The old double tracks out the Dewdrop Range make a fine route for biking. We turn onto the Frederick (Dewdrop) Road then follow it west for 3.5 km (or park sooner and bike the main road) where we arrive at a split in the road. The lower road goes between the hills then drops down to Frederick. The upper road … Continue reading…
As winter snows melt, some backroads open up for early season biking. Goose Lake Road is a favorite. From Knutsford, turn onto the Long Lake Road and at 1.5 km, turn right (west) onto the Goose Lake Road. The pavement ends a short ways along. We usually park at the top of the first little rise. We get on our … Continue reading…
The Ironmask Hill area is a series of hills, meadows, grasslands, ponds, and forested slopes found between Coal Hill and the Lac le Jeune Road. I have been informed that it is owned by Sugarloaf Ranch, but is now designated to be part of the Ajax Mine site. Old mine sites can still be found in the area. Remnants of … Continue reading…
This interesting ride is 32 km of backroads, with one long 5km hill. It can be done in either direction, but for this article, it is described in a clockwise direction and starts from the Dewdrop Trailhead. Directions: Drive up the Red Lake Road and turn onto the Frederick/Dewdrop Road. Drive 650m down the road and park in the parking … Continue reading…
We returned (link to the previous article) to this route in the fall to enjoy a moderate route along the Trans Canada Trail and the Coldwater Corridor, a total of 12 km. We dropped a car off near the Coldwater River, then drove up to the trailhead in the Village of Brookmere. The trail has a moderate grade of 1% … Continue reading…
The 500th article was published to this site. At the same time, about 920 000 separate visits were logged. Then the database was inadvertently wrecked and the site went down for two days. I wasn't sure it could be recovered, but I got some technical help and once I could get into the backend, I have been doing some additional … Continue reading…
Badger Lake is a fine paddling destination, one of the forty lakes of our area within an hour's drive. To get to Badger Lake, turn off the Sun Peaks Road onto the Knouff Lake Road and continue past Knouff Lake without turning off, until you reach the BC Forest Service Site on the northerat side. Some fishermen also take the … Continue reading…
The Westsyde Bench trail starts in Batchelor Heights and follows the benchlands above Westsyde all the way to Deep Lake. Before the Batchelor Subdivision was built, we used to follow single and double track routes from the Lac du Bois Road, but with all the new building in the area, we now have to use a different trailhead. The easiest … Continue reading…
The first trails to dry out and be good for hiking and biking are the lower Barren Hills, above the North Shore. These slopes are south-facing, treeless, and open. Older double tracks and newer single tracks (bikes) traverse the hills, keeping much of the route gently rolling, avoiding steep climbs. It is easy to get a 8km out and back … Continue reading…
This trail is proably the least hiked in Kenna Cartwright Park. While the new road went in to connect the end of McGill, construction cut off access to the Sage Trail. Once all of the work was complete a new trailhead was built (behind the recycling depot). Hkers can now enjoy the Sage Trail overlooking Mission Flats. At the far … Continue reading…
The hills and gullies between Barnhartvale and Juniper mostly have no names, except for Sunrise (Middle) Mountain and the Rio mountain bike trail. A series of trails starts at the end of Uplands-McLeod Road in Barnhartvale and leads west to gullies and ridges. A couple of older double tracks are now complemented by some newer single tracks and various combinations … Continue reading…
In the early spring this route has many seasonal marshes and ponds. Ducks and grassland birds can be seen along the whole route, 3.7 km each way. In the fall, aspen trees and edge of forest shrubs color the landscape. In winter, the ponds are frozen over, but the open grasslands makes a scenic route with broad views across the … Continue reading…
A series of tracks between Lac du Bois Road and Mount Mara can be linked up to create a hiking or biking loop. It is an area best suited to shoulder-season since there are no trees and can be very hot in summer. There are a number of junctions to interpret so it takes a couple of outings to recognize … Continue reading…
A single track route has been in place all the way from Peterson Creek to Barnhartvale for many years, long before the first house was built in Juniper. The west end has a piece of private land and fences, so it is less used. The eastern end now has a gravel pit and a private home to steer around, but … Continue reading…
There is a large area of trails on the east side of Rose Hill Road extending for a few kilometers east toward Juniper Ridge Road, but below the Juniper-Rose Hill Connector. The trails are used by mountain bikers, dog walkers, hikers, and area residents, but there has been no map of these trails, until now. The trails can be accessed … Continue reading…
The Goose Lake Road is a favorite early season bike route. Start at the lower end and park your vehicle near the junction with the Long Lake Road. The road turns to gravel quickly, but the day I rode it, it had been freshly graded. In a two hour ride on a weekday, I only saw three vehicles along this … Continue reading…
