In winter we transition from hiking ridges and open hilltops to snowy forests. When there is enough snow we put on our snowshoes and choose routes that wind through the trees, along ponds and marshes, and through glades in the high country. One of the perennial choices is to stomp on the Stake Lake snowshoe trails. For this post, I … Continue reading…
When snows build up and trails become icy, we head up into the high country to snowshoe. Up the Lac le Jeune Road we can stomp on routes like Bush Lake, Dogwood Marshes, Stake Lake, Lodgepole Lake, Hull Hill, and Lac le Jeune. There is good parking for snowshoers of Bush Lake or Dogwood Marshes just off the road so … Continue reading…
In shoulder season we can drive up into higher terrain to hike on snow-covered tracks in the forest. Roche Lake Provincial Park lies at 1100 to 1300 m (3600 – 4200 ft.). Within the park are a number of lakes connected by double and single tracks. Many of the lakes (on the east side) require high-clearance or 4WD and in … Continue reading…
On a grey late fall day we drove up through the Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area to the Lac du Bois Grasslands Conservancy and parked at Lac du Bois. We hiked south along an old double track in the upper grasslands. We had hoped to have the sun break through the fog, but we only had a few glimpses. … Continue reading…
The Outer Inks area has a combination of backroads and single tracks (ATV) in the forest. In summer the tracks are used by motorcycles and a variety of 4WD, mountain bikes, quads, and a few hikers. The lower area next to the main access road is sometimes a place for people to party or camp and there is rubbish and … Continue reading…
In mid-November we hiked from the McQueen Lake area to Isobel Lake, then around the lake, and back on the same trail, a 5.5 km hike on the snow. My usual route for this hike was along the former Forestry Capital Trail (now called Beers-a-Waiting by mountain bikers) but with recent snowfall there was not much parking for a group … Continue reading…
Every winter we snowshoe through the middle grasslands of Lac du Bois Protected Area. We have several routes, but one of our favorites starts at the signed parking area for the Nature Trail. We prefer to do this route later in winter each year when the snow settles a bit and the tracks are well-stomped in. We have done this … Continue reading…
In winter we look for areas that retain snow, but allow for vehicle access and parking. Bonus features include a stomped-in track, a variety of habitat, wildlife signs, peace and quiet, and route choices. The double and single tracks of the northwest side of Hull Hill are a good choice when the conditions are right. On this mid-February … Continue reading…
From Lodgepole Lake there are many snowshoeing route possibilities. We can go up the Chuwhels Mountain Road. We can snowshoe around the lake. We can snowshoe south over the ridges toward Eureka Lake. We can loop out to Melba Lake and back. We can follow user-made tracks through the marshes, cutblocks, double tracks, and single tracks, exploring, and making … Continue reading…
Two of the prime snowshoeing areas for winter outings are up the Lac le Jeune Road in December and January (for routes over 4000 feet) and up the Lac du Bois Road in February (for routes over 2500 feet). We can also choose to go to fee-based trail systems at Stake Lake, Sun Peaks, or Harper Mountain. We can also … Continue reading…
The road up to Surrey Lake starts at a turn off the Logan Lake Road and climbs through the hills for 9km. The snow-covered frost service road is kept open by the Surrey Lake Resort. Just before the entrance into the resort area there is another Forest Service Road that goes around the lake and continues on to the … Continue reading…
The area between Lac du Bois and McQueen Lake is part of the Lac du Bois Conservancy Area. These lands are conserved as natural areas but “low impact nature recreation is allowed”(Nature Conservancy of Canada). We hike, do nature walks, and snowshoe through the upper grasslands and forests in several seasons. On a mid-February day we started our route on … Continue reading…
A favorite hike or snowshoe route goes from Lac du Bois into a valley between Opax Mountain and Wheeler Mountain. From the Lac du Bois Road, the double track goes around the north side of the lake, then follows the drainage into Hanging Valley. The gentle sloping valley continues for 5 km west where it ends in a clearing before … Continue reading…
The middle elevation hills of Lac du Bois Grasslands Provincial Park are open areas with grass and sagebrush on rounded hills and ridges. The soils are mainly a thin layer of organic materials on top of glacial tills. Where the glaciers moved across bedrock outcrops, moraines collected into kames and shaped hills. Between these hills potholes formed, once full of … Continue reading…
Hull Hill is a sprawling forested hill that fills the whole space from the Goose Lake Road to McConnell Lake, a total area of 25 square kilometers (5 km x 5 km). It has been extensively logged and replanted and there are a few resource roads that provide limited access from each side. In winter, the best access for snowshoers … Continue reading…
We enjoy hiking, cross country skiing, biking, walking, running, and walking on the Stake Lake Trails. When snows cover the high country forests, the Stake Lake snowshoe trails are a good choice for a snow stomp on well-established trails. This last venture was a loop route to one of the McConnell Hill lookouts. We went around the lake then worked … Continue reading…
