The “trail” to the Tappen Bluffs viewpoint is really a backroad, except for the last steep section. A high clearance vehicle can drive for 3.5+ km and then park at a suitable spot for a short hike, but we chose to hike the whole way instead. The up and back route (including some exploration on top) was 9.4 km. The … Continue reading…
Lime Ridge is a 5 km long limestone ridge in Marble Range Provincial Park. From Clinton we drove on the Kelly Lake Road, then turned onto the Jesmond Road. This is the same way we get to the other hikes in the park – Mt. Bowman, Wild Horse Ridge, Mt. Kerr, Porcupine Creek, Jesmond Lookout, Mad Dog Mountain, and … Continue reading…
There are many routes in Kenna Cartwright Park, but the one we return to most often is at the west end of the park. We follow the pipeline route from Hillside Drive to the Sunset Trail but then we turn onto the Mesa Trail then follow a winding route, turning onto Cryptogamic, Lava, Big Pine, and Ponderosa for a 5.5 … Continue reading…
We drove to Brookmere, then found our way up a network of backroads to a parking spot next to the snowmobile hut on Mt. Thynne, then we hiked up the double track to the summit. The whole hiking route is through a subalpine zone on a moderate trail. Many wildflowers were in bloom in mid-June and we enjoyed the … Continue reading…
Greenstone Mountain Provincial Park is an 124 hectare area at the top of the mountain. We can drive right to the top at 1793m (5884 ft.) where there is lots of parking near the communications towers and buildings. There is also an old fire lookout to the south. A number of trails follow the ridge or descend the … Continue reading…
We padded up Clearwater Lake in Wells Gray Provincial Park to the Diver’s Bluff Marine Campground, then hiked the Eagle’s View Trail. We launched our boats (canoes and kayaks) and headed up the west shore of the lake. With calm conditions we were at our destination in about 75 minutes. From the boat launch at the end … Continue reading…
Otter Lake Provincial Park is situated on the northwest shore of Otter Lake, just north of Tulameen. It can be reached by driving north from Princeton on the Coalmont Road (33 km) or on gravel roads (34 km) from Highway 5A starting near the turn-off to Kentucky – Alleyne Lakes. The park itself is a forested 49 hectare area in … Continue reading…
Cornwall Hills Provincial Park is situated in the hills between Cache Creek/Ashcroft and Hat Creek. Access is by the Hat Creek Road which bears west 18 km from Cache Creek on the Trans-Canada Highway. The gravel road climbs through the Oregon Jack Creek Valley for 11.5 km. At that point is the junction with the Cornwall Hills Forest Service Road … Continue reading…
The snow clears off the Trophy Mountain meadows and the alpine ridges above by July, but we can hike into the open meadows in mid-June most years. The Trophy Mountain Road should be clear, although it may not be graded until mid-month. The first 2.3 km of the trail is in the forest so snow drifts often linger in … Continue reading…
The south side of Mount Mara is very rugged, with many bluffs, cliffs, canyons, hoodoos, and rocky slopes. We usually hike on two trails on the south side, but there are a number of hard-to-get-to areas requiring scrambling on steep terrain. To the west of the main canyon is a “hidden vale”, untouched by cattle grazing, wildfires, or human activity. … Continue reading…
The trail to Silvertip Falls is off the Spahats Creek Road. Take the Trophy Mountain Road, but stay right at 4.3 km and continue on for another 2.5 km. Where the road crosses Silvertip Creek is the Silvertip Falls Recreation site (just before the bridge). A short, rough road then leads up to 2 primitive campsites and the hiking trail … Continue reading…
The Lundbom Grasslands Commonage area is a gem for hikers. We have been hiking there for decades, but with the rise of mountain biking new single track trails have been added that make good hiking trails too. Some of them are shown as dashed blue lines on the map. The white dashed lines are double tracks. On our last visit … Continue reading…
In an effort to explore as many hills as I can within 2 hours drive from Kamloops, I ventured down Highway 1 towards Spences Bridge and walked Epsom Provincial Park, toured the Venables Valley, and picked a large open hill to hike up in spring. From the rest stop at the foot of Red Hill, I worked my way north … Continue reading…
There are a set of recreational trails on the east side of the Rocky Mountain Trench southeast of Invermere. The Swansea Mountain Recreational area has hiking trails, mountain bike trails, and a base for paragliding and hang gliding using the Swansea Forest Service Road. We hiked from the lowest parking area to the summit of the mountain, a round trip … Continue reading…
There are a number of trails in the Hemp Creek Canyonlands, but most are done as a down and back hike. The most frequently hiked trail is the Moul Falls Trail on the south end of the Canyonlands. Other trails that see some hikers are the Flatiron Trail and the trail down to McDiarmid Falls. There are linking trails though, … Continue reading…
We drove some backroads out of Invermere to visit Lake Enid, about 6 km west of Wilmer. A small recreation site is there with a good boat launch and a hiking trail around the lake. We paddled the lake and then I hiked the trail around the lake to finish the outing. Enid Lake is not a large body of … Continue reading…
