Yoho National Park has some of the finest hiking trails in Canada. The Yoho River Valley is a gateway to a number of hikes into rugged alpine terrain, right by the Great Divide. Follow the Takkakaw Falls Road to the end and there are many outstanding trails. One of our favorites is to hike up the Yoho River to the … Continue reading…
The Crypt Lake Trail in Waterton National Park is an unusual and rewarding hike. It starts by booking a ride across the lake from the Marina to the landing and trailhead across Waterton Lake. The ferry is often full so that usually means a larger group of people all arriving at once. The trail to the tunnel is 8 … Continue reading…
A number of years ago we spent some time hiking in the Chilcotin. We drove many miles of backroads to get to the north end of Chilco Lake in Tsylos Provincial Park. At the end of the road we hiked up the Tullin MountainTrail to the summit. The trail wound through the forest, climbing 832 m (2729 vertical feet) in … Continue reading…
I hiked to the top of Black Tusk for the first time in 1970 as a solo effort, looking for the unmarked route to the top. The route is now obvious and flagged, but there were several vertical chimneys to choose from back then. In subsequent summit climbs the route was bootworn, but still loose, and a bit risky. … Continue reading…
We backpacked up to Garibadli Lake and camped at the campground in our first day. In our second day we hiked up into Black Tusk Meadows on our way to Panorama Ridge. The trail wound up over the ridge into the Helm Glacier drainage between Panorama Ridge and Black Tusk. We could see down to Garibaldi Lake with Garibaldi Mountain … Continue reading…
In a time before digital cameras we backpacked up to Garibaldi Lake on a sunny summer day. In the first day, we hiked up the 7.5 km trail through the forest, up the switchbacks, and along Rubble Creek toward the lake. The trail wound up to the top of The Barrier, a lava dam which is responsible for the creation … Continue reading…
In mid-August we we watched the smoke conditions forecasts (firesmoke.ca) and spotted a clearer day in the Trophy Mountains, so with one day’s notice, we got an early start to drive to the trailhead at the end of the Trophy Mountain Road. Only one other vehicle was parked there and they were camping at Sheila Lake so we hiked the … Continue reading…
I have hiked Raft Mountain (above Clearwater)a few times and on two of those occasions I did the Raft Mountain Traverse. The hike to the top of Raft Mountain is straightforward, but the traverse involves some scrambling, especially between Raft 1 and Raft 2, then to Raft 3. Then, on the way back from Raft 5, the descent to Willis … Continue reading…
When smoke covered the area we watched the forecasts on firesmoke.ca to see where we might find some reasonable conditions for hiking. We checked every day and the Lac le Jeune area or the Merritt area had the best average conditions so we paddled the area around Nicola Lake and we hiked trails in the Stake Lake-Lac le Jeune area. … Continue reading…
In a summer of smoke, I looked for a day to hike to the top of one of the Coquihalla Summit Peaks. Since I had done Yak, Needle, Flatiron, Zoa, and Illal in the last 2-3 years, I decided to return to do Zupjok Peak, a favorite. When I first started exploring Ottomite Mountain, Iago Peak, and Zupjok Peak, there … Continue reading…
While camping at Miracle Beach we did three hikes in the area, one of which was the Jack Hames Trail. The trailhead is near the mouth of the Oyster River. The first 0.7 km follows the river to the estuary, then the trail continues along the seashore between private land and the gravel beaches. Deciduous and evergreen trees lined the … Continue reading…
While camping at Miracle Beach Park on Vancouver Island, we did three nearby hikes, this one 14 km northwest of Campbell River. Mohun Creek runs for 12 km from Mohun Lake down to the ocean at Menzies Bay. A Forest Service Road runs west toward Strathcona Park. At 4 km the trailhead is on the side of the road by … Continue reading…
While camping at Miracle Beach on Vancouver Island we found three hikes in the area, two of them by the Oyster River only 3 – 4 km away. On a hot and sunny morning I drove onto Hamm Road, then MacAuley road to the Bear Creek Loop Road and trailheads. The area is managed by the Oyster River Enhancement Society … Continue reading…
On a hot summer day we chose to leave the smoky valley and hike in the higher terrain above Lac le Jeune. Starting at the beach by the lake, we hiked to the Stake Lake Trail system, then on a series of single tracks to the top of the ridge on the northeast end of the lake. The Lookout is … Continue reading…
On a hot summer morning I chose to drive up to Lodgepole Lake to do some loops – twice around the lake in a kayak, then once around the lake on the Lodgepole Lake Trail. The trailhead starts at the end of the Recreation Site campground and winds around the lake. The loop route is about 2 km. There is … Continue reading…
When we drive south we follow the Coldwater River into the Coquihalla Summit area which has many steep, rocky peaks, mostly still covered in snow in June. On the east side of the river are more rounded mountains, mostly forested and lower. Mt. Thynne is a higher ridge-shaped mountain that lies between the rugged peaks of the Coquihalla and the … Continue reading…
