History, anyone? Unusual artifacts, unique rock formations, beautiful older growth trees, waterfalls and a pleasant view of the mountains are the main features of this easy trail on the edge of town. Our friend and hiking companion, Frank Stini, guided us on our first (and second, and third) trips along this wonderful trail, providing insights into the local history.

The amiable proprietors of Coombs Candy, on Highway 4 at the eastern entrance to Port Alberni, permit walkers and hikers to use their parking lot. The unspoken rule among locals is to park at the eastern edge of the lot, not take up the spots near the door, and to finish up the hike with a cup of tea and a treat on the candy store’s lovely new patio, or, on cold rainy days, inside. They make a wonderful frozen yoghourt cone, using plain frozen yoghourt and frozen fruit – no additional sweeteners. They also offer a selection of ice cream, candies, hot and cold beverages, wrapped sandwiches and hot dogs.

Cross the highway (carefully, traffic coming down the hill is usually still going at highway speeds). You will see a path on the other side of the highway, almost directly across from where you have parked. The path leads into a clearcut area and onto a logging road. Keep straight ahead at the first junction, where a road goes off to the right, and at the second junction, where a road goes off to the left. At the end of the road a path leads downhill. Follow it down and into the forest

About halfway down, you will notice a narrow, but well-worn path going off to the left. You can either continue down the hill on the road or take the little detour to the left, which is a lovely little path that leads to the junction of Rogers and Stokes Creeks and then loops back to the road. If you take the detour, you will notice there seem to be two trails, one going left and one going right up an incline. Take the right-hand path, which goes up onto a little bluff overlooking Stokes Creek. It is a very pretty little woodland trail, mossy, with some older growth trees, a few giant stumps from early 20th-century logging activities. You will notice that these old stumps have a slit on the side. Early loggers made these cuts and inserted boards to make a platform for them to stand on as they hand-sawed the giant trees.

At the bottom of this path you come to the confluence of Rogers Creek where Stokes Creek flows into Rogers Creek. On the other side of Stokes Creek you can see a trail going up quite a steep bank. That trail joins the road that goes to the Black Powder Range and Stokes Falls and will eventually go all the way up to the Hump. It is a steep and moderately difficult trail. However, to view the Hole in the Wall and remain on the easy trail, turn right and walk along Rogers Creek to the remains of the reservoir that once supplied water to the town of Alberni (the area now referred to as North Port, around the bottom of Johnston Road).

The dam itself, once four feet deep, is now filled up with gravel and debris brought down from the mountains by the flow of the creek, forming a short waterfall. A steep, difficult trail going uphill on the other side of the dam connects to the Roger’s Creek Nature Trail. Near the site of the dam, and a little further along, are two square concrete structures known as “wells”. These were once screened to keep debris out.

Continuing along the trail beside Roger’s Creek, you will see parts of the old pipeline exposed.

Our guide Frank Stini, a long-time Alberni Valley resident who, with the help of an army of volunteers and using whatever materials he can scrounge, created and maintains the historic Log Train Trail, explains the construction of the pipeline itself.

“The wooden part went inside the sleeve, and the pipe was constructed of wood, then the wire around, then wrapped with burlap and tar. The boards were machined in half-circles, in Vancouver, so the wire was to keep the boards together. The wood wouldn’t rot from the inside out, but from the outside in, that’s why they wrapped it with burlap and tar, to keep the water from rotting the wood from the outside. In four and six degree angles, they made the sleeves, because you can’t always go straight. Sometimes they had to do a ninety, then they had a cast iron fitting, so then on the highest points they had a cast iron fitting for a vent to let the air out.”

A little ways down we come to another junction and a broad trail going up the right; that is the path we left when we took the narrower path and that will lead back to where we came into the forest. Going straight ahead, we see part of a discarded rusted vehicle, a washing tub and various things that local residents have discarded here. This “junk” takes on a strange and eerie beauty as the forest reclaims it, coving it with moss and ferns, vines, flowers and young trees.

“Port Alberni still has a right of way here,” Frank explains. “Years ago our former mayor Gillian Trumper arranged to give me a map and actually I’m supposed to take our current mayor Ken McCrae in here and make sure he looks into how many rights of way they still have and make sure they don’t give them away.”

Access to the many wonderful trails in the valley is becoming an issue with increased logging and residential construction. Frank is one of several people working to ensure that public rights of way through the forest are preserved as trails. We also encourage anyone visiting these trails to write to the Port Alberni City Council and the Regional District of Alberni-Clayoquot expressing support for a protected trail network so that visitors and residents alike can continue to enjoy these trails in years to come.

