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ESTERO BASIN
Report and photos by David Helland
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September 22, 2008. Estero Basin is a 5-mile-long inlet that branches off the head of Frederick Arm, north of Desolation Sound. The basin is connected with Frederick Arm by a narrow, shallow channel called The Gut. The Gut is sufficiently difficult to run that few people visit. Waggoner correspondent David Helland explored Estero Basin, and sent this report.
If you want to explore uncharted waters, the remaining places to do so are rather limited. One of the few I’m aware of is Estero Basin, about 35 nautical miles north of Campbell River on the British Columbia coast. While Estero Basin is “uncharted,” it is not unmapped. It shows up on charts as a blank water feature with no depths or other information, since it is only partially tidal and not considered navigable. It is reached near the head of Frederick Arm, off Cordero Channel, about 7 nautical miles from Shoal Bay.
I was first made aware of Estero Basin through the Waggoner, which mentioned it was accessible (with difficulty) by small boat only.
The Waggoner wasn’t kidding. The passage into the basin (called The Gut, for reasons I don’t know) is roughly 1/3 mile long, much of it shallow and most of it very narrow, with overhanging tree limbs in places. The entrance is across a drying mudflat, and at lower tides the far end goes almost completely dry on a gravel bar.
My experience with three trips through The Gut indicates that a minimum of 7.5 feet of tide is needed just to get in and out. The length of stay is determined by the height of tide above 7.5 feet – the higher the tide, the longer you can stay in the basin. If you misjudge the length of your stay, you would need to drag your boat out or wait for the next high tide. I have visited with my 14-foot-long center-console outboard skiff, and I wouldn’t want to try it with a larger boat.
Once inside, you won’t regret the effort. The basin is about 5 miles long, generally about 1/3 mile wide, quite deep, and very steep sided. It brings to mind Princess Louisa Inlet, being about the same size and bordered by mountains, although not as grand in scale.
There are five islets, several of which would be large enough to camp on. In fact, they would be the only places to camp. Any shoreline that doesn’t drop straight into the water is covered with dense vegetation that in most places hangs out over the water and prevents landing even a small boat.
The things that create the shorelines we’re accustomed to don’t exist in Estero Basin – winds, waves, tides and salt water creatures aren’t part of the ecology. The one real oddity is the seals. I have seen seals all three times I’ve been there. There must be fish, or the seals wouldn’t be there.
The water has no salt taste at all. Any saltwater that gets through The Gut must sink (my depth sounder showed 40 fathoms in places). The spring thaw must be impressive. I saw the cuts from dozens of waterfalls, and at least two waterfalls were running even in late summer. This would tend to keep fresh water moving out toward Frederick Arm, and could make access difficult in the spring. (Anyone want to guess what kind of fishing license you’d need? Freshwater? Saltwater?)
The most notable feature of Estero Basin is its silence. It is the quietest place I’ve ever been. If you have not experienced absolute, total silence, it may be uncomfortable. I found it refreshing and fascinating. At one point I could clearly hear a small waterfall that I was unable to see. Only with binoculars was I able to locate the source of the noise, and it was almost two miles away.
There is an alternative to going into Estero Basin by boat. A primitive trail exists from Bute Inlet to the head of the basin. The path is marked on the B.C. Provincial maps (ilmbwww.gov.bc.ca/dm/wms/index.html; see 092K054 and 092K055) and appears to be about 1.3 miles over not-too-steep terrain. I have seen both ends of the trail, but I haven’t walked it myself. I did speak with a young “trail runner” who had done it. He said the trail was “somewhat overgrown but passable.” The Estero end is at 125-08-26W, 50-30-07N and the Bute Inlet is in a small bay at 125-06-26W, 50-30-07N.
The Frederick Arm entrance to The Gut is not obvious. Bear right as you near the head of the arm, and approach the point 125-15-03W, 50-30-10N from the southwest. The entire area is shallow, mud bottom, much like a river delta from sedimentation. Mind the tide (use the Shoal Bay correction for Owen Bay tides) and have a great adventure.v
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