The Clearwater River Trail follows the river and lava flows all the way from the town of Clearwater up to the Canyon Creeks. Along the length of the trail area a number of access points that provide day hiking opportunities. We started at the trail to the Natural Bridge on the Wells Gray Corridor Road. There is no designated parking … Continue reading…
Able Tasman National Park extends along the coastline of the South Island of New Zealand from Marahau to Golden Bay. Most people hike, paddle, or boat from the south end and the north end gets far fewer people for two main reasons. For those driving to the trailheads, the road to the north goes over Takaka Hill, a climb of … Continue reading…
Some places transcend their reviews. Kaikoura exceeded all of our expectations. Kaikoura is a small seaside community on the eastern coast of the South Island, two and a half hours north of Christchurch. The town is situated on a narrow, rugged coastal area between the Kaikouara Mountain Ranges and the Pacific Ocean. To the north of the town a long … Continue reading…
The trail into Mara Canyon changes every year. The narrow canyon is an erosion channel and the snowmelt and summer thundershowers change the route each season. The trail starts in the sagebrush, then climbs over some rocky hills before the sharp turn which takes us down to the streambed at the bottom of the canyon. Hikers should take the time … Continue reading…
Ben Lomond is a peak that stands above Queenstown, New Zealand. It is a popular hike and we saw a number of “trampers” on our day up to the summit and back. The trail can be started from the bottom, right in Queenstown, or hikers can take the Skyline Gondola up and avoid an hour of hiking in the forest. … Continue reading…
Most hikers go up Mara Canyon on a trail knows as “The Hoodoos” or “Cinnamon Ridge.” This unique trail goes up the south-facing slopes then drops into the bottom of the canyon following the dry streambed for a fun route before it opens up below the summit. There is a loop route possible, coming down along the ridge on the … Continue reading…
Every spring, we drive through Chase, stopping in at the Band Office on Shuswap Road for a permit, then we drive up the Bear-Loakin Road to the Neskonlith Meadows trailhead. The hike up to Star Lake and back is about 10km, but it is the spring wildflower display that brings us to the area. We just follow the double track … Continue reading…
The dry hills around Six Mile Lake are rugged, covered in grasses and open forests. Most visitors go to Pat Lake to fish, but the hills invite exploration when the cattle are not grazing on the hillsides. The high point is north of Pat Lake (sometimes called Six Mile Lake). There are a series of hills to ascend, but we … Continue reading…
Recently I gave a presentation to the Kamloops Adult Learners Society. The topic of the 2 hour presentation was Wildflower Seasons in the Kamloops Area. The slideshow photos were all taken by me over a period of 2-3 years and I only included photos I was pleased with. I talked a little about each wildflower and answered questions as they … Continue reading…
Tranquille Canyon has a number of rugged wonders, but many of them are hard to get to. The slot canyons require a steep hike down and any exploration will involve some scrambling. The gorge lies below Mt. Wheeler and Red Plateau. There were no trails until recently but now there are the beginnings of a faint single track that takes … Continue reading…
As the weather warms, the grasslands come to life. Grasses start to green up, wildflowers emerge, ducks arrive at the ponds and lakes, birds flit along the meadows and perch on shrubs, and beetles scurry along the ground. The first flowers to emerge are sagebrush buttercups, yellow bells, spring beauties, and a few tiny yellow or white flowers. At this … Continue reading…
From the Valleyview Nature Park trailhead, there are numerous single track trails that go east up gullies, over ridges, and along benchlands, all in the open grasslands of the Valleyview Silt Cliffs area. We hiked a route that we know well. Since there are many trails in the area, it may take hikers several visits to link up trails to … Continue reading…
The informal trail/route around Long Lake starts at the 7km mark on the Lac du Bois Road and winds its way over to the end of the lake. Long Lake sits in a basin between Mt. Wheeler and Batchelor Ridge in the middle grasslands. In March and the first part of April, the grasses are just greening up, but sagebursh … Continue reading…
Spring is the time for eagles to lay their eggs into high nests in trees. One old snag in the cliffs area of the Dewdrop Range offers us good views down into the nest. When we had been to this spot a few days earlier, the parents were at the nest, but there were no eggs. On … Continue reading…
In an effort to escape rain and big city busyness while in New Zealand, we decided to explore the Bay of Plenty area so we drove for a few hours northeast from Wellington and found ourselves at Waihi Beach. We opted to turn right right and continued down to the end of the point at Bowentown. We weren’t sure … Continue reading…
There are no trails for this loop, but there are fine views and lots to see along the way. It starts by parking at the first pullout on the Frederick Loop and we climb to the ridge overlooking Kamloops Lake, then we follow a series of ridges west, looping back on lower ridges below and above the sets of bluffs … Continue reading…
