The Clearwater Lake Campgrounds are at the end of the Clearwater Valley road in Wells Gray Provincial Park. From the campground are several tails which go east and north. The trailhead for the Osprey Lookout starts right at the campground. The signed and well-maintained trail is also the trailhead for the Sticta Falls and Dragon’s Tongue, the Osprey Loop, …Continue reading…
From the Clearwater Lake campsites there are trailheads to several trails, including the Sticta Falls and Dragon’s Tongue Trails. In the morning we we hiked on the trail which goes through a cedar-hemlock forest. A junction is reached with the left fork going up to the Osprey Lookout and the Chain Meadows Trail and the right …Continue reading…
I took the water taxi from the campground area at the end of Clearwater Lake to the Rainbow Falls Marine Campsite on Azure Lake and paddled back to the start. In the first day, I paddled my kayak for 15.5 km to Four and a Half Mile Campground in stormy conditions. On the next morning I paddled for 5.7 km …Continue reading…
When we go up Clearwater Lake and then up the river to Azure Lake and then east on Azure, we are going around Azure and Zodiac Mountains. Though they rise above both lakes they are somewhat hidden and inaccessible. From satellite imagery there are open ridges, tarns, snowfields, and rugged peaks to explore. The first known ascent of Zodiac Mountain …Continue reading…
We padded up Clearwater Lake in Wells Gray Provincial Park to the Diver’s Bluff Marine Campground, then hiked the Eagle’s View Trail. We launched our boats (canoes and kayaks) and headed up the west shore of the lake. With calm conditions we were at our destination in about 75 minutes. From the boat launch at the end …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…
The skies in Wells Gray were smoky so there were no views, but we chose to hike a longer forest trail anyway. We took our time and focused on the flora, fungi, fauna, light, and geology along the trail instead. A few of our sightings are included here. Fungi were also numerous and are featured at this link.
One of the best paddling destinations we try to do every year is Clearwater Lake. The boat launch is at the very end of the Wells Gray Corridor Road. Beyond the launch is 22km of wilderness lake with treed shorelines and snow-capped mountains rising above. Along the shoreline are a few wilderness marine campsites. We have enjoyed going to the …Continue reading…
The launch for Clearwater Lake is 3 km up the road past the campground. Part of the reason for this is Osprey Falls. The Dragon Tongue lava flow blocked the Clearwater River (7600 years ago) and increased the size of Clearwater Lake, but the lava wall also created a waterfall 540m wide. For much of the year, it is …Continue reading…