East Road to get there now. On the plus side, there is active logging most of the way up W-79. So the roads up are in pretty good shape. About 3km from the trailhead, however, there has been a log placed across the road. I managed to get around since I ride a motorbike but trucks can't make it past. I'll upload a few pictures to the page.
Drove up W-79 on Aug. 3, 2016. 3 hour drive from Campbell River is a fair estimate. The log is no longer across the road and you can drive all the way up to the trail head. The cross ditches start at about the location that the log was blocking the road (3km from the end)but the road is clear of brush and in good shape (4X4 still required though).Trail head is clearly marked and easy to find and the trail is easy to follow up onto the ridge and into the alpine. Twenty minutes onto the ridge, another 30 minutes to the tarns, 1.5-2 hours from truck to descending onto the lower snowfield below the south face.(fast walking times). After that, things slow right down with scrambling, route finding and steeper slopes. We found that the route suggestions from Island Alpine, Islandhikes.com and others (http://eathikesleeprepeat.blogspot.ca/2012/07/victoria-peak-vancouver-islands-3rd.html)were very good, but once past the "difficult section" that everyone discusses (used a rope), we strayed west too far and we had a hard time finding a climbable route at the top. I would suggest following the South East ridge up as far as possible (to the bottom of the false summit) then trending to the middle of the South Face near the top to find a route to the summit. I would say this is an easy climb for a climber, but a difficult ascent for someone who is used to mountains like Albert Edward or Kings Peak.15 to 17 hours return trip from Campbell River.
I just found vancouver islander's post on his South Face route. It is very helpful! http://www.summitpost.org/victoria-peak-south-face-standard-route/185919
walkingtrashcan - Oct 1, 2012 1:42 pm - Hasn't voted
Road acces has changed.I was up on Sept 29, 2012. I approached via Gold River. There is a huge washout about 2km south of the final Gold River crossing between East and West roads. You have to take East Road to get there now. On the plus side, there is active logging most of the way up W-79. So the roads up are in pretty good shape. About 3km from the trailhead, however, there has been a log placed across the road. I managed to get around since I ride a motorbike but trucks can't make it past. I'll upload a few pictures to the page.
The rest of your directions were impeccable.
Cleon - Aug 6, 2016 6:29 pm - Hasn't voted
Updated road accessDrove up W-79 on Aug. 3, 2016. 3 hour drive from Campbell River is a fair estimate. The log is no longer across the road and you can drive all the way up to the trail head. The cross ditches start at about the location that the log was blocking the road (3km from the end)but the road is clear of brush and in good shape (4X4 still required though).Trail head is clearly marked and easy to find and the trail is easy to follow up onto the ridge and into the alpine. Twenty minutes onto the ridge, another 30 minutes to the tarns, 1.5-2 hours from truck to descending onto the lower snowfield below the south face.(fast walking times). After that, things slow right down with scrambling, route finding and steeper slopes. We found that the route suggestions from Island Alpine, Islandhikes.com and others (http://eathikesleeprepeat.blogspot.ca/2012/07/victoria-peak-vancouver-islands-3rd.html)were very good, but once past the "difficult section" that everyone discusses (used a rope), we strayed west too far and we had a hard time finding a climbable route at the top. I would suggest following the South East ridge up as far as possible (to the bottom of the false summit) then trending to the middle of the South Face near the top to find a route to the summit. I would say this is an easy climb for a climber, but a difficult ascent for someone who is used to mountains like Albert Edward or Kings Peak.15 to 17 hours return trip from Campbell River.
I just found vancouver islander's post on his South Face route. It is very helpful! http://www.summitpost.org/victoria-peak-south-face-standard-route/185919
vancouver islander - Aug 28, 2016 2:06 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Updated road accessExcellent update Cleon. Thanks!