This month we’re going up.
One of the first big rides I did here in the Comox Valley was going all the way up Forbidden Plateau. I wanted to find the snow. From what I can tell, the snow is still up there.
Forbidden Plateau’s name has an interesting history. In the last 50 years, a legend was going around attributed to the K’omoks First Nation.
However, a bit more research showed that that legend was completely made up by a white man in the 1960s.
A guy named Clinton Wood decided to make up a legend to add to the mystery of the place in the hopes of attracting more tourism from the mainland. He and his friend Ben Hughes pushed the legend in a Comox newspaper, and nobody thought to question it for years. Eventually the name stuck and now it is officially called “Forbidden Plateau.”
“Ben Hughes was the first publisher of the Comox Argus (local newspaper), a wonderful man at making up stories. So he invented the story of the Indian (sic) war, when the Indians (sic) took all their wives up there, and there were some big hairy creatures of some kind, and the women disappeared, and the Indians (sic) have refused to go there ever since. That is how the name “Forbidden Plateau” and and the legends started; but there is absolutely no truth in these stories as far as the local Indians (sic) are concerned, but they became legends, and Ben printed articles in the Comox Argus, and away they went, – and they are now history. Obviously the Indians (sic) didn’t go in there, because all their food was on the beach, and they weren’t stupid like we are, they didn’t go mountain climbing for no reason…”
The above quote is by a founding member of the Comox District Mountaineering Club Trevor Davies in 1983.
After learning about this, I am struggling with the proper way to acknowledge this shitty history and co-opting the name of the people whose land this truly is. The legend is still circulated as not being some white guy’s real estate marketing scheme in many hiking and backpacking websites, but that history is harmful and untrue. I cannot find a better name for this place, even on the B.C. Government’s Geographical Names database, which just uses variations on the First Nation Legend theme, which again are untrue.
The best I can do is draw attention to this and remind people to research the history of the places they are in, much of it is harmful and can be downright incorrect and we shouldn’t take it for granted. Also be respectful and acknowledge those Peoples whose land you’re playing on.
On to the ride:
You can really jump on this from anywhere in the valley, the main thing to do here is get on Forbidden Plateau Road and go all the way up until there isn’t any more road. It starts out with a nice gradual climb up a well-paved two-lane road through some of the most beautiful forest there is. Climb up past the Nymph Falls trail area (feel free to go play around in the trails for a bit of mountain biking fun). Continue past the airport and keep going up up up.
That’s the theme for this one.
The road continues for a while, you’re getting into some beautiful views here. Keep riding, there’s more to come. Continue on until the road turns to gravel.
This is where it really gets interesting as things get steep from here. Take your time getting up and over the steep sections and you’ll manage just fine. This is gravel riding at its best, with great photo vistas opening up showing you the immensity of the landscape.
Eventually, the snaking gravel road comes into a small village of ski huts that come from the mountain’s ski hill days. This means you’re almost there. A few more switchbacks and then there’s no more up!
Recently the Forbidden Plateau Mountain Resort has opened up a campground in the area, so this could lend itself perfectly to a short bikepacking trip. They are also going to open a store in the area this summer, so you can get a nice ice cream at the top.
Now for the fun part. Point your bike down the hill and hold on!
When I rode it, my ride was 61.9 km, from my house and back (I did a loop through Dove Creek and Merville as well) with 940 metres of elevation gain. It is still the biggest single climb I’ve done on Strava, and I used to live on Salt Spring Island so that’s saying something.
Here’s a link to the route on Strava
Dirtbag Cycles respectfully acknowledges that we are riding on the Unceded traditional territory of the K’òmoks First Nation, as well as the Coast Salish, We Wai Kum, We Wai Kai, Tla’amin and Homalco First Nations. We want to apologize for the ignorance of those who came before us, especially in this case. The perpetuation of a lie to sell real estate is not our goal, and we acknowledge that we still have not found the true place name of this mountain. We want to respectfully acknowledge these Indigenous peoples who have not ceded their lands under any treaty. Gila’kasla.