In winter fog often settles into the Thompson River Valleys blanketing the community in grey. We can go up above the clouds to hike. When the clouds are below 750 feet, we can hike up above the fog on Dufferin Hill. On the way up the tower Trail, we get our first views over to Mount Peter. Passing the towers, … Continue reading…
On many Top 10 Trails in the world, the Kalalau Trail on Kauai draws hikers from all over the world. The trail starts at the end of the road at Ke’e Beach on the North Shore and climbs across the steep slopes of the Na Pali Coast for 11 miles. The first section traverses the pali to Hanikapi’ai Beach, a … Continue reading…
In dry conditions, the Outer Inks Lakes trails area likely to have motorcycles, quads, and 4×4’s. Once it turns cool, there may be hunters. But once the snows start to fall, the forested trails provide many opportunities for hiking and snowshoeing. On a cold and sunny December day, we chose the Dam Lake Loop. Most of the route is a … Continue reading…
The Maha’ulepu Trail starts at Shipwreck Beach in Poipu on Kauai. The trail climbs to the top of the seabluffs looking over Keoneloa Bay. The bluffs are mostly lithified sand dunes – calcite cementation of wind-blown carbonate and other materials. Trails run along the top of the bluffs but the most interesting routes go up and down on rock shelves … Continue reading…
Much of the Island of Mauai is Haleakala, a 10 000 foot shield volcano. We can drive to the summit, entering Haleakala National Park on the way up. The Visitors Center is on the rim, just below the highest point and this is where the main trailhead is. Almost all of the hikes must drop into the crater, 3000 feet … Continue reading…
Just south of Potholes Reservoir is the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, an area of basalt lava cliffs, lakes, ponds, grasslands, and canyons. It is part of the channeled scablands, a corridor scoured by the release of an ice age lake, now an eroded and complex terrain. We drove into the middle of the Refuge to hike the Frog Lake … Continue reading…
We hike in the Frederick Bluffs each year. It is a rugged area of rocky bluffs, grassland slopes, gullies, and wonderful views. There are no trails into the Frederick Bluffs area. We park just off the Frederick Road and create our own route going up one bluff, down in the gullies, and up the next bluff, sometimes … Continue reading…
The road on the west coast of Maui goes south past Kihei, through Wailea and then ends at Kahena. At the end of the paved road, a narrow road winds through lava flows in the Ahihi Natural Preserve before ending at La Perouse Bay. The Hoapili Trail continues south along the coastline. It was once part of the “Kings Highway,” … Continue reading…
We try to hike the Barnes Lake Trails twice a year, and in 2016 we returned in November to do the routes again. We started at the Gardiner Road trailhead and hiked up Trail #1, then continued to take left turns around the outside loop of the area, returning back into the grasslands on the west side, finishing at Barnharvale … Continue reading…
Kealia Pond National Wildlife Reserve is located just north of Kihei on Maui. A viewing platform of the larger pond is found one mile north of Kihei on the northeast side. On the other side of the pond off the highway is the Kealia Coastal Boardwalk, a 2200 foot walkway through salt marsh ponds. Wetland birds, waterfowl, and coastal birds … Continue reading…
The Sullivan Range is a 1000m high ridge that runs north-south, parallel to the North Thompson River, 5 km south of McLure. The trails are old backroads and double tracks accessed from the Orchard Lake Road. They are part of a trail system adopted by the Horse Council of BC. The Orchard Lake Trails can be accessed by a lower … Continue reading…
Just south of Potholes Reservoir is the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, an area of lava flow cliffs, lakes, ponds, grasslands, and canyons. It is part of the channeled scablands, scoured by the release of an ice age lake, an eroded and complex terrain. We drove into the middle of the Refuge to hike the Frog Lake – Mesa Loop … Continue reading…
Just south of Potholes Reservoir is the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, an area of lava flow cliffs, lakes, ponds, grasslands, and canyons. It is part of the channeled scablands, scoured by the release of an ice age lake, an eroded and complex terrain. We drove into the middle of the Refuge to hike the Frog Lake – Mesa Loop … Continue reading…
There are no trails or roads into the Charlotte Alplands. Access is mainly by floatplane from Nimpo Lake or for a few, by rough horsepack routes from Charlotte Lake. We flew into Fish Lake and hiked around the Fish – Frog Lake area then hiked out past Cowboy Lakes. There are other ways to get into the Charlotte Alplands for … Continue reading…
The Dewdrop Traverse is a route that spans 19 km one way from the Red Lake Road to Hardie Hill, across the top of Red Plateau. It follows old double tracks, the Dewdrop Trail (single track), and some new single tracks on the west end set by motorcyclists, mountain bikers, and hikers. Only the middle section (the Dewdrop Trail) is … Continue reading…
A loop route over the hill of Wheeler Mountain and back through Hanging Valley is a nice 7.75 km hike in the grasslands and forest. We followed the double track south from Lac du Bois, then at a clear junction climbed up the muddy double track onto a low shoulder of Wheeler Mountain. Some fall colours still remained around the … Continue reading…
