Slocan-Evans Creek

The Slocan-Evans Creek trail is a ‘there and back again’ hike, following the Slocan lakeshore along the edge of Valhalla Provincial Park. The turnaround point is the bridge over the roaring Evans Creek, but the trail continuously opens up into rocky meadows and lapping crystal-blue shoreline.

Summary

Trailhead: Slocan
Distance, round trip: 17km
Elevation: +400m
Season: mid-April to early November
Difficulty: Moderate

Trailhead

Parking is on the Main Street of Slocan, there are picnic tables and a BC Parks kiosk by the river. To reach the actual trailhead on foot, you must cross the river and take the dead-end road to the right along the shore.

Note: dogs are permitted in this part of Valhalla Provincial Park, but must be on-leash at all times.

Up and Down, Along the Lake

The trail is scenic, but tricky. The trail winds up and down rock deposits, crossing spills of boulders and rocky meadows. For a lakeshore hike, it’s deceptively difficult. You might spend your time focusing on where to put your feet and forget to look up to enjoy the lakeshore scenery.

While there is no significant elevation gain, the entire hike goes up and down and up and down along the shoreline and it ends up being a solid work-out. The total uphill is worth 400m round trip!

Evans Creek

You’ll hear it before you feel it, and feel it before you see it. The roar of Evans Creek starts before you even come to the campground. The temperature noticeably drops with all of that cold glacier water churning down the canyon.

The campground is outfitted with pit toilets, a shelter, and picnic tables. There is also a small beach which is where we stopped for lunch. It takes about 3 hours to reach Evan’s Creek.

Once you’ve enjoyed the breathtaking chill of the creek, head down to the lakeshore where there is a sandy beach to enjoy.

Evan’s Creek is actually the first in a chain of backcountry campsites. The trail continues on the other side of Evan’s Creek and goes much further up to Beatrice Lake. It’s a good shoulder-season backpacking destination. It’s also common to skip the ordeal of the Slocan-Evans trail with a heavy pack and canoe into Evan’s Creek before venturing further.

And Back Again

Try to pay more attention to the view on the way back! The scenery really is beautiful with bright green moss and rolling boulders against the sparkling lake.

As you head home, you’ll keep turning corners to find glimpses of Slocan in the distance, always there and never moving closer! Ahhh! At last, turn a final corner and the path opens back up to the trailhead.