The Dewdrop trail has long been a favorite, the best of the trails in our area. It was originally built by Forestry when they had Outdoor Recreation staff. The trail has eroded over the years and now it is part of the Lac Du Bois Grasslands Protected Area (BC Parks). The Kamloops Thompson Trails Alliance and BC Parks … Continue reading…
The river from Chase to Kamloops has excellent paddling before the power boat season. Once the powerful boats hit the river, the wakes and noise overwhelms the narrow river. When this happens, the North Thompson and Kamloops Lake are a better choice. Putting the boat into the water and taking it out is limited to a few locations. There are … Continue reading…
The hills above Barnhartvale are remote and challenging All of the approaches are steep and hard to figure out. One of the routes we take starts at the end of Pratt Road. Over the last few years construction of new homes at the south end has cut off two routes to the hilltops so now we have to drive to … Continue reading…
Recently, I traveled to the southwest where I backpacked and hiked a number of trails in the Grand Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Zion National Park. I traveled alone, but met a number of hikers along the way and stories were shared. I met Rick from San Diego who came with his Subaru packed with gear, including a large box of … Continue reading…
The primary focus of this site has always been trails and routes in the Kamloops area, but over the last year has also included feature articles on hiking, backpacking, paddling, scrambling, snowshoeing, biking, and exploring farther afield. Over time this site will be redeveloped so that subscribers and guests can find local information through menus. With over 470 posts … Continue reading…
While on the Island of Kauai, we were pleasantly surprised by the Moalepe Ridge Trail. The trailhead was at the upper edge of the upper Waipoili area and then follows the Kuilau Ridge into the Makahena Mountains. The legnth of the trail is a 5 mile round trip. The trail starts as a wide red dirt track between fences. As … Continue reading…
When we go to Kauai each year, we always go to Moloa’a Bay. This quiet spot has a few vacaction homes near the beach or along Moloa’a Stream, but for the most part it is a sleepy area with a beautiful beach. One hike we never miss is to follow the beach to the northeast end. The beach ends at … Continue reading…
Packing for a airplane flight to a backpacking and tent camping destination brings some new challenges. It would be nice if everything fit into the backpack and that was all we needed. Larger capacity backpacks are really too long and clumsy for airline luggage so they want all the straps tied down or removed. Beyond that, if you are camping, … Continue reading…
Two little-known spots in the Dewdrop-Red Plateau area are rewarding locations that can be linked in a single hike. Red Canyon is an easy hike deep into the a canyon in the Red Plateau escarpment. To find the canyon, park at the Dewdrop Trail parking area and follow the route along the fence. When you arrive at the stile which … Continue reading…
The Valleyview Silt Cliffs area is one of our favorite spring hikes. Because it is mostly treeless, the whole area tends to clear of snow early and the trails dry out in March. All of the area below Juniper and above Valleyview Drive is a benchland with steeper sections at the bottom and top. Deep gullies run south-north and any … Continue reading…
The Westsyde Bench trail starts in Batchelor Heights and follows the benchlands above Westsyde all the way to Deep Lake. Before the Batchelor Subdivision was built, we used to follow single and double track routes from the Lac du Bois Road, but with all the new building in the area, we now have to use a different trailhead. The easiest … Continue reading…
We were out on three local trails this last week and short updates and links are provided on all three. Moonscape Trail – the Kamloops Indian Band has requested that all on-line references to hiking the trail be removed. Peterson Creek East Rim Trails go up the west side of Peterson Creek all the way to Castle Towers, but there … Continue reading…
The Island of Kauai is not particularly suited to biking, unless you have a mountain bike and are willing to use the backroads. No one is going to give you a map, but there are number of very interesting routes and many points of interest along the way. This is the best one in the Koloa area. Start near … Continue reading…
Some hiking routes fall into the adventure category. By rights, the route should not exist and over time may not be viable. For now, the Kaapoko Trail was unknown even to island residents until an adventure writer found enough information to describe the route in the best-selling The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook. With each revision, more information was added … Continue reading…
In 2013, get into the outdoors and find those special spots. Find a slot canyon, look through a natural arch, climb a volcanic plug, scramble eroded ridges above the hoodoos, and hike into a canyon between two rock pillars. Here are 5 for your list: 1. Tranquille Slot Canyons – see Playing the Slots 2. Red Plateau Arch – Dewdrop … Continue reading…
The first trails to dry out and be good for hiking and biking are the lower Barren Hills, above the North Shore. These slopes are south-facing, treeless, and open. Older double tracks and newer single tracks (bikes) traverse the hills, keeping much of the route gently rolling, avoiding steep climbs. It is easy to get a 8km out and back … Continue reading…