Paddling on any large lake is a transit from one marine campsite to the next. There are 4 backcountry campgrounds on Azure Lake. Each has its own special quality. They all have tent sites, a beach, a metal food cache, firepits, outhouses, firewood, and picnic tables. The best of all the campsites is at Rainbow Falls, as noted in the … Continue reading…
At the end of Azure Lake is a magical spot. Rainbow Falls Campground sits about 5km from the east end of the lake. Angus Horne River flows into the lake here, tumbling over Rainbow Falls. Millennia of silt deposits have created a sandy crescent of a beach from the river mouth west around the bay. Campsites in the woods fronting … Continue reading…
Images along the trail:
Continue reading...One of the premier hikes in our province is the hike from Murtle Lake to the top of Wavy Crest Ridge. It is a very remote spot that takes some planning and time, but the trail is good and is always rewarding. From Blue River, take the Murtle Lake Road (look for the Blue River Campround sign) and follow this … Continue reading…
The two arms of Murtle Lake wind around Central Mountain (see the map in the previous post). From a number of viewpoints, hikers can look down the west arm or the north arm of the lake. To the east is the Wavy Range, with triangular peaks and long rocky ridges. To the north is an endless line of snow and … Continue reading…
If you don't set goals and targets for your efforts, you won't set aside the time and effort to explore new areas. A new area takes time to research, time to prepare, time to travel to and from, and will probably take longer than planned if you are exploring new territory. For some areas, there is no information, so you … Continue reading…
We camped at the end of the Clearwater Valley Road by Clearwater Lake and paddled the lake and hiked some trails, then, on the way back we hiked the North Dawson Falls Trail. A sign marks the trailhead not far from the Pyramid Trailhead. A loop route can be hiked, but on this occasion, we hiked in and back out … Continue reading…
From Clearwater, the Wells Gray Road follows the east side of the Clearwater River all the way to Clearwater Lake. Many trails start along the way. Trailheads: 0.0 km – the start of the road: 4.3 km – Triple Decker Falls, Candle Creek Falls, Clearwater River Trail 10.2 km – Spahats Falls 11.3 km – Trophy Mountain Road 13.2 km … Continue reading…
In early July we hiked to the summit of Trophy Two, a long day on the trail. We covered 19 km and spent 8 hours on the trail. The day was warm and cloudy with some mosquitoes in the forest, but none in the upper meadows, nor on the high ridges. We followed the main trail to the end of … Continue reading…
The Wells Gray Corridor Road ends at Clearwater Lake where there is a campground and a boat launch. Right at the campground is a longer (km) trail over the forested hills above Clearwater Lake. The Chain meadows loop Trail is about 16.5 km. The trail winds to the top of Bluff overlooking the falls, then goes north on a wet … Continue reading…
December, 2016 Dec. 2 – Frederick Bluffs Dec. 3 – Kamloops Climb Dec. 7 – Outer Inks trails Dec. 9 – Kamloops Climb Dec. 14 – Dogwood Marshes snowshoe Dec. 18 – Bush Lake snowshoe Dec. 21 – Lodgepole Lake snowshoe Dec. 23 – Hull South snowshoe Dec. 28 – Upper Goose Hills snowshoe Dec. 30 – Bush Lake South … Continue reading…
Every year we look back and wish we had done more of the places on our long list. This year we snowshoed in the winter, we started paddling on the river early and had an early start to the hiking season too, on the trails 3 days a week from February to December. We paddled 64 days from Feb. 29 … Continue reading…
The trail is long, but the destination is worth the effort. Some caveats first. Do this hike before or after the mosquito season. Be prepared to climb, over, under, or around the deadfall. Spring is best to see the power of the river as it tumbles over the falls. Fall adds season color to the trail. The trailhead is at … Continue reading…
Wells Gray Corridor hikes start off the main road into Wells Gray. Most follow the Murtle Plateau to waterfalls, along rivers, or to lookouts. They are forest walks, excellent for the early season or late summer. They can be very buggy from June 1st through July 15th (or later). Few of the trails go very far since they are in … Continue reading…
If the time is available to go beyond Plateau of the Lakes, then a climb to Long Hill and/or Trophy 2 is recommended, especially for the added views and just getting to the top of the mountain. To go up Long Hill (west of the plateau), go beyond the last lake underneath Trophy 2, and aim to the high col … Continue reading…
