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…
There are 4 Districts of Canyonlands National Park. The most accessible is Island in the Sky, a 40 minute drive on good roads from Moab, Utah. The drive climbs to the top of a large mesa which just out between Green River and the Colorado River. There are a number of hikes along the Island in the Sky Parkway which … Continue reading…
Island in the Sky is one of four Canyonlands National Park Districts and the easiest one to access from Moab and paved roads. The route to the high mesa is to drive 16 km north of Moab, then 35 km southwest. The road goes through the Park gate then continues on to the edge of the mesa. At … Continue reading…
Horseshoe Canyon is a remote desert canyon on the edge of Canyonlands National Park. It is renowned as a site to observe well-preserved rock art of the Ancestral Puebloans. The 4 panels are estimated to be 1000 to 1500 years old. Although it is a long day to drive the backroads and hike the route, it is a special place, … Continue reading…
The old double track that starts just across the tracks near Tranquille is the old wagon road to the homesteads near Pruden Pass. The road is rough now, climbing from the Tranquille – Criss Creek Road to Pruden Pass between Mara Mountain and Wheeler Mountain. There is a gate blocking private property in the pass, but rougher-yet side roads … Continue reading…
When I first arrived in Kamloops in 1976, Peterson Creek was the first place I explored. I followed various tracks and trails before it was a City Park, before there were any signs, designated trailheads, or established boundaries. I found out that the trails ventured onto private property on the south end and on the east side and by just … Continue reading…
The upper grasslands and forests near Lac du Bois are an inviting place to hike in the fall. Fall color is abundant and the hills are quiet. We have a number of different routes to hike right from a parking area at Lac du Bois, tuning our choice to the season and the conditions. On this October day, we chose … Continue reading…
