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.
Needle Peak is a destination hike in the Coquihalla Summit for hikers, skiers, and snowshoers from the Coast, Fraser Valley, and Interior of BC. There is an abundance of information on this hike online and in guidebooks. We start at the Zopkios Ridge Rest area (through the tunnel and bear west) and we climb steeply through the cedar-hemlock forest to … Continue reading…
Every year a paddle across Kamloops Lake to Painted Bluffs is planned, but I vary the hike in the hills. To avoid the strong winds that can blow down Kamloops Lake in summer, I watch the weather forecast carefully. This year the launch point was in Savona and a double loop was chosen, one on the lake, and one in … Continue reading…
If we drive up the Wells Gray corridor, the road ends at the boat launch on Clearwater Lake, From that point on, it is boat access only. Clearwater Lake stretches for 22km northward and along the way are 8 marine campsites. Beyond the end of the lake the Clearwater River drains Hobson and Azure Lakes. One option is to take … Continue reading…
A good trail leads from the end of the Clearwater River Road up to Sylvia and Goodwin Falls and beyond to Mahood Lake (article on this route). In July of 2015, we started from the other end and hiked down from Mahood Lake. There are two trails – a fisherman’s trail down the north side of the river … Continue reading…
The route over two of the summits of the Trophy Mountains is a complex one involving hiking, scrambling and route-finding. We hiked through the meadows to the top of Trophy Two, then followed the ridgeline down to the high col between the two mountains and scrambled up Trophy One to the summit. We then followed the broad ridge south to … Continue reading…
We returned to paddle all of Mahood Lake and spent 3 days paddling, hiking, and camping in this quiet corner of Wells Gray Park. We launched our kayaks from the west end of the lake at the Provincial Park Campground. We had hoped to paddle down to Travertine Campsite on the north shore of the lake, but it was not … Continue reading…
On a recent paddling trip from Clearwater to Kamloops, we explored islands in the middle of the North Thompson River and camped on them during a 3 day journey. At the end of the first day of paddling we landed on the final island of Chu Chua Cottonwood Provincial Park. BC Parks describes the park as follows: “An area of … Continue reading…
A trek through the Trophy Mountains is incomplete without a route to see Cwem Cwem Lake. Its a hard place to get to. We can see it from the summit of Trophy Two, a 3.5 hour hike. We can continue along the high col between the two peaks to get other views of the lake. We can traverse from Plateau … Continue reading…
The North Thompson and South Thompson Rivers provide many days of paddling each year. Downriver paddles are easier so we try to go at least 20km and arrange for a vehicle at each end. We started at the Valleyview Boat Launch. This is a busy spot on weekends with many floaters entering the water to drift down to Pioneer or … Continue reading…
We have been working on completing a series of peaks in the Coquihalla Summit area. Some we have done a number of times and a few are slated for our first ascent. Zupjok Peak was one of these. The hike starts at the Zopkios Ridge Rest Area and goes northwest following an old double track towards Ottomite Hill. This is … Continue reading…
Mt. Ida stands south of Salmon Arm at 1564m (5134 feet). The upper part of the mountain is all rocky ridges and cliffs making interesting hiking, but the road up is a long and rough 4WD route. [map style=”width: auto; height:400px; margin:20px 0px 20px 0px; border: 1px solid black;” gpx=”https://kamloopstrails.net/wp-content/uploads/Mt. Ida Road.gpx” elevation=”no” download=”no”] After driving very slowly for 10km, … Continue reading…
We have enjoyed paddling Pinantan Lake, but we really like paddling up a narrow channel to the hidden upper lake. The entrance to the lagoon channel is at the east end of the lake. It can be paddled in a canoe or kayak, but there is a dam-like blockage partway through that requires getting out of the boat and pulling … Continue reading…
Flatiron Mountain is another fine hike in the Coquihalla Summit area. We followed the Needle Peak Trail to the meadow, then we headed over to The Flatiron. The parking area for The Needle and The Flatiron are the same. Start at Zopkios Rest area, go through the underpass, and go up toward the works yard. Turn right onto a dirt … Continue reading…
Summer came early in 2015 and the hike to the peak of Tod Mountain was much drier than in previous years. We like to hike on Tod Toonie Day for the cheap lift ticket and to support the Food Bank. We weren’t the first on the chair, but we were first to the peak on that day, taking only 1.25 … Continue reading…
Marble Range Provincial Park has a number of fine hikes that lead to the summits of a range of limestone peaks. The Porcupine Creek Trail starts 5.5 km along the Jesmond Road. A signed backroad winds up past the powerline and into the Two Mile Creek valley, then over to Porcupine Creek. A Parks sign is found along the … Continue reading…
In June, the Trophy Meadows start to clear of snow and the first wildflowers are blooming. By the end of June we can usually hike onto the upper ridge to Plateau of the Lakes. In 2015, the snows melted early and the route to the summits was already open. When we hike to the Trophies, we can go to the … Continue reading…
