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 →
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 →
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 →
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 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 →
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 →
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 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 →
On a sunny day near the start of June, I hiked the Bailey’s Chute and West Lake Trail in Wells Gray Park. The trailhead is 57 km up the Clearwater Valley Road. A signed parking lot is on the right side of the main road and a trail crosses the road and then winds up along the Clearwater River as it races through a narrow … Continue reading →
An annual hike for late spring is a route to a viewpoint on the northeast side of Lac le Jeune Provincial Park. There are cross country ski and snowshoe trails that can be used from Stake Lake, but we can hike to the Lookout from the Lac le Jeune area too. From the Lac le Jeune Park Drive east Road, a Forest Service Road (Rossmoore … Continue reading →
