CLUB NEWS: FROGSTOMPERS OHV PARK
FROGSTOMPERS OHV PARK is located 25 minutes outside of Victoria, BC, in the hills of East Sooke on the Beecher Bay Reserve. As the only real true private facility on the South Island that has off-road trails, Frogstompers has been the host of many different events and competitions over the years. From holding mud-drags and tough truck competitions in the lower parking area, to the extreme rock crawling of the Island Cup higher up the mountain. In addition to all of the 4x4 competitions they also hold numerous “Fun-days” throughout the year, with themes like a poker run, Bounty Hill, garbage and trail maintenance, and a yearly Christmas Toy-Drive, where bringing a wrapped toy to donate to the children of the local First Nations Band will get you access to the trails.
The entire property is part of the Beecher Bay First Nations Band with approximately 20
ha (50 ac) used for the OHV Park, and trails ranging from very beginner all the way up to the insane lines that are used for the Island Cup. With the terrain encompassing the entire side of Mt. Garibaldi starting in the parking lot near the base of the mountain, you can pick various routes up the trails and rocks, working your way up the different sides of the mountain. Tight trails in the pine trees and arbutus forest, lead up the mountain to many large slippery rock outcroppings just perfect for testing the limits of your rig. With more than 15 km of trails, and over 30 different obstacles, there is a ton of selection for everyone. Almost all of the trails have bypasses or a secondary route, which allows even mostly stock vehicles to make it almost to the very top of the mountain. The very last 100 metres are only for the most extreme rigs and the advanced drivers because even they occasionally have trouble
on the final climb. Check out this video on YouTube of Jon in his Toyota rock crawler making a small error on the last climb and getting a chance to test out his cage building skills as he rolls back to the bottom! Trail Fail Epic Toyota Buggy rollover at Frogstompers Funday.
If you decide to come to the mountain in a stock vehicle and are not able to drive the final climb to the summit, it is well worth the short hike from the top staging area. As you follow the trails up a large exposed rock face out of the trees, you are confronted with a 360° view with the ocean on three sides. With the city of Victoria in the distance, and views of the snowcapped Olympic Mountains across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, it’s a truly amazing view that can only be accessed from the peak of Mt. Garibaldi on the Frogstompers property. It’s the perfect spot for an impromptu photo shoot and a quick sandwich before taking one of the many routes down from the summit.
Byron Connell has been in charge of the property for years as the property is part of the Beecher Bay Band and he acts as custodian of the land for the Band. Because of the unique structure of the property, the
trail fees from the Funday’s and assorted events go to help out the entire Band community. There is plenty of parking on site for trailers, as well as space for rustic camping, as some events turn into night runs, or competitions run for multiple days. Typical costs for a truck and driver for a Funday are $20 and passengers/spectators are $10 at the gate with wheeling starting around 9am and running until late. Event listings can usually be found on Facebook.
The next big event coming up for Frogstompers OHV is the annual Island Cup, this year going back to its “classic” dates during May long weekend, May 18-20. With on-site camping for competitors, as well as day passes available, don’t miss out on Canada’s premier extreme offroad event; it’s only $10/day or $25 for a 3-day pass. You can visit IslandCup.ca for information on the event. Check out an upcoming issue of 4WDrive Magazine for a full report.
Brady Melville of Pathmaker Productions made a fantasy a reality by leaving corporate construction to pursue a career as an off-road photographer and videographer. Share in his adventures off-road at www.pathmakerproductions. com and www.youtube.com/ pathmakerproductions for a front row seat on his next journey.