We planned to hike the TransCanada Trail from Brookmere to Brodie, then north along the Clearwater River for a day in October but we didn’t anticipate an early area snowfall. It had snowed lightly in the hills near Kamloops but we had not planned to hike in higher elevations so we were surprised by 6″ (15 cm) of snow in … Continue reading…
We camped at Radium and hiked in the area for a few days. One of the routes we wanted to do was the well-established trail to Lake of the Hanging Glacier. From Radium, we worked our way on backroads to the Horsethief Creek Road, a good backroad that goes 50 km west into the Purcell Range. The signed trailhead is … Continue reading…
The Hoodoos Trail is now a trail in the Nature Trust of B.C., located nor far from Fairmont, B.C. A short hike goes from the trailhead to a viewpoint, then a short loop can be walked before returning. A rim trail, though, has been in place for much longer. It skirts the edge of the bluffs and goes … Continue reading…
The Pedley Pass Trail is one of the best hikes in the East Kootenays area. By driving backroads to 1980 m (6500 feet) into the Stanford Range the trail quickly climbs into subalpine meadows and larch forests. From Highway 93 near Invermere, we took the Windermere Loop Road and then turned onto the Wesroc Mine Road passing the gypsum mine … Continue reading…
Horsethief Falls is found in the Purcell Ranges, more than 50 km up Horsethief Creek. It is in a remote spot, hidden in a canyon so it is not well-known. There is no trail to the base of the falls and the faint trail to the top of the falls is unmarked and a bit of a scramble. While hiking … Continue reading…
Skoatl Point is a dark, barren volcanic core rising above the Bonaparte Plateau. It is in a remote forested area surrounded by many lakes frequented by anglers and hunters. It is the only maintained trail in Bonaparte Provincial Park. Access is via the Jamieson Creek Road (for 25.5 km), then west on the Windy Lake Road. The trailhead … Continue reading…
Mt. Bowman is the premier hike in Marble Range Provincial Park. Access from Clinton is via the Kelly Lake Road, then a right turn onto the Jesmond Road. At 21 km north on the Jesmond Road, an unsigned side road winds to the trailhead area. Alternately, there is an access route through the Circle H Mountain Lodge, requiring permission. We … Continue reading…
Deadman River plunges over lava cliffs into the Deadman River Canyon in the hills to the east of Vidette Lake. We usually drive along the road through the hills for 5 km, then we park on a side road, approaching the brink of the falls from the north. at the viewpoint is a precarious drop-off with no guardrails, and … Continue reading…
Tsintsunko Lake Provincial Park is a 333 hectare park on the Bonaparte Plateau at an elevation of 1603 m (5260 feet). The B.C. Parks lands are along the eastern side of the lake and adjacent interconnected wetlands. The area to the west has been extensively logged. Access is on a combination of Forest Service Roads (Jamieson Creek Road > Deadman … Continue reading…
Sylvia and Goodwin Falls are located on the Mahood River, 3.5 km up from the confluence of the Mahood and Clearwater Rivers. Access is by the Clearwater River Road. This is a long drive along a winding bumpy road on the west side of the river starting in Clearwater. Some of the road is not in great … Continue reading…
Trophy Mountain is the best hike in our area, so we plan at least one hike there each year. In 2019, we hiked into the Trophy Meadows in June and in July we did Trophy Mountain (Two) Summit. In some years, we have the long traverse over to Cwem Cwem Lake and over the upper rim in a long and … Continue reading…
While camping in Clearwater, we did 3 days of hiking in the Clearwater River Valley and in the Trophy Range. For a half day hike we drove up the Clearwater Valley Road for 4.3 km to the Candle Creek Trailhead (Triple Decker Falls). We hiked down the trail to an eclectic turn-around spot and then back on the same trail … Continue reading…
We backpacked from the Philip Creek trailhead to Fight Lake, then camped overnight, climbing to the top of Battle Mountain on the second day. On the third day I was up for sunrise. The sun was rising in the east, still below Philip Mountain but the glow was on Fight Lake. To the west some rain clouds were approaching … Continue reading…
We backpacked into Fight Lake on Day One, then we did a 16 km return hike to the summit of Battle Mountain and back on Day Two. Battle Mountain is the fourth mountain in a line from Clearwater – Raft Mountain, Trophy Mountain, Table Mountain, then Battle Mountain. Battle Mountain stands at 2369 m (7772 feet) and the shortest hike … Continue reading…
Battle Mountain is the third mountain in a line (Trophy Mountain then Table Mountain) on the east side of the Wells Gray Corridor Road. It is a long way in and up to the mountain so it is best done as a 2 or 3 day backpack. A few decades ago, I did this route (to the summit of … Continue reading…
We camped at the Seton Dam Campsground and hiked into the Cayoosh Range, but we also explored the trails in the Seton Dam area. From the campground we hiked up to the upper bench, crossed the highway and found a trail down to the beach on Seton Lake, then followed the river down to the dam and beyond to the … Continue reading…
