CRABAPPLE CREEK TRAIL FEATURES:
· Evidence of early logging
· Fish-bearing creek
ABOUT
Crabapple Creek Trail is another of the Daajing Giids’ “community trails.” It is approximately 1 kilometre in length (one-way) and is, in our view, one of the easiest of the local trails, only behind the Tarundl loops at Kagan Bay. Unlike a lot of trails on Haida Gwaii, Crabapple Creek is clearly denoted with formal trailhead markers and is, therefore, easy to find.
You may access the Crabapple Creek trail in two locations: 1) The west end of 2nd Avenue at the cul-de-sac; and, 2) At the old M&B site, near the start of the road to Rennell Sound.
As with most of the Daajing Giids community trails, the topography meanders between a mix of flat ground, occasional side hills and muddy sections all while passing through beautiful forest. For us, a key highlight of this trail included the lovely views one gets off the inlet about mid-way through the hike.
Peering through the trees at the landscape below – a mix of the natural and industrial – helps to provide one with a “refreshed” perspective of this place. Indeed, you could almost say it offers a space for deep contemplation thanks to the unintentional proximity to logging as represented by the old M&B structures at the trail’s eastern terminus point.
Of course, if philosophy isn’t really your thing, you can still enjoy this lovely short trail. The trees, lush ferns, fungus and angry squirrels give it much character. Sadly, though, you won’t actually encounter any crabapple trees on this hike.
In the village’s literature, Crabapple Creek is described as a loop trail, but this is incorrect. The trail is properly described as a “point-to-point” route because the start and end points are at least a kilometre apart. Thus, one may prefer to simply go back the way you came rather than, say, exit at the M&B site and walk along the road all the way back to 2nd Avenue.
Nevertheless, we found Crabapple Creek a most enjoyable trail to hike. It’s shorter than the nearby Gore Brook, but it’s also less strenuous. In addition, the unique juxtaposition of logging with the natural world makes for some fun discussion.
The total hike time was a quick 15 minutes one-way along the marked primary route, which is denoted by white diamonds.
Please note that Crabapple Creek offers two hiking routes. If you start your trek at 2nd Avenue, you will come to a fork in the trail about a minute in. Going LEFT will take you along the formally marked and maintained route promoted by the village; however, if you choose to go RIGHT, you will be treated to a longer hike – and one that actually takes you along Crabapple Creek for much of the route.
There’s a little more in terms of elevation gain, but the lovely cascade of the creek + small waterfall make it worth the added effort. We suspect this was the original trail – you can still see the odd “red arrow” markers along the way. This route, while longer, still connects to the main trail at the “big tire.” The total hike time for this alternate hike is about 45 minutes one-way.
Be advised that the Crabapple Creek Trail connects and links with other trails in the area, including the still-being-developed Dempsey Collinson Memorial Trail, Gore Brook Trail, and the informal Backyard Trail system.
DIFFICULTY: Easy
TOTAL DISTANCE: 2 kilometres (return, depending on the route taken)
TIME: 30 minutes to 1.5 hours (return)
TYPE: Point-to-Point
ELEVATION GAIN: 40 meters