Ironmask Hills in December
In our area, the snows mantle the hills in early December and we shift from hiking to snowshoeing and cross country skiing. For the first snowy hikes of the winter, conditions are good for hiking, but when a small melt occurs, icy trails make hiking difficult. Every few years, we get a warm spell in winter and all the snows melt. South-facing slopes become soft and muddy. North-facing slopes retain a bit of snow and melt more slowly. Open ridges and exposed meadows may clear and dry. We hiked from Pineview Valley up the slopes of Coal Hill, then traversed the open meadows on double tracks to the Ironmask Hills.
A favorite spot is the old Galaxie Mine site. Small gauge rail for ore cars lead from the collapsed mine shaft to tailings and spoil overlooking Galaxie Lake.
There are still a few dilapidated homesteads in the area used by miners, then ranchers.
From the top of one of the three Ironmask Hills, view extend north to Mt. Paul, Mt. Peter, Harper Mountain, Mt. Fleet, and Mt. Lolo.
The best view is northwest to Kamloops Lake and Red Plateau, this time with dramatic skies overhead.
There is a lot of hiking and biking in the hills available to us over 4 seasons. A complete access guide to this particular area is now available on www.onthetrails.net (a companion site to this one).