In Zion National Park, many of the best routes are not trails. They follow canyons or are traverses across the upper slickrock slopes. The Many Pools route has a few cairns and some footprints in sandy washes, but it is an intuitive route – just follow the potholes and pour-offs. In this dry desert country, rain is infrequent, but when … Continue reading…
Many of the ponds in the hills of our area are quite alkaline, salts discourage plant growth around the edges. As the ponds dry out, a fringe of white alkali salts frames the edges of these ponds. Only salt tolerant plants (saltworts) can grow in this medium. Salicorum (pickleweed) is 30 cm succulent herb that germinates and roots in the … Continue reading…
Each year, I try to save my favorite hike of the year for the final post of the year. In 2013, this was the East Temple Loop in Zion National Park. The section of road from the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel to the east entrance is in a narrow gorge between slickrock towers. There are very few designated hikes there, but … Continue reading…
In a spring trip to explore Elephant Hill Provincial Park (link to Parks info) a previous article on this site (link) explained access to these barren hills near Ashcroft. The big surprise for me was a hillside of bitterroot in bloom, an uncommon site in the Interior. Bitterroot (lewisia redviva) is a member of the purslane family, a perennial … Continue reading…
While exploring a hill between Stake Lake and McConnell Lake on June, I came across a hillside of false morels. They are fairly easy to identify. Ugly, ugly, ugly. Mushroom hunters have sometimes mistakenly collected false morels, but unfortunately, they are poisonous. The active ingredient is monmethylhydrazine, and reactions vary from no visible effect to death, but some research also … Continue reading…
This is the third article on the Bush Lake Trails detailing access and routes for snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and hiking. Links to the two previous articles are provided here: Bush Lake Trails Bush Lake (North) Loop The parking area is the same for all routes (N50 32.418 W120 26.776), at a designated parking area just off the Lac le … Continue reading…
A recent article (link) provided details about access to the Bush Lake Trails. Further exploration north and south is an ongoing process, taking several days of on-snow time. On the north side is a good 6 km loop, suitable for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking. Follow the main route around the north side of Bush Lake, then a north-heading double … Continue reading…
Kauai has one large central mountain, Mt. Wai’ale’ale. The dormant volcano’s interior has partly collapsed and a high jungle swampland has filled the huge caldera. The summit is the wettest spot on earth, surrounded by sheer cliffs and impenetrable jungle. A road climbs the drier western shores of the island to the rim of the caldera in Kokee State Park. … Continue reading…
At the end of Ida Lane, the trail climbs into Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area (parklands) to Deep Lake. Some of the finest grasslands in the province cover an area of 17 square kilometres on the hillside plateau, bounded by the upland forests to the north and west and the Batchelor Range to the south. Most hikers go up … Continue reading…
Most visitors to Zion National Park follow the main road into the Virgin River Canyon, but there are other access routes into the park and one of them is off Highway 15, to the northwest. A park entrance and paved road leads to the Finger Canyons of the Kolob Plateau. We had enjoyed the hike into the Middle Fork of … Continue reading…
When Kamloops was awarded the first BC Winter Games, organizers had to develop a cross country ski facility for the competitions. Working with the Ministry of Forests, the Bush-Timber Lake Trails were built and then used as a venue for the 1979 Winter Games. Cross-country skiers continued to use the trails right up to 1985 when the Coquihalla Highway was … Continue reading…
We hiked the Angels Landing Trail for the first time in 2012 (link to the article), then returned twice more in 2013. Every time it has been a very busy trail, filled with hikers and anyone else who wants to add an adventure, ready for it or not. Although we like the route, we won’t return to do this hike, … Continue reading…
Pussywillow Lane is the trail at the lower entrance into Dallas-Barnhartvale Nature Park. There are actually two trail systems, side-by-side, with a fence and gates dividing them. The Blackwell Trails are on grazing lease and were managed by the Barnhartvale Horse and Hiker Preservation Society. A new proposal is now in place to improve the network of trails and enhance … Continue reading…
We first hiked Bryce Canyon National Park in October of 2012 and at that time we decided that the Fairyland Trail was our favorite hike of the whole year (link to the story). We returned a year later to hike it again. We were ready this time for the overwhelming views, the unearthly formations, the explosion of color, and the … Continue reading…
An old double track goes south from Lac du Bois just below the treeline of Wheeler Mountain and works its way across the upper grasslands hills before descending to the lower grasslands. At the 3.75km mark, the trail starts to drop, so we go through the fence/cattleguard and climb the hill on the left to gain a fine viewpoint over … Continue reading…
British Columbians think of hiking as routes up ridges to hilltops. Part of the reason for this is that we have to hike up through miles of forests to get to the treeline. The viewpoints are best above the treeline or somtimes on slope breaks at mid elevations. In the southwest, though, the Colorado Plateau spans 4 states and ranges … Continue reading…