Off to the left on the other side of Roger’s Creek there are cliffs of volcanic shale, some horizontal, also some vertical from the movements of the earth over time. Ferns and plants growing along the cliff face are a striking and beautiful contrast to the black, generally damp, rock.

As you proceed you will see the hole in the cliff wall. As you near the water, the creek bends to the right and there is a little trail that goes off to the right – take that to get down closer to the hole in the wall.

“Right here is where the pipeline came down at a 90-degree angle and was supported by the cement abuttmen,” says Frank. “The reason for the hole in the wall was to take a shortcut with the pipeline through the rock formation that the creek goes around – the easiest was was to go through. This pipeline took the water from the reservoir behind the dam into the Old Town of Alberni (now Northport). They also had a water tower on Cherry Creek Road, up to close to the 70s and when the two cities were amalgamated they went to the Somass River water system and they tore down the water tower.”

The ridge over the hole in the wall is very narrow – too narrow for comfortable, safe walking – on the other side of the hole is a drop that forms a waterfall on the other side.

Sometimes people build inukshuks and other structures with the stones lying along the creek – nice flat stones from the layers of sediment that have fallen out of the cliff. Rockhounds will love the area around Rogers Creek, which holds an extraordinary variety of stones carried down from the mountains by the Creek.

Continuing on the path that goes along Roger’s Creek leads to a large old yew tree covered with moss – on the other side of the creek there is an interesting rock formation, where you can see where the earth buckled and the sediment lines are vertical.

Roger’s Creek goes around this formation but it’s quite a ways down – there doesn’t seem to be a trail. To see the other side of the hole in the wall we have to backtrack back up to the logging road.

Back track until we get to the junction with the broader path, then turn left and walk back up the road into the clearcut, passing another vehicle carcass in process of being digested by the rain forest vegetation.

Reaching the clear cut, and up back along the logging road there is a lovely view of the mountains to the west and north.

Keep straight ahead at the first intersection going back, then turn left at the next intersection and follow that road down a hill through the clear cut.

Turn left at the first junction, with a wide dirt road that leads back into the forest. On the day of our visit in early fall, it was quite muddy and rutted. Continue down the hill. The road veers to the right and you will now see Roger’s Creek to the left. The trail narrows to a rougher woodland path that continues along the Creek, ending at the Creek’s edge facing the other side of the Hole in the Wall. In the rainy season and well into the spring there is a waterfall here, and an interesting buckle pattern in the cliff sediment. On the other side of the Creek, a steep trail leads up to the top of the ridge; there is a rope hanging down to assist those brave enough to try it. (We weren’t and didn’t.)

Here you will notice a cement pillar which once supported the waterline. There are some nice big old moss-covered trees clustered here and the remains of the pipeline are clearly visible.

Back track back to the logging road and turn left. This road parallels Roger’s Creek. You will come to an opening on the left where you can look out over the Creek. You will notice a bit of a rise - you are actually standing on the old pipeline. There seem to be several roads branching off to the right. These lead to the Sherwood Gravel pit. Frank says you can get here from there. But stay left to continue walking along the Creek and view the second major feature of this walk: a lovely little waterfall that spills into a deep pool. Be cautious if you choose to take the path continuing down to the base of the falls as it is narrow, slopes downward and the loose rock can be a bit treacherous for about 4 – 6 feet. However I got across and I’m a big chicken when it comes to things like that. Anyone who is frail or easily spooked might not want to try it. There is a kind of bridge across the creek that someone has constructed with loose stones. In mid-summer when the creek is low the stones are wet and a little slippery but manageable. I don’t think you’d want to attempt this in the winter or spring when the water is high. If you are able to get across you have quite a nice view of a pretty little waterfall that spills into a deep pool. Would be a spot for a picnic and a swim in the summer, but probably the area would be underwater in the winter and spring. High cliffs of crumbly black rock surround the area. You’re in a bowl surrounded by cliffs, with the waterfall on one end and a lovely little wood on the other.

On the far side of the creek there is a trail going up that will join the Roger’s Creek Nature Trail. And it looks like there’s a trail that goes down to the right that may lead to another spot where the Creek can be crossed to rejoin the Roger’s Creek Nature Trail.

To return to your vehicle, backtrack along the logging road.