GDT

Distance: 9km from trailhead to junction with GDT. Elevation gain: 300m. The access trail is marked with blue blazes.

Access:  Drive south on Hwy 940 from the junction with Hwy 541 at Highwood House for about 3km.  Just after crossing Baril Creek, pull out into a small parking area cut into the hillside or, 50 metres further, onto a small sloped meadow on the west side of the road.  Pull well off the road.

At the north end of the meadow, a blue-blazed trail leads through the trees to an old logging road.  Turn left and follow blue blazes.  The road is slowly growing over but is very easily distinguished from the cutline it twines around.  Pass a road spur on the right, which heads down to the creek.  Cross through a meadow, then bend toward the west.  Through the trees and across the creek lie the grassy southern slopes of the Coyote Hills, looking very different from their northern side.  

At the 6km mark, the trail merges with a logging road coming over from Etherington Creek.  Go right, down the hill and cross Baril Creek on a log footbridge.  On the other side, ignore the road as it continues north to Fitzsimmons Creek (signpost).  Instead, go left on a roller coaster cutline.  If conditions are dry, it may be possible to bypass these two steep hills by following a trail on the left and picking your way along the banks of the creek. You won't get lost if you stick with the blue-blazed trail.

Either way, end up in a meadow - an old sawmill site - that's been taken over by outfitters.  Cross the meadow, nodding to whoever happens to be there. This camp is usually surrounded by a single wire electric fence to keep the horses from wandering - something to keep in mind if passing through at night. 

Continue on the road, ignoring a second turnoff for Fitzsimmons Creek, and pass a good campsite on the left.  Where the road crosses Baril Creek again, look for a log bridge about 50m downstream.  Climb a hill and take an easier-graded by-pass trail on the right. Rejoin the road, drop down to the creek, and follow the left bank upstream to a rough log bridge.  Cross Baril Creek, and wend through open forest to the junction with the GDT.  The signpost is meant for someone coming down from the pass.  So go right for Fording River Pass, or go straight ahead for Etherington Creek via Lunch Stop Meadow.