The main canyon of Zion National Park is a very busy area with many visitors flooding the buses and trails on either side of the Virgin River. The vertical walls of Zion Canyon allow for only a few points of entry, zigzagging up the slickrock on ledges to hanging canyons above, or into the river at the Narrows. But this … Continue reading…
We revisited the ghost town of Grafton, Utah. The previous time was in 2013 and much was the same as before, but restoration work had progressed on the buildings, fences, gates, and property. A full website is also in place which has all the detail on the history, buildings, and restoration story – Grafton Heritage Project. To get to Grafton, … Continue reading…
Between Zion National Park and the Vermillion Cliffs to the east is an area of hills, terraces, and buttes. The Sand Hills are found in that area, with Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park as the centerpiece. Driving east through Zion, we arrive at Mt. Carmel Junction. From there, drive 6 km south to the signed turn to the park. … Continue reading…
Spalding Hill is in the middle of South Pender Island, accessed from Castle Road. It is a steep hike to the top of Spalding Hill bluffs. We parked down on the Spalding Road and walked up to the signed trailhead. The trail winds among bluffs to the top. Views extend east across Plumper Sound to Saturna Island. Turkey vultures soared … Continue reading…
The south side of Kamloops Lake is all rocky hills with steep vertical slopes down to the lake. Only the Tobiano benchland has relatively easy access. The rest of the slopes have limited access. Private property, grazing fences, and very few roads can be found along all of the south side of the lake from Kamloops to Savona, with a … Continue reading…
Brooks Point Regional Park lies at the southeast corner of South Pender Island. There are some short trails through the forest, but the best parts of the park are the headlands that jut out into Boundary Pass. The rocky points provide views south to the San Juan Islands, east to Saturna Island and southeast to Mount Baker. It is especially … Continue reading…
We returned back to Bryce Canyon National Park while hiking in Zion National Park. By Highway SR9 through Zion and then north on Highway 89, we drove for 2 hours to theBryce Park entrance, then turned to the Fairyland Canyon trailhead. We had hiked 4 times here before, but we always seem to enjoy the Fairyland Trail the most, so … Continue reading…
Painted Bluffs Provincial Park is a series of colorful ridges and gullies on the north side of Kamloops Trails. Access is overland from the Copper Creek Road or by boat to the beach area below the bluffs. We have been to Painted Bluffs many times. We tried a different route in the spring, arriving at the top of the bluffs, … Continue reading…
On the north end of North Pender Island is the George Hill Trail. All of the trails on Pender Island are well-signed with designated parking, but there are a lot of turns to get to the right spot. Here is a good guide to the trailhead – Pender Parks and Trails. We climbed the trail to the hilltop … Continue reading…
When we drive down the Coquihalla Highway to the Coast, we pass the old tollbooth area in the Coquihalla Summit area and on clear days we can look across the Coquihalla Canyon to the south and enjoy the views of a rocky range of peaks. The Bedded Range (part of the Hozameen Range) parallels the Coquihalla River. Coquihalla Mountain is … Continue reading…
Rousseau Creek runs down from Red Plateau on the western side of Rousseau Hill. A fan-shaped gentle slope fills an area of 500 sq meters by 500 sq m next to the creek, the site of the former Twelve Mile Ranch. Little is known about the ranch, but I spent a day paddling over to the beach in front … Continue reading…
Roche Lake Provincial Park has a number of lakes, mostly used by fishermen and a number of older double tracks and some single tracks through the bush to connect them. We have good access to Roche Lake, Horseshoe Lake, and Bleeker Lake, but most of the other lakes require 4WD to get to them (or a brave drive with … Continue reading…
The Savona Caves Trail is a short and steep route to cliffs on the east side of Mount Savona. To find the trailhead, drive south on the Tunkwa Lake Road for about 11.5 km from Savona and turn onto the Savona Mountain Road. At 0.6 up the forest service road, watch for a dirt double track on the right. Park … Continue reading…
On the south side of Pemberton is One Mile Lake and a number of trails suitable for walking, hiking, and mountain biking. A loop goes around the lake, but a good connector trail goes to Nairn Falls Provincial Park, and mountain bike trails go over the ridge on the east side. Over 2 days of hiking, we went to Nairn … Continue reading…
The Wells Gray Corridor Road ends at Clearwater Lake where there is a campground and a boat launch. Right at the campground is a longer (km) trail over the forested hills above Clearwater Lake. The Chain meadows loop Trail is about 16.5 km. The trail winds to the top of Bluff overlooking the falls, then goes north on a wet … Continue reading…
There are 60 km of hiking trails in the Stake Lake network. A few of them go over or around McConnell Hill. The hill rises 600 feet above McConnell Lake, with steep cliffs on the west and north sides. Below the cliffs are talus slopes of broken rock, a rugged terrain, not suitable for hiking. Yet, when the snows cover … Continue reading…
