The double tracks on the northwest side of Hull Hill provide interesting snowshoe routes in winter. The tracks become snowed in and motorized traffic ceases (except for an occasional snowmobile). We usually drive for 400m down the Goose Lake Road to the side road. If the road is unplowed, snowshoers can park at the top and walk down. For 4WD … Continue reading…
A favorite winter snowshoe route is the snowed-in double track up the east side of Opax Mountain. We follow the gravel road to the BC Forest Service kiosk near the Mud Lake Demonstration Forest then continue east, climbing for 3 km onto a forested plateau. The best views are to the south so we continued along the double track to … Continue reading…
Jag Hill is an outlier ridge of the Red Plateau Escarpment. There is not trail from the backroad network, but the route just follows the height of land along the ridge to the final open hill. It has wonderful views and makes a fine destination for a hike. On a February day we chose to snowshoe up to the ridge … Continue reading…
When Lac le Jeune was the main cross-country ski center there were top-notch trails bearing west in several loops that were well-used and some national-level competitions were hosted in the area. The ski hill was in operation too. We brought out kids there to learn to downhill ski. A double track trail also went up the west side of the … Continue reading…
All of the routes off the north, west and south sides of Hull hill make fine snowshoeing routes, but all require stomping in tracks and navigating the backwoods. The main access route for the north and west side is off the Goose Lake Road, which is usually plowed in winter (the plough went by the day after the recent snowfall). … Continue reading…
We hike from the Lac du Bois Road across the open grasslands hills to Long Lake in the spring when waterfowl is on the lake. We sometimes hike around the lake in a loop just to enjoy the quiet grasslands and riparian activity. We often explore the glaciated features of the area – eskers, kames, potholes, moraine ridges, striated outcrops, … Continue reading…
Each winter we try to snowshoe in a different place each time for the whole season, going back to the most reliable spots first and when conditions are ready, heading to the hills for new routes, to the tops of hills, and to routes only visited every few years. When we take out novices, family members, or groups, we find … Continue reading…
All of the side roads and tracks off the Lac le Jeune Road have areas to snowshoe. Most are explorations, but as more people venture out, tracks are set for others to follow. One area that has many hours of snowshoeing for explorers is the Upper Goose Lake Hills. This is crown land adjacent to the upper end of the … Continue reading…
When winter comes and snow blankets the high country, we head up into the hills and Lodgepole Lake is good spot for a day of snowshoeing. In the Kamloops area we have to drive high enough to find enough snow to make it worthwhile, but the roads to the higher areas have to be plowed and there has to be … Continue reading…
For most of the snowshoe season we pick tracks in the forest and what we see is snow and trees. The varieties of trees depends on elevation, terrain, and aspect. The Dogwood Marshes are at 1250 m (4100 feet) elevation so the forest is mostly Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, and some spruce. In the more open wet spots we also … Continue reading…
Each winter we return to snowshoe in the Bush Lake area. The north end sees more cross country skiers and snowshoers partly because a loop is marked and usually tracked. We recently added our track on that loop, adding some paths around windfall and across new cutblocks. We have been on the south end of the area twice and set … Continue reading…
The Dogwood Marshes may be the best snowshoeing terrain in the Kamloops area. We can drive up the Lac le Jeune Road and park at the Bush Lake pull-through/parking area. The trailhead is right by the fence on the east side. The trails drop into the bowl and then snowshoers just follow any of the informal tracks. Many routes are … Continue reading…
Niskonlith Lake is a good 11km paddle around the shoreline, set in a scenic bowl. Kamloops paddlers can get there by going along Shuswap Road, then up the Bear-Loakin Road to the turn-off to the Provincial Park. The best launch spot is within the Provincial Park at the designated boat launch. Some of the forest on the north/west shore of … Continue reading…
From the top of Iago Peak, the snowy Coquihalla Summit peaks are in a 360 degree panorama: Shown in a clockwise direction from Iago Peak: the Anderson Peaks (NW) Guanaco Peak (N) Vicuna Peak (N) Alpaca Peak (NE) Llama Peak(NE) Zupjok Peak (ENE) Zopkios Ridge (E) Yak Peak (E) Coquihalla Highway (ESE) Markhor Peak (SE) Needle Peak (SE) Flatiron Mountain … Continue reading…
At the end of winter, we headed out from the Zopkios Rest Area and followed an old double track that goes up to the top of Ottomite Mountain. On the shoulder of the hill, we contoured around the north side to a meadow, then we followed a faint single track across the sideslopes of Zupjok Peak to the ridge that … Continue reading…
We have been doing the Bushwhacker Loop on top of McConnell Hill for quite a few years. We used to ski up the Sidewinder Trail then set off on the rough trail on our touring skis, which was always an adventure. We were always setting our own track and there was always deadfall to get over, under, or around. Once … Continue reading…
