Monashee Provincial Park is approached from the west side of the Monashee Divide. Almost all of the approaches to the Monashees are difficult. This is true wilderness and there are not many roads that penetrate the ranges. The trailhead is reached by traveling west from Vernon through Lumby to Cherryville, and then north to Sugar Lake. Drive 46 km north … Continue reading…
If you don't set goals and targets for your efforts, you won't set aside the time and effort to explore new areas. A new area takes time to research, time to prepare, time to travel to and from, and will probably take longer than planned if you are exploring new territory. For some areas, there is no information, so you … Continue reading…
The Tunkwa Lake area is well-suited to snowshoeing. the road in is kept plowed in winter the road to both campgrounds is well-used and there is plenty of parking the high-country open terrain means that snowshoers can bear off in any direction the terrain is flat by the lakes and gently rises through the grasslands to the west there are … Continue reading…
One of the best cross-country ski networks is at Sovereign Lakes on Silver Star Mountain. It lies within Silver Star Provincial Park so it has a nice balance of trail and infrastructure development and recreational wilderness. Even if you have cross-country trails in your area, a trip to Sovereign Lakes is worth a day or a weekend. Take the turn-off … Continue reading…
The cross-country ski trails on Silver Star Mountain have been a bit of a mecca for cross-country skiers for a number of reasons. First, the road goes to the Village, which is at a higher altitude, access to early and late snow. Second, the mountain and the nordic club have invested in infrastructure for cross-country skiers – lots of trails, … Continue reading…
With GPS technology, we can record our routes and then make them available to others. On Christmas Day, we hiked 7.5 km through the snow, and used the Tracks function in our Garmin Colorado GPSr to follow our route. Each GPS is a little different, but most follow the same general steps: Its a good idea to clear any old … Continue reading…
Another route onto the Wapta Icefields is from the Yoho Valley. This is also a challenging route and also should be attempted in good conditions. We had to camp out along the route (most skiers do) and so you need to bring full winter camping gear. The route starts at the head of the Yoho Valley near the campground. The … Continue reading…
Most skiers will do this trip in reverse and we have hiked into Bow Hut from Bow Lake this way too. One one of our trips, though, we found ourselves at Balfour Hut in poor conditions and chose to ski out to Bow Hut, then down to Bow Lake. In whiteout conditions, we compassed our way up Vulture Glacier onto … Continue reading…
With Balfour Hut as basecamp, an interesting ski is to travel west through Balfour Pass, rounding Mount Balfour on the north side. Follow the moraines and then ascend Diablaret Glacier up to the high ridge on the west side of Balfour. This is a particularly interesting side route for several reasons. First, it offers a wide view of the Yoho … Continue reading…
In a previous post, the trip from the Peyto Lookout to Peyto Hut was featured. The next leg is to bear south toward either Bow Hut or Balfour Hut. If you choose Bow Hut, there are two route choices to Balfour. On our last trip, we skipped Bow Hut and followed the high route to Vulture Col. Stay in the … Continue reading…
Outdoor enthusiasts world-wide keep the Wapta Traverse on their “bucket list.” It is a high altitude route traversing a number of glaciers on the Great Divide. Although there are other traverses in the Canadian Rockies, many require crossing steep icefalls and are best suited to skilled mountaineers. The Wapta Traverse, on the other hand, can be completed with reasonable skiing … Continue reading…
This is a favorite route in summer and winter. It is very unlikely you will see anyone along the trail, but watch for wildlife. We have seen lynx, moose, deer, coyotes, bears, grouse, owls, marmots, rabbits, and wide variety of birds. In spring and summer, wildflowers cover the hill. Wetlands in the center of the hill feature waterfowl, frogs, and … Continue reading…
We talked about backroads as winter corridors into the forest and how little information is available. A series of posts will offer a few routes over the winter: Hull Hill North We recommend this route for a number of reasons. First, there is a good road to the “trailhead.” Drive south on the Lac le Jeune Road and turn onto … Continue reading…
Immediately to the north of Kamloops lies a sloping plateau area with very few trees. It is on the border between lowland sagebrush and grasslands and also borders on Lac du Bois Provincial Park. It has been frequented by off-road vehicles and used to be the location for bush parties or shooting at targets. The off-road motorcycle/ATV activity has moved … Continue reading…
There are a few guidebooks out there that help us with routes, trailheads, junctions, and some route descriptions. There are also a few websites that support hiking, biking, and exploring wilderness areas. But, they only cover 1% of the available routes in an area like the Interior of B.C. Pick any area in the Interior. For example, I started the … Continue reading…
Aylmer Lake (sometimes called Star Lake) sits on the high, open ridge above Little Shuswap Lake. Cross the bridge over the South Thompson River at Chase and proceed west. At a well-signed junction, take the Bear-Loakin Road (Niskonlith Lake too) and climb up the switchbacks. The hillside opens up. In spring, this is one of the best areas to hike … Continue reading…