Reappearing River

The Reappearing River is where the Benson River flows out from under the local karst landscape and reappears after having travelling underground for 2km.

Reappearing River is one part of the Alice Lake Loop. Visitors can explore many different karst formations as well as lakes for camping, fishing, or kayaking.

It is easy to miss the turn off for this site. The sign is very small and is mostly visible if you are travelling the loop from Port McNeill to Port Alice. To navigate the road a 4×4 vehicle is required. This is because the site is down a logging road that seems to be deactivated. There does not seem to be regular maintenance on the road. In many places, rainwater flowing down the mountain has eroded the road. This has created a road that has many deep crossings. The road is also very narrow and lacks pullouts, in case you meet oncoming traffic.

You will eventually get to the end of the road. You know it is the end because there is nowhere else to go, the forest grows all around you. The trailhead sign was put in place by MacMillian Bloedel. The company has not existed since 1999 when it was bought by Weyerhauser.

The trail is maintained. The bridges along the trail are all in place. The trail is not long, but there are a few places where you could get turned around. Eventually, the wrong path ends. You can head back to the main trail. You get to the river and you are almost there, follow the trail back up into the forest and when you begin to descend you will find an information board, telling you about the reappearing river, the vanishing river, and the local karst topography.

The Vanishing River is a site in the Alice Lake Loop. This is where the Benson River falls into a cave to begin its underground journey. Eventually, the Vanishing River resurfaces as the Reappearing River.