In 1976, Peterson Creek was the first area that I hiked when I arrived in Kamloops. I lived in Lower Sahali and routes of Peterson Creek were the closest and the most intriguing trails that summer. The lower entrance was well-established and the trails went to the canyon and up the sides, but the upper trails were not defined. Most … Continue reading…
On a grey day in early April I hiked up the double track access to the base of the hill, then continued to the summit on steep single tracks. A few images are shared here. All photos by th author. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption. The hike takes about 2.5 hours and some navigation is … Continue reading…
As the snows started to melt in the river valleys, we headed out to the Tournament Capital Ranch to hike/walk the paths along the river. The tracks were icy, snowy, or muddy, but we used microspikes and picked the best route along the river, and on various tracks that allowed a loop route. The fog lifted and we had periods … Continue reading…
On a mild late winter day I snowshoed into the Butterfly Marshes, an areas seldom explored at the far south end of the Bush Lake system. There is an access road near Stake Lake, but there is no parking there until late in winter. I ventured along the access track, then onto the marshes. My plan was to visit an … Continue reading…
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Continue reading...In late winter the valley bottom beaches clear of snow and ice and we can hike/walk on sand, gravel, and some icy sections on the beaches. There are several good locations on the South Thompson, the North Thompson, and the Thompson Rivers. The north end of SChubert Drive has a loop route that includes a walk along the river and … Continue reading…
On a mild late-February day, we decided to stomp the new snowshoe trails at Stake Lake. The Cow Creek, Spruce Canyon, and Rattler Lookout trails are top-notch routes to try. In years past, I had explored this area on foot, but the terrain and the windfall was difficult so I opted to stay on the trails. The new trails were … Continue reading…
From the Timber Lake Road an informal trail winds on a route upstream, following Peterson Creek as it flows down through a forested canyon. There are 3 small bridges on this loop route. There was a track set by hikers and snowshoers and at many points there were tracks that headed off on other routes, but I had done this … Continue reading…
On a sunny winter day I chose to drive up the Paska Lake Road to the high country (at 5000 feet) to snowshoe Paska Lake and backcountry tracks of the area. It turned out to be a bit of an adventure, as explained in this video: There will be more days of exploring routes through the forest, along lakes … Continue reading…
On a foggy winter day we drove to the parking area for the Isobel Lake Trails and we snowshoed an 8.7 km loop route on established trails, with tracks set by fat tire bikes. It was foggy at the Eagle’s Eyrie parking area and around the lake, but we climbed up the Direwolf Trail to 1256m elevation (4120 feet) where … Continue reading…
On an exploratory snowshoe from the Chuwhels Lake Road onto ORV tracks, I found my way to Bow Lake and back (article). I returned 10 days later to try to find a loop route back. On a mild day, we followed the track I (and others) had set, then crossed the lake and through the forest to find another track … Continue reading…
On a mild winter day I started a snowshoe outing at the Dogwood Marshes Trailhead and continued south toward McConnell Lake following user-made tracks. At the edge of the marshes area the track crossed a fence then climbed the hill into McConnell Lake Provincial Park. The Dogwood Marshes area has a number of cutblocks and plantations, but the park around … Continue reading…
There are a number of off-road-vehicle routes on the flank of Chuwhels Mountain that can be hiked or snowshoed. Some navigation is required and there may or may not be any tracks to follow. I parked off the side of the road to Lodgepole Lake and snowshoed up one of the trails to Bow Lake and back. For much of … Continue reading…
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Continue reading...In winter the backroads become blanketed in snow and they make fine snowshoeing corridors. An out-and-back is easier in the snow, but it is more fun to create a loop route, which may mean stomping through deeper snow. A long route through deep snow is okay, but quite tiring so some kind of planning helps, using maps and Google Earth. … Continue reading…
On a hiking trip to Jasper National Park, we drove up the Mount Edith Cavell Road to the Astoria River Trail. We hiked for 2 km the turned up a side trail that followed Verdant Creek up into Verdant Pass. The trail passes by Cavell Lake before starting a gradual descent into the Astoria River Valley. This trail is the … Continue reading…