Much of the Island of Mauai is Haleakala, a 10 000 foot shield volcano. We can drive to the summit, entering Haleakala National Park on the way up. The Visitors Center is on the rim, just below the highest point and this is where the main trailhead is. Almost all of the hikes must drop into the crater, 3000 feet … Continue reading…
Just south of Potholes Reservoir is the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, an area of basalt lava cliffs, lakes, ponds, grasslands, and canyons. It is part of the channeled scablands, a corridor scoured by the release of an ice age lake, now an eroded and complex terrain. We drove into the middle of the Refuge to hike the Frog Lake … Continue reading…
The road on the west coast of Maui goes south past Kihei, through Wailea and then ends at Kahena. At the end of the paved road, a narrow road winds through lava flows in the Ahihi Natural Preserve before ending at La Perouse Bay. The Hoapili Trail continues south along the coastline. It was once part of the “Kings Highway,” … Continue reading…
Kealia Pond National Wildlife Reserve is located just north of Kihei on Maui. A viewing platform of the larger pond is found one mile north of Kihei on the northeast side. On the other side of the pond off the highway is the Kealia Coastal Boardwalk, a 2200 foot walkway through salt marsh ponds. Wetland birds, waterfowl, and coastal birds … Continue reading…
The Sullivan Range is a 1000m high ridge that runs north-south, parallel to the North Thompson River, 5 km south of McLure. The trails are old backroads and double tracks accessed from the Orchard Lake Road. They are part of a trail system adopted by the Horse Council of BC. The Orchard Lake Trails can be accessed by a lower … Continue reading…
Just south of Potholes Reservoir is the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, an area of lava flow cliffs, lakes, ponds, grasslands, and canyons. It is part of the channeled scablands, scoured by the release of an ice age lake, an eroded and complex terrain. We drove into the middle of the Refuge to hike the Frog Lake – Mesa Loop … Continue reading…
Just south of Potholes Reservoir is the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, an area of lava flow cliffs, lakes, ponds, grasslands, and canyons. It is part of the channeled scablands, scoured by the release of an ice age lake, an eroded and complex terrain. We drove into the middle of the Refuge to hike the Frog Lake – Mesa Loop … Continue reading…
There are no trails or roads into the Charlotte Alplands. Access is mainly by floatplane from Nimpo Lake or for a few, by rough horsepack routes from Charlotte Lake. We flew into Fish Lake and hiked around the Fish – Frog Lake area then hiked out past Cowboy Lakes. There are other ways to get into the Charlotte Alplands for … Continue reading…
Our week in the Charlotte Alplands was based out of a camp on Frog Lake, then we hiked up through the forest to subalpine and alpine terrain north of the Fish-Frog Lakes Valley. We spent two days hiking into rocky alpine terrain on the peak immediately north of the camp. Maps do not name the broad peaks and ridges on … Continue reading…
We returned to hike Estekwalan Mountain in October, 2016. The loop trail is steep one, but the terrain is one of the most interesting in the Interior. The trail follows the rim of an amphitheater of cliffs with rewarding views of rugged terrain. To get to the trailhead, turn onto Wetaskiwin Road (the Dump Road) at the west end … Continue reading…
The Charlotte Alplands are a protected area of rocky mountains, forested valleys, and alpine lakes in a remote area between Charlotte Lake (West Chilcotin) and the Coast Range. The area has no roads or trails so access is by floatplane from Nimpo Lake or through a horsepack outfitter like One Eye Outfit. Once out of the forested valleys, the subalpine … Continue reading…
The Jag Hill Jaunt is a moderate hike to a wonderful viewpoint on the rim of the Red Plateau Escarpment. All of the hikes from the Dewdrop Range to the hilltops on Red Plateau are harder hikes with lots of elevation gain, but there are a few routes from the Red Plateau Forest Service Road that are more moderate and … Continue reading…
Mount Hamilton stands between the Douglas Lake Valley and the Quilchena Creek Valley. The trailhead to the Lookout is right off the Douglas Lake Road just west of the Spahomin Indian Reserve. The grassland hills stretch off in every direction from this elevation. The first section of the backroad up to the Mount Hamilton Lookout crosses Douglas Lake Ranch property, … Continue reading…
Umatiila Rock Trail is a giant fin-like monument in the middle of Grand Coulee below Dry Falls. The trailhead starts in the Park. It is possible to drive up the coulee on the road to Deep Lake, but we started right in the Dry Falls Campground, following a wetlands trail to the signed trailhead on the southwest corner of Umatilla … Continue reading…
We returned to hike to Skoatl Point in October of 2016. We have done this hike many times and from our experiences we prefer to hike the trail sometime between mid-August and mid-October. Before then, the trail can be quite wet. Early on, deadfall can be an issue and in June and July, bugs are another problem. By the end … Continue reading…
The whole range of hills from Lafarge to Lions Head above Shuswap Road are rocky, steep, and seldom-visited. The steep slopes from the valley floor have no trails or tracks. The route in from the north is a long and complicated one. Private property lines the foot of the hills and fringes the northwest and eastern sides. In this hiking … Continue reading…
