The Charlotte Alplands lie between Charlotte Lake and Tweedsmuir Park. Forested valleys lead up to rocky steep sided mountains with lots of hiking alpine terrain above 6000 feet. We flew from Nimpo Lake to Fish Lake in a float plane. Our gear was then taken by a horsepack outfitter (One Eye Outfit) from Frog Lake to Fish Lake where we … Continue reading…
The Nicola-Thompson area is blessed to have a number of accessible grasslands for hiking. One of the best of these is the Lundbom Commonage south of Merritt. It is accessed by driving south on Highway 5A, then turning onto the Lundbom Road. We usually park at Lundbom Lake and hike out into the hills via dirt double tracks. Several articles … Continue reading…
One of our finest park campsites is Herald Provincial Park. It has a well-designed campsite, with long beaches, fine trails, and lots of forest for both privacy and noise-buffering. For hikers too, there are a number of trails to explore. The premier trail is the short walk to Margaret Falls. The trail follows the gorge up past old-growth cedars … Continue reading…
The Charlotte Alplands are in a remote area of the province, southwest of Nimpo Lake, but on the Interior side of the Coast Range. It is a Provincial ProtectedAarea with the highest concentration of alpine lakes in B.C. There are no roads or trails in the area, except for a few hard-to-follow horsepack routes through the brush and forest. We … Continue reading…
We returned to hike trails around Kentucky and Alleyne Lakes to take in fall colors around the turquoise lakes. These are moderate trails, but we chose routes that still provided 11.2 km of hiking on a cooler day in September. The hikes start from the Day Use parking areas within the Provincial Park. The loop around Kentucky Lake … Continue reading…
Park Lake Canyon can be accessed from a (closed to vehicles) State Park Road on the south side of the lake. We rode our bikes down from the campground, then hiked up an old jeep track all the way up the canyon. Basalt cliffs lien the canyon on both sides as the track gradually climbs all the way to the … Continue reading…
Steamboat Rock State Park has two fine hikes – Steamboat Rock (itself) and a trail up Northrup Canyon to Northrup Lake. The Northrup Trail starts on the east side of Banks Lake at a signed trailhead. Basalt cliffs rise above the trail as it gradually heads northeast. The trail continues to an old abandoned farmhouse, occupied by successive pioneers from … Continue reading…
The hike to the top of Trophy Mountain is the premier route in our region. We started going up the mountain in 1976 and we have returned every year. The month for our hike varies, but we always go up through the meadows to Plateau of the Lakes and from there we vary the route – up to Long Hill, … Continue reading…
Monck Provincial Park lies on the western shores of Nicola Lake. From the campground area, trails go along the lakeshore and up onto the rocky hill above the road. Views over the lake are found at many points along the trails. There is one short spur tail that goes from the campground out to the bluffs on the south side. … Continue reading…
Steamboat Rock State Park is found just south of the Grand Coulee Dam in Central Washington State. It is right in the middle of the Grand Coulee that was formed by the scouring of the lands into the channeled scablands caused by the release of Glacial Lake Missoula at the end of the last Ice Age. In an earlier era, … Continue reading…
Ruckle Point Provincial Park is located on the south shore of Salt Spring Island. There are 7 km of shoreline and 15 km of forested trails for hikers. The walk-in campground is on a grassy-rocky bench overlooking the channel. This was our base camp for a week of paddling and hiking. The entire south shoreline is rocky, but there are … Continue reading…
July Mountain is a remote peak on the north end of the Coquihalla Summit area. It is accessed off the Coquihalla Highway at the Juliet Creek exit. A narrow gravel road goes uo the valley for 4 km before crossing the creek. Over the next 4 km, the road becomes rougher, more grown-in with alder, and there are a number … Continue reading…
On rainy days, picking trails closer to home and not too far from the vehicle is a good idea. We still want to find scenic routes and we often return to the Mesa Trail when we have less time and the weather is marginal. We hiked from the trailhead just past the prison up to the Mesa Trail junction. Sure … Continue reading…
Mt. Kerr is the highest peak in the Marble Range at 7480 feet. It is a challenging route since it is a 22 km out-and back hike. The trailhead is the same one we use for Mt. Bowman or Wild Horse Ridge (links at the bottom). The approach is on a high-clearance track which follows the power line and ends … Continue reading…
Tuktakamin Mountain stands at 5816 feet above the village of Falkland, Highway 97 goes around the base of the mountain on 2 sides and there are numerous communications towers on top. It is possible to drive to the top, but there is also a good loop trail that follows one ridge to the summit and another ridge down. The trailhead … Continue reading…
Mad Dog Mountain is one of several peak in the Marble Range which has a trail to the summit. These limestone peaks have barren rugged karst formations on the summits, offering wonderful hiking opportunities. We parked on the Jesmond Road at Foundation Creek and followed the trail up the creek between Mad Dog and Lime Ridge. This trail has … Continue reading…
