On a spring hiking trip into Central Washington, we hiked a dozen routes in “Washington desert lands.” We camped on Wapunum Lake (one of the many lakes/reservoirs on the Columbia River). We hiked two routes nearby – Gingko Petrified Forest State Park and Whiskey Dick Wildlife Area. Both areas are open hills with no trees. We saw cactus and lizards, and plants … Continue reading →
We have twice hiked into Tsintsunko Lake. It is located in a remote area of the Bonaparte Plateau. The driving route requires some navigation – Westyde Road > Jamieson Creek Road to Whitewood Lake (27 km) > Beaverhut/Cabin FSR (12.5 km) > Branch Road. There are some rough trails/routes in to the lake. On our first trip, we took the signed trail from … Continue reading →
Dunn Lake is located near Little Fort in a valley on the west side of the Dunn Range, under Baldy Mountain. We can get there from Barriere or Clearwater on gravel roads, but the shortest route is to take the reaction ferry at Little Fort then drive the Windpass – Dunn Lake Road to the end of Dunn Lake. There is a small Rec … Continue reading →
We have explored Marble Range Provincial Park quite a few times and we have camped at Big Bar Lake a few times too. Many of the days were out from Kamloops to hike one of the peaks as a day trip, but when we stayed at the Provincial Park Campsite on the lake, we explored backroads too, west to Big Bar Ferry, north to the … Continue reading →
Glimpse Lake is located on the Douglas Lake Plateau. To get to the lake, turn onto the Douglas Lake Road from Nicola Lake and 7 km up the road, turn left onto the Lauder Road. The community, a public boat launch, and two Rec Sites are on the lake 15 kms farther. I use the public launch at the northwest side of the lake for … Continue reading →
On a mid-July morning I hiked a trail I have done quite a few times from McQueen Lake to Isobel Lake. this was once called the Forest Capital Trail, and interpretive route with a series of numbered signs with a printed guide available to McQueen Lake students and others. The trail starts 0.25 km past the road into the McQueen Lake Center. It angles … Continue reading →
McGillivray Lake is located in the Sun Peaks backcountry area, 6 km to the southeast, accessible by the McGillivray Forest Service Road. There is a good boat launch at the McGillivray Outpost, but there is also a Rec Site with a hand launch 1 km south. On a calm July weekday morning, I parked at the Outpost and launched into the lake to paddle … Continue reading →
On a sunny weekday morning I headed out early to paddle Lodgepole Lake and then hike around the Lake Trail. From the Lac le Jeune Road, I followed the Chuwhels Mountain Road up to the Lodgepole Lake Rec Site. The campground was mostly full but I arrived early and so there was no one on the lake and it was quiet in the camping … Continue reading →
Scuitto Lake is located in the Campbell Range area southeast of Kamloops and is accessed by the gravel Scuitto Lake Road from Barnhartvale. The road continues on to Campbell Lake. To launch a kayak onto Scuitto Lake we can use one of two boat launches on the north side of the lake. There is a BC Rec Site nearby. On this day, … Continue reading →
An interactive Google Map showing many of the kayaking spots in the Greater Kamloops area (which I have paddled) is provided here. Locations and images are included and links to posts/articles with more specific information on the spot are provided if a post is published on KamloopsTrails.com or RambleOn.ca. As new posts and news are added, the map will also be updated. An embedded map is … Continue reading →
