I started exploring this area in 1976 and I continue to follow tracks and routes wherever they lead, with the aid of map, compass, GPSr and camera. After many dead-ends, but also many discoveries, I chose to share this information. Getting out 12 months each year, I continue to explore trails, tracks, routes, and waterways of the Kamloops area and beyond.
Shuswap Trail Alliance has developed a new trail to a viewpoint high above Scotch Creek. The route in is well-marked. Watch for the rectangular signs at junctions. From Scotch Creek drive east, climbing the hill on the way to Celista. Watch for and turn onto Leopold Road on the upper side. Follow the road, staying right (small signs point … Continue reading…
On back-to-back days, we paddled the Seymour Arm of Shuswap Lake and the southern end of Adams Lake. The contrast was amazing. Although the Seymour Arm is a remote and scenic spot, it was inundated with dozens of houseboats, jet skis, powerboats, noise, and a collective disregard for others. The area is probably very quiet in the off-season, but we … Continue reading…
Albas Provincial Park is located far out in the Seymour Arm of Shuswap Lake. Traveling along the North Shore, pass St. Ives to start the Seymour Arm Forest Service Road. At about 27.5 km, look for the turn down a steep narrow road to the lake. A provincial campsite with a lakefront beach sits on the west side of Celista … Continue reading…
The Lac du Bois area was used by ranchers back in the 1870s, but it was homesteaded starting in 1896 and quarter sections were claimed by homesteaders between 1910 and 1920. Between Wheeler Flats and Lac du Bois, about 150 people lived in the area and there were two schools built. With drought and harsh conditions, the homesteads were mostly … Continue reading…
When the summer heats up the valley, some of the highland lakes make a nice retreat for exploration, a workout, and some paddling. Two lakes worth visiting are McGillivray Lake and Morrisey Lake. The simplest route is to drive to Sun Peaks and follow the main road, turning up onto Sun Peaks Drive, then onto the McGillivray Lake Forest Service … Continue reading…
Now that the chairlift is open at Sun Peaks Resort, the weather is also warming up to melt the last of the lingering snow on the top of the mountain.The front (south) face of the mountain is mostly snow-free already, except for a few pockets here and there. The trails are a little wet, so boots make good sense. For … Continue reading…
There are numerous hikes off the Wells Gray Corridor road. Many are not destination hikes, but if you are comping in the area, there are rewarding routes. Two shorter hikes are featured here. Bailey's Chute/West Lake Loop The parking lot and trailhead for Bailey's Chute is well-signed. The first section follows the river upstream down through a wet zone (look … Continue reading…
There is something magical about driving to the end of lake, then paddling out into wilderness. There are no roads beyond the boat launch and the lake is 23km long. Azure Lake adds another 23 km of wilderness. The southern half of the lake is all trees along a steep shoreline, but these are ridges, not peaks. A few waterfalls … Continue reading…
At the end of the Wells Gray corridor, the road ends at Clearwater Lake. Progress beyond this point requires a boat. Two campgrounds along the shores of the Clearwater River bring hikers to the area and there are a number of hiking trails nearby. The main hiking trail is the Chain Meadows Trail, but there are also a number of … Continue reading…
One of our favorite hikes in the Cascades is Mount Frosty. The trailhead is at the east end of Lightning Lake. It switchbacks up through dense forest for about an hour. A few views of the lakes chain below can be seen. At 7km there is a wilderness campsite (Frosty Creek). The next half hour of hiking is through larch … Continue reading…
Although we rarely go to Manning Park to do the Lightning Lakes trails, we inevitably do this route almost every time. Manning Park is in a wet belt and alpine areas are often shrouded in clouds and rain is frequent. Snow lingers up high late into the summer and limits access. The Trail report from the Parks site dated June … Continue reading…
We have been visiting Manning Park for a few decades and have enjoyed the trails and routes in all 4 seasons. It is a large park with a number of recreational opportunities. With the invasion of pine beetle and budworm, the forest has changed, but it is still a great destination for outdoors people, especially for hiking, running, and cross-country … Continue reading…
The Stake Lake trails sytem between McConnell Lake and Lac lu Jeune has over 60km of forested trails for hikers and bikers. Most people park at Stake Lake and hike the north end of the trails, but it is also possible to start at ths south side and start near the campground or futher along the Forest Service Road to … Continue reading…
When the North and South Thompson Rivers reach their peak from mid May to mid-July, islands are flooded and new channels open up, providing opportunities to paddle into the channels and explore areas that motorized boats can't get into. Two channels worth exploring are accessed from the McArthur Island boat launch. By late-July the boat launch becomes too shallow and … Continue reading…
The Reinecker Creek Trails were featured on May 9th (link). We led a group from the Kamloops Hiking Club on these trails recently. We started at the parking lot and hiked clockwise to the first bridge crossing, then followed the Lower East Trail, then down to the south Reinecker Creek Crossing and down the Lower West Reinecker Trail. We also … Continue reading…
A video on the Dumont Homestead can be seen on You Tube (link). In the 1890's the Government of Canada realized that in order to populate the west, assert soverignty over the lands, and build a western economy, it needed settlers to come to Canada. With the Dominion Lands Act, land was divided into 160 acre sections and offered to … Continue reading…