Monte Lake Kayaking

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Monte Lake is located by Highway 97 between Kamloops and Vernon.     The lake lies between the highway and a seldom-used railway.   A small community is on the northeast corner of the lake.   The hills surrounding the community and the lake were burned in the  2021 White Rock Lake fire.

We can launch a boat from two spots, from a side road at the north end of the lake, or from a Rec. pullout off the highway.   A paddle of the whole lake is 6.5 km.

On this last day of paddling I chose to paddle down the middle of the lake, then back along the west shore in about 1.35 hrs.

Monte

There was no wind and the reflections of the clouds in the lake cast a magical portrait of kayaking.

Monte

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Tunkwa Lake Kayaking

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Tunkwa Lake is located in the hills to the northwest of Logan Lake.    We can get there by going through Logan Lake and turning onto the Tunkwa Lake Road (about an hour of driving).    We can also turn off the TransCanada Highway just east of Savona and go south on that same road.    We usually go there by one road and return on … Continue reading →

McConnell Lake Trail

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On a grey and drizzly morning I drove up the Lac le Jeune Road to McConnell Lake.    It had rained all night in town and rain clouds still hovered of the area.    As I hiked around the lake, it rained lightly.   It was a quiet morning for this 3.5 km route.    An eagle was perched on a tree on an island.   A pileated … Continue reading →

McQueen Lake to Isobel Lake

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In the first week of summer the hike chosen was a route from McQueen Lake to Isobel Lake. A short distance from the turn into the Overnight Center an older trail bears northeast.    This was once called the Forestry Capital Trail, an interpretative trail through the forest with stations along the way.     Many of the numbered posts are still positioned along the trail, but … Continue reading →

Coal Hill Hike

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From the upper side of Aberdeen, we can hike tracks that wind up the hill toward the top of Coal Hill.    A number of tracks link to the Pineview Trail network.    Some of the tracks are remnants of mining routes and there are old digs and remains of a couple of cabins.   The grasslands above are pasture lands so hikers should avoid any areas … Continue reading →

Wild Horse Canyon Backpack

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In May, all of the higher elevation backpacking routes are still covered in snow, but Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park can be hiked and backpacked early.    In past years we have run through Wildhorse Canyon from East Kelowna to Naramata, and we have also backpacked a two night loop route over the mountain.    In one year a solo backpack started at a trailhead off Lakeshore … Continue reading →

McQueen Lake Hike

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McQueen Lake Environmental Education Center is a School District site with an overnight center for classes, a day center for shorter visits, and a number of trails for students to use. the public is asked to steer clear of the overnight center area, but hikers may use the trails on the south and east side, preferably on days when students are not on site.   For hikers, … Continue reading →

Rattler Viewpoint Hike

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On a warm day in mid-June I returned to hike to Rattler Viewpoint on a combination of trails.    In the previous year I had hiked from Stake Lake, but this year I chose to start at the south end of the trail system, just off the Rossmore Forest Service Road.   I followed ski trails, snowshoe trails, off-piste trails and some off-trail sections, mostly in the … Continue reading →

Lineham Ridge Hike

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We camped at Waterton Lakes National Park and day-hiked several trails, including Crypt Lake, Lineham Ridge, Bertha Lake, and sections of the Great Divide Trail.     We hiked up to Mt. Lineham via Lineham Ridge in good weather.    The trail starts off the Akamina Parkway.    The Rowe Creek Trail is also a leg of the Great Divide Trail (GDT).    It winds up the … Continue reading →

In the Floodlands

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In early June the lands near Tranquille begin to flood during freshet.    We can paddle this area once the water is high enough so we can clear the barbed-wire fences.    Past the fences is a large area of channels with “islands” of deciduous vegetation separating them.    We can paddle out to Cooney Bay, we can cross the river to channels on the other … Continue reading →