Mt. Llanover Hike & Roscoe Bay Anchorage (Desolation Sound)

View over Desolation Sound from top of Mt. Llanover

Location of Mt. Llanover & Roscoe Bay

Mt. Llanover (view from Desolation Sound)

Mt. Llanover (view from Lewis Channel/Teakerne Arm)

Anchorage: Roscoe Bay
Entrance into Roscoe Bay requires crossing a bar that dries at approximately zero feet/metres. (Pelagia draws 6 feet, and we like to go in on a rising tide with at least an 8 foot tide level.)

Trail Start: North shore, middle of Roscoe Bay (at stream, by old fruit trees). Look for bulletin board (board describes trails in area, and also provides a detailed and interesting life history of the jellyfish in Roscoe Bay).

Rating: Moderately strenuous for 1.5-2 hours to top @ 683 metres. Trail is in good condition and is obvious. In July 2012, there were only a few fallen logs across the trail, all easy to cross. Trail mostly uphill with few flat sections. Good shoes required (we prefer our hiking boots, but good trail runners will work -- trail is mostly dry).

Amenities (water, toilets, etc): Water: (i) Water hose on north shore of Roscoe Bay (water comes from source different/isolated from stream at trailhead or others on trail). (ii) Stream water (should be treated). (iii) water from Black Lake (treat). There is no decent water on the trail in Summer season. Toilets: BC Parks outhouse over at Black Lake trail; none on the Llanover trail.

Features: Great views from top.  There are no views until the top. There is a cairn with prayer flags, and a bottle stuffed with messages. Continue for another 50m to the viewpoint. Good cell coverage at viewpoint.

At end of hike: Hike down is quite easy and faster. At the end, one has choice of a swim in Roscoe Bay (20-24 deg C in July) or dinghy over to short trail to Black Lake for a fresh-water swim.


UPDATE 2015: We returned to Desolation Sound in September 2015 (see our blog post). Trail up to Mt. Llanover was in good condition and required about the same amount of time (within 5 minutes).

UPDATE 2017: Logging has significantly impacted the trail to Mt. Llanover, destroying a section and making the trail more difficult (see our 2017 blog post). We required over 5 hours to complete the trail up and down (compared to usual 3-3.6 hrs).