2018 4WDrive Overland SE - June

Empire road.
Setting up camp.
take the paved road out of Boston Bar
heading into Lillooet. There we topped up
on gas, grabbed ice cream, and headed up
the West Canyon dirt road towards the Big
Bar Ferry; pulling on to a plateau above
the Reserve to have lunch. We spent some
time watching the fisherman below; it was
like stepping momentarily back in time,
as they have been using the same fishing
techniques for generations.
It was time to continue north up the
Canyon, our next goal was the Leon Creek
Rec site, the Backroads Mapbook had
noted a hot spring accessible from there,
which seemed odd. Most of the trucks
continued at their own pace up to the
Big Bar Ferry, with little interest in the
additional exploring. However, the three of
us in Heavy, after a few wrong turns, found
the sought after Rec Site. It was obvious
that it had been neglected for a long time;
it also became quickly apparent that many
years had passed since the road to the
supposed hot springs had been driven
down. Hundreds of fallen trees lining the
way indicated that hours of good chain
saw work would be needed to clear them
out, or take the time to complete the hike
on a hunch. As frustrating as it was, we
decided that the venture in to verify if the
Backroads Mapbook was correct would
have to wait another day.
We continued north, in awe of the vistas
and landscapes, stopping for a moment to
take in a rather large herd of deer with two
playful stags. The views along the Fraser
Canyon in this area are mesmerizing, with
a thousand shades of gold reflecting off the
long grasses and sandstone ridges.
We shortly came upon the Big Bar ferry,
which usually runs on demand, unless the
operator is having dinner, then you need to
be prepared to sit and wait for a bit. Some
of the group were already across, and you
could see the operator’s face light up when
he saw Heavy. There’s something about
a Unimog that always brings out a smile
when people see one on the trail.
A short way after coming off the ferry,
we started passing through the Gang
Ranch Area. Although several of the
30 Subscribe at suncruisermedia.com/4WDrive