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.
Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area has 15 712 hectares of grassland and forest. The lower grasslands are more arid with an abundance of sagebrush, but the middle and upper grasslands have a greater proportion of natural grasses and open terrain. Aspens are found in wet spots and open douglas fir forest covers the upper slopes. There are no designated … Continue reading…
Chesler Park is a 600 acre open area of grass and sand dunes inside the towers, fins, pinnacles, cliffs, and spires of the Needles District in Canyonlands National Park. All hikes into or through Chesler Park are between 10 to 13 miles, depending on the route chosen. Our trail started at Elephant Hill and looped through the southern end of … Continue reading…
On a cold fall day we hiked on the Mt. Hilliam Trails. A skiff of snow covered the edge of the trail at higher altitudes and many of the summer flowering plants had been knocked down by a hard frost, but there was still much to see. Rosehips bring color to the landscape. Meltwater collects in puddles and then … Continue reading…
The Mt. Hilliam trail system is a network of old backroads on the south-facing slopes overlooking Skimikin Lake. The trailhead can be accessed by going through Turtle Valley from the west or from the Skimikin Road from the Trans Canada Highway. Park at the campsite on the west end of Skimikin Lake and cross the road to pick up the … Continue reading…
In the maze of trails within the Needles District in Canyonlands National Park is a 2 mile trail worth the effort to get out there (at least 9 miles, depending on your route). We hiked over from the Chesler Loop Trail. From a rugged trail on rock, we dropped down steps into a cleft between cliffs and followed the slot … Continue reading…
The route into Lyons Lake is a fine walk/hike, but has been out-of-sight-out-of-mind for many years. We have hiked and biked to the end of the lake a few times and we returned to hike it again this fall. We were surprised that the old backroad had seen lots of traffic, and had been widened, cleared, and was a bit … Continue reading…
The Druid Arch Trail in the Needles District (Canyonlands National Park) may be Kamloops Trails best trail of 2014 (of about 200 outdoor routes completed this year). National Geographic includes it as one of the best 20 hikes in the National Parks. In reality, any one of several trails in Needles could have been chosen, but Druid Arch itself stands … Continue reading…
We hike the Grasslands community Trail every year, but we vary the route each time. The upper end of the trail starts by going along the south edge of the McQueen Lake property. While students are on the property, we go around the fenceline past Clay Lake and then we meet up on the east side of the Environmental Center … Continue reading…
On the Island in the Sky Mesa in Canyonlands National Park is an impact crater measuring 5km across. The impact was about 65 million years ago. The area surrounding the dome has horizontal layers of sandstone, but the layers surrounding the crater have been deformed into a syncline and some layers are nearly vertical in orientation. In the center of … Continue reading…
The Syncline Loop Trail is an 8.3 mile loop that goes around Upheaval Dome in Island in the Sky District in Canyonlands National Park. There are no views into Upheaval Dome but there is a short spur trail that goes up to and along the rim that can be done after completing the loop or on another day. We hiked … Continue reading…
Most hikes in the Island in the Sky District in Canyonlands National Park are either short or go steeply down to the bench (White Rim) below, then steeply back up. For hikers looking for a suitable distance with a reasonable grade, the Neck Springs Hike is a very good choice. It is 5 mile loop hike with little elevation gain. … Continue reading…
The South Thompson River is a well-used and busy river from June through mid-September, but there is very little activity on the river after October 1st. The river is lower and has a number of shallow areas, troublesome for power boats, but these pose no problem for canoes and kayaks. We launched our kayaks at the Lafarge Bridge (NE side … Continue reading…
While hiking on the high mesa on Island in the Sky District in Canyonlands National Park at 6300 feet, we hiked a short trail (1.5 miles) to Aztec Butte. On top of this butte, but under a cliff overhang was a Puebloan granary, hundreds of years old, but still standing. Ancestral Puebloan people hauled their seeds and grain in woven … Continue reading…
Bryce Canyon is a special place to visit and the Fairyland Loop is the best of the hiking trails of the Park We have chosen to hike the Fairyland Loop each year for the last 3 years (see below for links to previous stories). This year we hiked it in reverse and a sunny morning in September. The scenery … Continue reading…
Our first hike to the Savona Caves was in the mid 1970's and we returned there again from time to time over the years, but we had not been there for at least 5 years when friends recently asked about the route so we hiked the trail on a cool autumn day. To find the trail, go south on the … Continue reading…
Canyonlands is one of the five National Parks in Utah and certainly one of the best for hiking anywhere. It is divided into three "districts", separated by the Colorado River and the Green River. Although the boundaries of each District border the others, we can't get from one area to the others safely/easily, so we have to drive … Continue reading…
