The drive to Bella Coola and back has long been a call-to-explore and a week was set aside into the calendar for the tour. It is 740 km each way so I got an early start on a Monday morning. The road is paved all the way to Anaheim Lake so I proceeded along the route, stopping for gas as … Continue reading…
The Gattling Gorge Trail starts at Helmcken Falls in Wells Gray Provincial Park. From the viewing area, just continue along the rim as it follows the Murtle River west. After a kilometre it looks out over the confluence of the Murtle and Clearwater Rivers. As the trail turns north upriver, it descends eventually down to the river’s edge at Gattling … Continue reading…
The Hamilton Corrals Commonage is a section of Crown Land surrounded by private ranching lands. A commonage is used as pasture land and fences may be erected to control the cattle (or horses). As public lands, we can access the area, but as always, we want to respect cattle, gates, and fences and leave nothing but our footprints. The commonage … Continue reading…
A recent addition to the wonderful work that the Nature Conservancy of Canada does, the Napier Ranch Conservancy is a grasslands preserve on the bench above Trapp and Napier Lakes, south of Kamloops. Visitors on foot are welcome to explore the tract of land, “treading lightly” and respecting grazing cattle on the hillside. Napier Lake Ranch (NCC site) Turn off … Continue reading…
Wells Gray has a number of waterfalls for us to visit, explore, and photograph. Dawson Falls is most often viewed from a platform on the south shore of the Murtle River, but there is also a trail that goes right to the edge of the falls on the north side of the river. The trail starts at the Pyramid Campground. … Continue reading…
The Deadman Valley Road goes north for about 50 km from the Trans Canada Highway and ends up at the end of Vidette Lake. Beyond Vidette Lake, the roads wind up into the high country. The lower end of the valley goes through the Skeetchestn Indian Reserve, then emerges into valley bottom farmland. A road climbs to the left (west) … Continue reading…
Most Wells Gray Park visitors drive along the north side of the Murtle River to the designated parking area and walk out to the Helmcken Falls viewpoint. This is a “must-do” and we have returned many times to enjoy that view. Another alternative though, is to hike for 4 km down the south side of Murtle River, right to the … Continue reading…
The hike to the base of Moul Falls is one of the best trails of our area. BC Parks has established a good parking lot and trailhead just off the Wells Gray Corridor Road, 20.7 km from the start of the road. The trail follows an old road for its first half, then a single track follows Grouse Creek to … Continue reading…
Sunrise Mountain is one of the premier hikes of our area and it starts right in town, at the end of Ronde Lane in Barnhartvale (more info – article). One of the best things about the hike are the multiple trailheads along the route. The trail follows the edge of the ridge, climbing south to the top. There are … Continue reading…
When we go to the Dewdrop Range, the Red Plateau Escarpment rises 2200 feet above. The reddish, ragged cliffs are the result of a lava flow. After thousands of years of weathering, the rock has become cracked, rotten and loose. Outcrops are rough and unreliable, talus and scree slopes are unstable, and all hiking up the escaprment is a challenging … Continue reading…
In previous hikes, we had found a good route to the hilltop above Dewdrop Arch (article), but we had never scrambled up into the Arch until recently. We drove out the Frederick Road across the Dewdrop Range and turned right at the fork. We followed the rough road for 0.6 km and parked off to the side with the Arch … Continue reading…
When we hike in the hills above Tranquille Creek, the bluffs on the west side of Wheeler Mountain invite exploration. The lava cliffs rise in stages but the most interesting section has 300 foot cliffs facing southwest. We followed backroads and then worked our way over to the foot of the bluffs. The route is off-trail and a slow-going traverse. … Continue reading…
Rousseau Hill is the prominent hill overlooking the north shore of Kamloops Lake at the west end of the Dewdrop Range. It stands above the turn in the lake so we can look down both arms of the lake from a high viewpoint. To get to the trailhead, we start on the Frederick Road and continue along this good gravel … Continue reading…
The Angel Arch trail is a short trail up a side canyon off the Upper Salt Creek route in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. It starts at the junction of two canyons at the edge of the Salt Creek riparian zone. The faint trail follows the wash southwest for 1.3 miles, climbing a ridge to a viewpoint of the 150′ tall … Continue reading…
Every spring Neskonlith Meadows is one of the best places to hike to see the early bloom of wildflowers. A permit is needed from the Band Office (see below), but it is worth the extra time and cost. The avalanche lilies and buttercups come out first and are followed by yellow bells, then spring beauties. Bluebells can be found in … Continue reading…
The Valleyview silt cliffs area has some unique ridges that run north-south, remnants of drainage divides into the glacial lake after the last ice age. Erosion has narrowed these ridges providing an opportunity for “spine-walks.” We started our hike/scramble at the end of Valleyview Drive, following tracks up into the hills. The ridges run from Juniper northward, down toward the … Continue reading…
