Just outside St. George, Utah is an area called Red Cliffs Recreation area. The slickrock canyons, ragged bluffs, canyons, and mesas of the area sit on the edge of the desert. Some narrow canyons have been cut by streams flowing out of the Pine Mountains on the way to the Virgin River. An interesting hiking trail/scramble leads up one of … Continue reading…
We had hiked to Dolomite Pass a number of times and had looked up to Cirque Peak at the end of the valley. This time, we planned to scramble to the summit from the outset and, on a sunny day, we hiked in to Helen Lake from the trailhea which starts across from the Crowfoot Glacier viewpoint on the Jasper-Banff … Continue reading…
Hanging Valley is a fairly level, but longer snowshoe in a quiet part of Lac ud Bois Provincial Protected Area/Nature Conservancy Lands. The route starts at Lc du Bois and follows the north shore track to the west end of the lake. A double track goes through a gap between hills into a long back valley. Hanging Valley runs from … 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…
We have climbed Opax Mountain in the winter now for a few years. The route is a good one and the views are outstanding. It is a demanding winter trek for most people, but a rewarding one too. The route is 10km return on the snow with 357m elevation gain. Opax can be a confusing mountain to navigate, but anyone … Continue reading…
We were pleasantly surprised by the trails above Buse Creek. We followed both snowshoe tracks and cross country ski tracks along backroads and side roads and created a loop. We had explored these trails before on our way over to Bestwick Hill. There is really a network of backroads on this gentle sidehill. There are also some fences and gates, … Continue reading…
This trail is the bucket list for people world-wide. It is on a number of “best” and “most” lists from most dangerous to most beautiful. It starts at the end of the road and follows the rugged pali (cliffs) on the Na Pali Coast of Kauai. Above is Mount Waialeale, the wettest spot on the planet. If you … Continue reading…
On a foggy day in town, we climbed above the cloud layer to snowshoe in the upper grasslands. We followed the old grass-dirt track into the meadows, then the route into Clay Lake to see the old Reid Homestead and the views across the meadows at the top of the Community Grasslands Trail. We then wnet through the forest through … Continue reading…
We have used the backroads of Hull Hill for snowshoeing for a while now, but since there are many sideroads, each one is a separate day of exploration. On this day, the sun was shining, it was cold, the snow was crystalline, and the group enjoyed a winter’s day on the snow. Vehicle Access: drive south on the Lac le … Continue reading…
Although we wanted to head out on higher trails, a heavy snowfall made us reconsider vehicle access and parking. We thought about trailheads that were easy to drive to, that still led to an area of trails and backroads with enough snow and we decided on the Outer Inks Lake Trails. In the past two years, these trails are low … Continue reading…
Zion Canyon is surrounded by sheer red sandtone walls. A few trails precariously wind up into canyons or onto slickrock ridges. Roads originate from distant routes and work their way to the edge of escarpments on mesas, still leaving a long trek to the canyon. Long canyon routes start at remote locations and can be navigated downstream, opportunities for canyoneers. Scrambling … Continue reading…
In British Columbia, we mostly hike ridges to high points, In Utah, many hikes are through canyons, especially on the Colorado Plateau. In Zion National Park, there are hundreds of canyons to explore and a few of them having regular hiking trails in them. One of the more unusual ones is Hidden Canyon. The trailhead and the first kilometre follows … Continue reading…
We have been going up Chuwhels Mountain in winter for a few years and returned again recently. It is still one of the best access routes to the high country. Vehicle Access: Go south on the Lac Le Jeune to Stake Lake the road goes west at this point and crosses under the Coquihalla Highway the road is usually plowed … Continue reading…
The second in a series of articles on Snowshoe Routes in the area. Vehicle access to Upper Timber Lake: Drive south on the Lac le Jeune Road Turn onto the Timber Lake Road this is an unsigned road, but is the first road past the ranch (turn at N50 34.443 W120 25.977) this is an active logging road so the … Continue reading…
A series of articles will be posted to this site featuring snowshoe routes of the area. Some of the prerequisites for a good snowshoe route include: road access to the high country parking at or near the trailhead lots of snow (south-facing slopes and lower areas can be hiked) routes cant be driven on easy-to-follow routes field work done to … Continue reading…
This was our first hike in Zion National Park. It was 98 degrees (F) and I had a fever from a cold that had hit me the night before. I took some analgesic and then chose a steep hike. I sweated and puffed on the switchbacks, but on every stage, I was blown away by the unique trail and scenery. … Continue reading…