Buntzen Lake - January '09

Last week I took a trip out to Buntzen Lake. Most of Metro Vancouver had been shrouded in fog for about two weeks with only the upper slopes enjoying the otherwise sunny weather.

Therefore I figured Buntzen was a fairly safe bet being situated quite high up in the village of Anmore.

By the time I reached Anmore I was then above the fog level and the sun was out. The drive through the village was easy as the roadworks we had encountered back in the summer were now finished.

Views around the village on the way to the park

I was pleased that the road into the park was fully ploughed

Two out of the three large carparks were still closed and uncleared.

However one of the carparks was cleared and easy to park in. Views from the carpark.

The trail was well walked so easy to follow, however the crampons were very helpful as the sub-zero temperatures had made the top layer of the path very slippery.

The approach to South Beach

The non-dog section of the beach was deserted. There were a couple of people with dogs in the dog-beach but otherwise a very quiet day at Buntzen Lake.

This is a panorama view of the lake, with a little mist just hanging over the water it was a beautiful day.

Views down the lake

Zoomed in view of the North end of the lake

Then I took the east side trail alongside the lake. This view looking West across the lake

This is a zoomed view across the lake to the trail on the opposite side which follows the path of the powerlines

Views up the lake from the side. The suspension bridge and North Beach picnic area are visible.

Then the battery died on the camera due to the cold temperatures - it was fully charged before setting out but it doesn't work well in the cold. So, I had to change over to my Blackberry for these last few photos. They are less good quality as a result.
This photo is of the North Beach picnic area, where Mum, Dad, Charlie and I had sandwiches in September.

No competition for picnic benches today, although finding one above snow level was more difficult.

Looking South down the lake

Then I climbed a small hill to the North side of North Beach which gave further views towards mountains North of the lake.

Then views to the South over the lake from an elevated position

Rather than walk along the West side trail as we had done in September I decided to walk back along the service road that ran roughly parallel to the trail on the East side to see how interesting and easy it was. It was certainly an easy trail to walk along.....

And had some good views from it, although no direct water access.