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.
On the Big Island of Hawai’i are a number of routes along the coastline, crossing lava fields around points and into bays and beaches. One of the best beaches (or the best) is at Hapuna Bay State Park. This is a wide sand beach, a destination for families on holiday. We were there on a hot and windy day and … Continue reading…
When all the trails are snowed in and ice develops where we would like to hike or bike, we can sometimes use backroads that are seldom-driven but kept open with snowplows. The Goose Lake Road runs for 12 km from the Long Lake Road near Knutsford up to the high country forests of the Lac le Jeune Road. On a … Continue reading…
On our first time on the Big Island of Hawaii we were stunned by the vast areas of black, ragged lava flows on the whole South Kohala Coast. These were recent lava flows – 1801 and 1859. The area north of the airport is all a’a lava, from the eruptions of 1801 coming down from the volcanic cones and vents … Continue reading…
In the middle of winter a quiet country road may be a good choice for a hike. Trails get snowed in and eventually become icy. We can walk some of the winter beaches or we can find a backroad to walk on and if there are some hills to climb, we have a winter hike route. While we were on … Continue reading…
The Polulu Trail follows the steep cliffs and deeply cut valleys on the northeast end of the Big Island of Hawaii. The trailhead is at the end of the road. We followed Highway 270 north along the Kohala Peninsula and continued as it rounded the northern tip, entering a new wetter ecozone on the windward end of the island. At … Continue reading…
In mid-winter we head up into the Lac du Bois Grasslands to snowshoe a moderate 5 km route in the middle grasslands. There is a small parking area (at N50° 46.584′ W 120° 25.923′) about 2.5 km past the big left curve at the 7km sign. We park there and follow the signs into the grasslands. Snowshoers can go in … Continue reading…
One of the premier resorts and beach areas on the coast of the Big Island of Hawai’i is at Anaehoomalu Bay but almost everyone calls it A Beach. It is a beautiful, protected sandy crescent, perfect for families. Lava flows surround the resort and even the beach access road goes through the rugged black a’a lava flows. It is not … Continue reading…
The Kamloops Performance Cycling Center has worked with ranchers and local agencies to develop over 50 km of trails in the Pineview and Ironmask Hills (more information). On the western side of the trails access has been available over the winter for fat bikes and snowshoeing. There is a small pullout off the Lac le Jeune Road for parking. Signs … Continue reading…
Mauna Kea rises to 13, 800 feet above the sea level shores of the Big Island of Hawaii. It is the tallest mountain in Hawaii, but it really starts far below the ocean, making it the tallest mountain on Earth (33 000 feet). It erupted a million years ago but is now considered dormant, although cinder cones erupted about 5000 … Continue reading…
For many years we had good access to the Deep Lake area by parking at the end of Ida Lane but two events changed our ability to get to the trailhead to hike in the grasslands and forests. In 1996, the Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area added the Deep Lake area to Parks lands and gates were installed … Continue reading…
Little Wildhorse Canyon was our favorite hike of 2017. Well, to be honest, it was tied with the Sidewinder Canyon hike in Death Valley for the best trail of the year, but Little Wildhorse has a wonderful long, scenic, winding slot canyon and a rewarding loop route. It was so good we talked about doing it again the next … Continue reading…
The former BC Winter Games Trails and various tracks in the High Country forest of the Bush Lake area provides a number of good snowshoe routes in winter. Although there are some known routes that snowshoers stomp in, there are often some surprises too so we venture out with a route in mind but we adapt to what we find. … Continue reading…
Ding and Dang Canyons lie in the San Rafael Reef area northwest of Goblin State Park in Utah. To get to the trailhead, follow the Little Wildhorse Canyon Road from the entrance area of Goblin State Park and go past the trailhead to Little Wildhorse Canyon (a must do) and continue along the dirt road for another 2 km. the … Continue reading…
The Dogwood Marshes snowshoe area is an informal trail network adjacent to the Lac le Jeune Road. Parking is at the Bush Lake parking loop km north of McConnell Lake. All of the routes are user-stomped, winding through the Anderson Creek marshes and up through the forest hillside. Routes go all over and it can sometimes be confusing for newcomers, … Continue reading…
One of our favorite trails (anywhere) is the Peekaboo Springs Trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. The route from Squaw Flats to the springs in the Salt Creek Canyon and back is about 10.2 miles (16.4 km). The first part of the trail follows the Lost Canyon Trail (another favorite). There are a number of junctions, but … Continue reading…
There are a number of snowshoe routes starting at Lodgepole Lake. The road is usually plowed right to the Rec Site at the end of the lake. Users stomp in tracks around the lake and through the forest in the area between hills. Longer routes can also be stomped in and various loops are possible. On the first day of … Continue reading…
