Savona Caves in the Summer
We hiked the Savona Caves Trail on a hot summer day. We drove on the Tunkwa Lake Road, then turned onto the 402 FSR (Savona Mountain Road) and parked at the trailhead on the right at 0.6 km.
The trail follows an old double track for a short distance, then becomes a single track winding through the trees to the foot of a ridge. From there, we climbed steeply up to the cliffs on the East side of Savona Mountain.
The final half kilometer is steep and some scrambling may be needed, depending on which route you choose. The caves are situated in the middle of the cliffs.
The caves extend horizontally into the mountain for about 30 feet. The overhead is low enough to require ducking.
I found pictographs in 4 locations inside the caves.
From inside the caves, the view is down to the Durand Creek Valley.
We came down the steep, rocky ridge slowly. the steep and slippery section is about 1 km long. The whole hike is about 5.2 km, but it will probably take 2 hours since the route is slow-going. It is a route for the sure-of-foot only. The upper sections have some sections requiring light scrambling and there are spots where a fall would a serious problem. I have done this hike many times since my first time in 1976. The hike has not changed much, but the trail becomes more eroded each year. It is now a Provincial Park, but it remains a rugged backcountry route for the adventurous.
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