Our week in the Charlotte Alplands was based out of a camp on Frog Lake, then we hiked up through the forest to subalpine and alpine terrain north of the Fish-Frog Lakes Valley. We spent two days hiking into rocky alpine terrain on the peak immediately north of the camp. Maps do not name the broad peaks and ridges on … Continue reading…
We returned to hike Estekwalan Mountain in October, 2016. The loop trail is steep one, but the terrain is one of the most interesting in the Interior. The trail follows the rim of an amphitheater of cliffs with rewarding views of rugged terrain. To get to the trailhead, turn onto Wetaskiwin Road (the Dump Road) at the west end … Continue reading…
The Charlotte Alplands are a protected area of rocky mountains, forested valleys, and alpine lakes in a remote area between Charlotte Lake (West Chilcotin) and the Coast Range. The area has no roads or trails so access is by floatplane from Nimpo Lake or through a horsepack outfitter like One Eye Outfit. Once out of the forested valleys, the subalpine … Continue reading…
One of Kamloops finest parks is Peterson Creek Park, a gorge that runs right into the downtown area. The creek starts high on the rocky slopes of Chuwhels Mountain at 1746m (5730 feet). Meltwaters drain to the east for 4km into Connolly Lake, then east down through douglas fir forests continuing east. We have crossed Peterson Creek at various points … Continue reading…
The Jag Hill Jaunt is a moderate hike to a wonderful viewpoint on the rim of the Red Plateau Escarpment. All of the hikes from the Dewdrop Range to the hilltops on Red Plateau are harder hikes with lots of elevation gain, but there are a few routes from the Red Plateau Forest Service Road that are more moderate and … Continue reading…
Mount Hamilton stands between the Douglas Lake Valley and the Quilchena Creek Valley. The trailhead to the Lookout is right off the Douglas Lake Road just west of the Spahomin Indian Reserve. The grassland hills stretch off in every direction from this elevation. The first section of the backroad up to the Mount Hamilton Lookout crosses Douglas Lake Ranch property, … Continue reading…
The high area bounded by Tranquille River and the Dewdrop Range is called Red Plateau. Locals sometimes get mixed with the naming of these areas. The Red Lake Road (Tranquille – Criss Creek Road) climbs up through the hills on the west side of Tranquille River. Once up over the first set of bluffs, a benchland stretches west for 10 … Continue reading…
Umatiila Rock Trail is a giant fin-like monument in the middle of Grand Coulee below Dry Falls. The trailhead starts in the Park. It is possible to drive up the coulee on the road to Deep Lake, but we started right in the Dry Falls Campground, following a wetlands trail to the signed trailhead on the southwest corner of Umatilla … Continue reading…
We returned to hike to Skoatl Point in October of 2016. We have done this hike many times and from our experiences we prefer to hike the trail sometime between mid-August and mid-October. Before then, the trail can be quite wet. Early on, deadfall can be an issue and in June and July, bugs are another problem. By the end … Continue reading…
In 1976 Peterson Creek was the first place we hiked in Kamloops and we have returned many, many times to hike all of the trails. There were no trail signs then, but at some point this map was posted on the FHA Collins Trail. The names of all the trails have changed but we used to call the trail from … Continue reading…
The whole range of hills from Lafarge to Lions Head above Shuswap Road are rocky, steep, and seldom-visited. The steep slopes from the valley floor have no trails or tracks. The route in from the north is a long and complicated one. Private property lines the foot of the hills and fringes the northwest and eastern sides. In this hiking … Continue reading…
The Charlotte Alplands lie between Charlotte Lake and Tweedsmuir Park. Forested valleys lead up to rocky steep sided mountains with lots of hiking alpine terrain above 6000 feet. We flew from Nimpo Lake to Fish Lake in a float plane. Our gear was then taken by a horsepack outfitter (One Eye Outfit) from Frog Lake to Fish Lake where we … Continue reading…
Opax Mountain is a sprawling forested high plateau (1100 to 1350 m) in the northwest corner of Lac du Bois Protected Area. There are 2 or 3 routes up the mountain and a maze of old tracks, but our favorite route is an old access track from Hanging Valley. It was probably used for horse logging when Lac du Bois … Continue reading…
The Nicola-Thompson area is blessed to have a number of accessible grasslands for hiking. One of the best of these is the Lundbom Commonage south of Merritt. It is accessed by driving south on Highway 5A, then turning onto the Lundbom Road. We usually park at Lundbom Lake and hike out into the hills via dirt double tracks. Several articles … Continue reading…
One of our finest park campsites is Herald Provincial Park. It has a well-designed campsite, with long beaches, fine trails, and lots of forest for both privacy and noise-buffering. For hikers too, there are a number of trails to explore. The premier trail is the short walk to Margaret Falls. The trail follows the gorge up past old-growth cedars … Continue reading…
The Charlotte Alplands are in a remote area of the province, southwest of Nimpo Lake, but on the Interior side of the Coast Range. It is a Provincial ProtectedAarea with the highest concentration of alpine lakes in B.C. There are no roads or trails in the area, except for a few hard-to-follow horsepack routes through the brush and forest. We … Continue reading…
