Mount Benson

Mount Benson - 1023M

664M Prominence

49.14982, -124.05098

September 11, 2025

2H 30M C2C, 2H 10M Moving

720M Ascent and Descent

8.04KM

Mount Benson is one of the easily accessible peaks that is a common hike for anyone on the south Island. I had been here a few years ago but did not actually summit, as someone in the group was ill so we turned back. Today though, my sister Stella and I were both game to go for a hike and tag a summit on the way back up Island from Victoria to Comox. Benson is extremely easy to access as you can drive on paved roads all the way to a parking lot where the trailhead starts. There is a bit of a maze of trails on Mount Benson, with some better trails than others. The main trail seems to have undergone a major overhaul since I was last here, and are equipped with bridges and well flattened paths. Nonetheless, the hike still accumulates a fair amount of gain over it's short distance. Our route started by going up the new trails until we eventually came across an old gravel road. From here we continued up the more direct route, which we opted for over the more gradual but longer trail. Not only is it more fun but it saves some time. Once we neared the summit, a rock face opened up on our left. There is a sort of gulley between the two summits, which I am still unsure of which one is the actual one. We first went up the South one with the fenced in building, and had a look South over the Gulf islands. Stella and I then made sure to hop over to the more commonly visited North side of the Summit with the sign, flag, and orientation map. After a short snack break we made our way back down the same trail we came up.

The new trail has a fair few nice bridges

We opted for the most direct route which was slightly steeper in spots

Just adding a moderate scramble for fun

Me and what I assume is the summit in the fenced area

Summit views over Nanaimo

Mount Benson route