Swift Creek Trail

This summer I want to get outside more. I want to be more of an outdoor mama because being outside really does make me a better mom and person. Over the weekend, we visited the Robson Valley in beautiful British Columbia. We stayed in Tete Jaune Lodge in a cabin because I just couldn’t handle the possibility of tenting in the rain. Did it rain? Not at all, but it had been earlier that morning. We also got some hiking in on the Swift Creek Trail in Valemount (we also tried to drive up a couple of mountains, but that failed).

Camping was a blast. I enjoyed almost every second of the adventure. I did not enjoy when my 7km hike turned into a 10 km hike. I mistakenly read the description of the Swift Creek Trail. We got to a point on the trail where the bugs were so bad, and I was so tired (but you couldn’t stop because then the bugs would DEVOUR you), that hiking was no longer fun. I just wanted to sit down and eat my sandwich and my carrots with humus. Regardless, I’m glad we did it. I love to hike, most of the time. And the Swift Creek trail was gorgeous. I have zero regrets… I only regret not packing the bug spray.

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Our Swift Creek Trail Experience

Little Man walked the majority of the first half of the trail along Swift Creek Trail. Hiking with a toddler requires a change in mindset. You have to come to terms with the fact you aren’t going anywhere fast and tthat’sokay. My husband struggled with this, but its not about going places but about experiencing places. It’s about watching him catch an ant, try to pick up a root, and climb over stumps. He rocked this part of the hike.

Once he began to meltdown, we strapped him to the back of Simply Dad in our Onya and continued on down Swift Creek Trail. Little Man did really good up there, but he was eaten alive by the bugs. I opted to leave the bug spray in the van, and this proved to be a mistake. As the bug spray wore off, the bugs came out in droves. Deep in the forest, we couldn’t hike fast enough. As a result, he had a pretty bad reaction – hives and swelling. I’m so glad I listened to Suzi at CozyBums Diapers and brought along benadryl. Unforntatley, my kid gets excited on benadryl, which means we had an itchy, miserable, hyper toddler for most of the rest of the night.

I would totally do Swift Creek Trail again with my family. It was a great hike, and relatively easy and moderate for me (a beginner hiker). The climb to the lookout was totally worth it.We opted to make a half day hike of the adventure, and continued onwards. You could easily turn around at the look out (there’s a picnic table an an amazing view).

I really enjoy walking in the deep dark forest. Swift Creek is a beautiful creek and the suspension bridge half way was amazing! So much fun to clamber over. I only wish the bugs, but nobody can do anything about the bugs and I’ll be better prepared next time.

The trail does loop out onto 5 Mile road at the bike park. This was really confusing for us as we hadn’t expected this (mostly because someone on Main Street said we’d come out right on main street, she was mis informed). Walking down a dusty old road isn’t very exciting, but it did provide us with a much needed break from the bugs. We even saw some butterflies!