On a clear September day I drove to Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park. I paddled Leighton Lake (3.4 km) from the Leighton Campground then hiked a signed trail around the lake, out to the Bluff Hill lookout, back through Tunkwa Campground, and then back to the start, a 6.5 km trail hike. An early start provided calm conditions on the lakes. … Continue reading…
On a grey and smoky morning I hiked the Mariposa Trail up Peterson Creek Park, then crossed the creek. I went straight up the hill to the top of Tower Hill, a steep 225 m of elevation climb in 0.66 km. This is not a recommended route. It is much easier to follow the trails north, then link up a … Continue reading…
We hiked the trail along the Tranquille River at the end of summer. Part way up the trail the whole area is flooded. The marshy area is a result of a broken water pipe that runs from the dam/water treatment area upstream down to Tranquille. We can see the exposed pipe in several places, but at the flooded area, all … Continue reading…
On a day of less smoke from the forest fires, I hiked the hills around Deep Lake. From the parking area on Ida Lane, I started on the Extended Loop Route which goes north then west, working my way across the hills toward Deep Lake. There is a trail which goes up over the hills branching off the … Continue reading…
During September a few years ago, we traveled to Murtle Lake before smoky conditions in smothered the area and we decided to shorten our time there once the smoke moved in. On the second day we paddled the west end of the west arm of Murtle Lake. We launched from Birch Beach and paddled past Smoker Island. The wide bay … Continue reading…
Smoky days made it difficult to get out hiking, but when a clear day arrived, we were ready to go. The Kamloops Nature Parks had opened on the previous afternoon, so we got an early start to hike the trails in Kenna Cartwright Park. One of our favorite routes is to hike west onto the Big Pine Trail, then to … Continue reading…
With nature parks closed and smoky conditions in the area, the best bet for hiking was to go to travel to an area that was clearer, or alternately, to watch for a break in the local conditions. On a less-smoky day I hiked the Battle Bluff Trail in the Dewdrop Range. It had rained the day before so conditions were … Continue reading…
Smoke filled the valleys in the area on a hot summer day, but we took a chance and went up the chairlift at Sun Peaks to hike the upper part of Tod Mountain. We hiked over the top and then down into Whyte Bowl for a loop route. A few wildflowers were still in bloom in the middle of August, … Continue reading…
Savona Mountain stands above Savona and Kamloops Lake with steep cliffs on the north and east sides. We can hike to the Savona Caves part-way up the cliffs on the east side, but we can also drive to the top of Savona Mountain on a forest service road and hike from the summit along to the rim. The area at … Continue reading…
By mid-to-late summer the grasslands dry out and both grasses and other plants go into dormancy. Greens give way to browns. Seedheads form and walking through the grasses means collecting seeds, burrs, and vegetative debris. It is a good time to wear gaiters over socks and boot tops. I usually ignore those measures and just hike wherever I choose to, … Continue reading…
Some time ago, there were quite a few trips to the Rockies to mountaineer, backpack, run, hike, and explore. Most of those trips were done before a SLR camera was part of the gear. Most trips had no photos or a cheap film camera with a few images saved. Some were scanned, and there are more to come. A few … Continue reading…
We hiked the trail network on the northeast side of Logan Lake. These were originally cross country ski trails but they have evolved into multi-use trails (hiking, xc skiing, snowshoeing, biking, horseback riding). There were about 36 km of trails, but the whole area was burned in the summer of 2021. Work has been done to remove the danger trees … Continue reading…
A rail trail connecting to the Kettle Valley Railway Trails (Trans Canada Trail) connected at Brodie Station and went north, down the Coldwater River to the Brookmere Road. We used to hike a loop route from Brookmere to Brodie, then north across 7 trusses to a point on the Brookmere Road. The rail trail was also used by ATVs and … Continue reading…
On a warm summer day, I hiked a route along the rim of Tranquille Canyon from the Watching Creek Rec Site. The orginal trail on both sides of the river was built when the BC Forest Service had an outdoor recreation department. There were two bridges across the river and we could hike a loop route. Both bridges (and one … Continue reading…
On a hot summer morning I drove south past Stump Lake, then up the Peterhope Lake Road. An unsigned side road bears north and I parked there to hike into the hills to explore old mine workings, but also the hills, ponds, lakes, and forests of the area. The Mary Reynolds mine was worked from 1889 to 1929. Ore was … Continue reading…
There is an informal trail around the east side of Face Lake which connects to ATV tracks and backroads for a loop route in the area below Chuwhels Mountain. The trailhead is on the edge of Mile High Resort at the camping area at the northeast side. Anyone accessing the Resort property should check-in at the main office. Tthe first … Continue reading…