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.
The Fisher Towers Trail is 34 km up the Colorado River from Moab, Utah. A dirt side road turns off Highway UT128 leads to a parking lot at the trailhead. The single track trail then winds up under a series of rock spires and ends at a viewpoint. The route proceeds up sandstone ledges, ramps, and slickrock traverses above Onion … Continue reading…
From 1978 through 1984 we cross country skied on the Bush Lake Trails, but when the Coquihalla Highway was under construction the trails were cut in half by the road and fences were built restricting access to the backroads and trails to a narrow corridor. The Stake Lake Trails were built and only a few nordic skiers frequented what was … Continue reading…
The Jeep Arch Trail is an informal route that starts near the Colorado River and climbs into the Gold Bar Rim Hills west of Moab, Utah. The trailhead is 0.8 km past the route to Corona Arch. From the parking area the unsigned trail goes through a tunnel under the Potash Railway line. From there the route follows the drainage, … Continue reading…
To avoid interacting with grazing cattle, we hike Sugarloaf Hill in December. The days are often grey and the surface may be snowy, but we can hike up and back in about 2 to 2.5 hours, going carefully up and down the steep upper slopes. We start on the Sugarloaf Road and follow double tracks to a point just below … Continue reading…
Arches National Park lies just north of Moab, Utah and teh vast majority of visitors drive to the Park Entrance, just 4 km north of the Colorado River. It is possible to hike right from the river up an informal trail into the park, via Courthouse Wash. To hike all the way to the Park Drive near the Tower of … Continue reading…
On winter days when an inversion layer covers the Interior, the valleys are filled with a grey clouded-in shroud. We may be able to drive above that cloud layer to find some sunny weather. On this December day I drove up the Lac le Jeune Road in search of the sun, but even at Stake Lake (at 4300 feet) it … Continue reading…
Sand Flats Recreational Area is right above Moab, Utah. It is a benchland of slickrock, fins, bowls, desert sand and domes, used by jeep owners and mountain bikers. It is the home of the world famous Slickrock Trail. There are campgrounds too so the area can be a busy place in-season. In the winter months, locals do hike the … Continue reading…
The open hills above Kamloops Lake have no trails and access may be limited by grazing leases, mine use, and some private property. A long traverse may be required to get to some of the hills on the south side of Kamloops Lake. We only go into the area in winter when snow covers the ground and all is quiet. … Continue reading…
Puako Petroglyph Preserve is located on the west coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, close to Mauna Lani Resort area. The Malama Trail starts at the parking lot and works its way through scrub forest and lava flows to a petroglyph field on an out-and-back 2.4 km trail. After a first display area of petroglyphs inscribed on boulders right … Continue reading…
There is an extensive network of backroads, double tracks, and single tracks just above the grasslands on the lower flanks of Greenstone Mountain and Chuwhels Mountain. In summer it has been well-used by motorcycles, with a few mountain bikers too, but in shoulder season, it would be rare to see anyone on these quiet routes. In late November, ice covered … Continue reading…
From the west end of Uplands Road is an area with access to the pipeline track and numerous single track trails. The southern side is on a steep hillside with north-slope forest. As we walked to the north we emerged from the trees into a grassy benchland cut by gullies. We followed a series of tracks to create a loop. … Continue reading…
As winter approaches the flow of the river decreases and the beaches on both sides of our rivers expand. When there is already snow in the hills, the lowest areas can be snow-free and can offer nice walks along the river. Mission Flats Nature Park has expansive beaches in late fall and winter and we can do 2.5 to 3.0 … Continue reading…
This was our favorite hike of 2017. Sidewinder Canyon is a rugged barren, deep canyon penetrating into the hills above, but there are 6 side slot canyons, several natural bridges, and a number of side routes to explore, worth a whole day on the trail. Sidewinder Canyon is in the Black Mountains in Death Valley National Park. The trailhead is … Continue reading…
The western end of Kenna Cartwright Park has some of our favorite trails. We usually access the trails from Hillisde Drive past the Kamloops Regional Correctional Center at a gate heading north through the grasslands and sagebrush. We follow the pipeline route up over the shoulder, then we pick a loop. On this day there was lots of snow, so … Continue reading…
Goblin Valley State Park lies in the desert hills of Utah between Green River and Capitol Reef National Park. Highway 70 is a major route connecting Colorado (the pass through the Rockies from Denver) and the highways on the western side of Utah, but it passes through no cities and only a few towns in the desert hills and mountains. … Continue reading…
There are few kilometers of rolling trails on the benchlands overlooking the Thompson River. They are all accessed from the trailhead on Bunker Road, just in behind the recycling containers. The primary trail is the Sage Trail, but there are a number of other signed trails too and hikers can make their own choices for 3 – 5 km of … Continue reading…
