Grassy Bay Alternate Route & Diana Lake Provincial Park

The broken boardwalk across the bog to grassy bay. This boardwalk was made in the 1980s.

It was 22C and humid this weekend. Since I have a strong sense of guilt about wasting nice days, I knew I was going to do a hike. Having had Covid a few weeks ago, I’m still re-building my hiking capacity. So I did an unfamiliar route to a familiar place, Grassy Bay. Grassy Bay via the Butze Rapids trail is my favorite hike in the Prince Rupert area. The alternate route which leaves from the Shoe Tree I discovered thanks to The Outsider’s Guide to Prince Rupert. It’s marked as moderate, 1km each way. I really do not recommend this hike: see the image above. The entire way is really treacherous. I wore waterproof hiking boots, and managed to overtop them on this trail. I ended up completely focusing on where I was putting my feet, which was less than enjoyable. It took about 30 min each way. Take the Butze Rapids trail to Grassy Bay instead!

Safer part of the trail - where the boardwalk was completely covered by vegetation and therefore less slippery.

Most dangerous part of the trail - where the rotten boards crossed a river.

The bog proper. Sunny and warm.

Bog banana slug with nice coloring.

After the Grassy Bay hike, I still had energy and light left. I decided to go to Diana Lake Provincial Park, which is off the island. I drove there, dodging potholes with skill honed from years of Michigan driving, and parked at the lake. It was chockablock with logs, maybe not the best swimming experience. I explored a bit, and went down the Diana Creek path until I found the waterfall. It was raging, with tons of white foam at the foot of the falls. While standing right at the foot and filming, I managed to capture a small salmon jumping up the falls. Next I would also like to explore the unmarked hike that leaves from across the river picnic area and goes up the ridge, The Outsider’s Guide to Prince Rupert calls this route “McDonald”.

The massive foam field at the base of Diana Lake falls.

Shroom tree near the falls.