Directions: Drive down Dunsmuir Road, the main strip in the colorful and vibrant town of Cumberland, live a little, stop at one of the plenty local shops (it’s really one of those craft towns) along the way. You’re looking for Sutton Road it’s the road across from the museum. Parking for the hike is either here on the corner of Sutton and Dunsmuir in the large gravel parking lot for the recreation center, or if you are lucky, just in front of trail head on the big bend where Sutton turns into Comox Lake Road.
Trail: The trail up to Perseverance Creek, the water way to provide you with the pleasure of of several waterfalls, is fairly easy, it is accessible by almost all capabilities. Out and back the trail is around one hour long, due to it’s temperate nature it is rated as easy. The trail is never very steep, and 90% of the time you are on a packed gravel-dirt road. To start the hike walk into the trail system entrance where Sutton Road turns into Comox Lake. This system is know as the Cumberland Forest and is heavily frequented by mountain bikers at all times of the year, so make sure to keep you head up!
Once you’ve entered the trails, take your first right onto Davis Lake Main. From here it is quite simple and straight forward. Stay on this trail, do not divert in around 20 minutes depending on your skill level you will pass a short road too the Water Sanitation Facility and a small brick shed, the bridge is around 5 to 10 minutes from here. On this trail one you have reached the bridge that spans over Perseverance Creek explore left and right and don’t be afraid to do some bushwhacking to find the best. All up and down this area of the creek are magnificent and worthy waterfalls. In the wet seasons the falls can be seen flowing powerfully. In the summer they come to a trickle revealing the fascinating shapes and “China Bowls” the creek has carved into the sand stone, also shallow pools to cool off in as well!
More Information: You may here some call Cumberland “Dodge City”, and some say that’s because of union activist and draft dodger Albert “Ginger” Goodwin. To support that, the section of Highway 19 that passes through Cumberland is also dedicated to Goodwin. After appealing several times as a conscientious objector he hoped not to go to war, Goodwin fled to the forest with other dodgers in the spring of 1918. It was here in mid-summer, 1918, within the picturesque hills of Comox Lake, he was shot in the neck and succumbed to his injury.
Ginger was a well revered and respected man in Canada, as executive of the labor federation, he was a prominent activist for workers rights and “the eight hour work day” in Canada. His popularity led to much out rage when news of his death traveled, and by the late 20th century many landmarks around Cumberland had been named for him.
Bonus: Speaking of Dodge City, if you’re looking to rent a bike and go for a ride. Mountain biking in Cumberland is “HUGE” and when I say huge I’m pretty sure everyone has a bike. It’s a great wake to explore the Cumberland Forest, the network of trails is massive and you could spend a lot of time there without getting bored.
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