Mt. Klitsa is located about 30 minutes West of Port Alberni. About halfway to Tofino or Ucluelet. In my case, it began with a 3 and a half hour drive from Victoria in the dark, early hours of the morning. The gravel road that takes you from Highway #4 to the trail head is in good condition. My CRV made it over the small ditches and loose rock without incident to the trailhead where large boulders and a small washout prevented going further by vehicle.

After an hour of hiking along a relatively flat logging road, you enter the old growth forest and snake your way along the fast- flowing creek fed by the plateau above which is spotted with many small fish-filled lakes. Even during late morning, It was dark along this steep path so care must be taken if returning late in the day.

Looking North into Strathcona Provincial Park. I believe the large massive in the centre is Nine Peaks. From this vantage, you can see that logging has been in remains a major industry in the port Alberni Valley. I hiked up alone, knowing that the Victoria Chapter of the Alpine Club of Canada was making their way up later in the day for a bivvy on Klitsa. Sure enough, we encountered each other midday just below the first lake, and was grateful my day pack was spared the weight of overnight gear!

Summit. Elevation 1643 meters. Mount Klitsa is certainly not the highest peak I have climbed, but it will stand out as one of the most challenging. Partly because you begin hiking at about 50 meters above sea level so the hike to the peak is more pure than most because you often are already at a decent elevation when reaching the trailhead. An example is Mount Arrowsmith (1819m) where the hike has an elevation gain is about 1100 meters, 500 less than the climb up Mt. Klitsa.