Four-Wheeling on Southern Vancouver Island: Victoria to Tofino

Allen H. Soroka is assistant law librarian at the University of British
Columbia Law Library.

Here are a couple of startling facts, flagged by John Ryan, the research
director of the Northwest Environment Watch in Seattle: logging roads in
British Columbia alone could belt the Earth six times, and the mileage
of logging roads in the province exceeds the total B.C. street and
highway mileage. Many environmentalists think the continuing use of the
logging road system has a profound and negative impact on the health of
the watersheds and wildlife system.

The fundamental problems posed by the growing invasion of pickup trucks
in the wilderness are more or less ignored in this well-documented
guide, which describes some 50 trips along logging roads and rough
tracks in southern Vancouver Island. The only environmental issue
addressed is the proliferation of garbage-strewn sites in the
backcountry. However, those considering a four-wheeling adventure in
this area will find this book an indispensable guide to current logging
roads in the area.