Category Archives: Exploring

Hiking, paddling, and exploring the hills, grasslands, mountains, and waterways of the Kamloops area and the Interior Plateau.

Spillman Beaches Marine Site

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We have kayaked across Adams Lake to Spillman Beaches Marine Site several times, camping at the water-access-only campground.    There are some short trails to hike, beaches to explore, and shoreline to paddle.   Best access for launching a canoe or kayak is from the west side from unofficial side roads heading down to the lake,  or any of the  Recreation Sites along the lake.   Brennan Creek Rec Site was the closest, but it has been permanently closed due to geotechnical reports of land stability.

For kayakers it is probably best to arrive at non-prime times.   There are several designated sites for a tent, but we have also camped on the beach.   There are no facilities provided so we need to bring in and take out our camping gear and garbage.

Adams Lake can be a windy lake so it is best to check the forecasts before departing.    It is a beautiful lake, best enjoyed at quiet times.   Shared here are some photos taken on a couple of trips to the site.    Captions are provided on the Google Photos album (link), but the images are also embedded here as a slideshow:

Forest Loop – Wheeler Pond

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On an early September gray day, I hiked a loop route, going around Lac du Bois, up a forest trail to Wheeler Pond, then back on the Wheeler Mountain Road to the grasslands, past another pond, and around Lac du Bois.    With some side routes long the way, it was about a 6 km route.   There are several faint trails to connect to the upper … Continue reading →

Dewdrop Arch

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The Red Plateau Escarpment rises 700 vertical meters (2300 feet) from the Dewdrop Range below.    The Dewdrop Range is a hilly benchland above Kamloops Lake.     The Escarpment above was formed by successive volcanic eruptions over many millions of years.     The rock in the Escarpment is composed of the rough a’a lava.    It was viscous, flowing rapidly, breaking up into chunks (clinkers) as … Continue reading →

Mud Lake Hike

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Mud Lake is a small marshy lake in the hills between McQueen Lake and Opax Mountain.   The tracks that lead to Mud Lake and around the lake are restricted to non-motorized use and somewhat grown-over.     I had been in to Mud Lake a number of times and I had explored several of the tracks branching off, but I had never worked out a loop route … Continue reading →

Surrey and Sussex Lakes

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The Surrey Lake Forest Service Road starts as a turn off the Meadow Creek Road (between Lac le Jeune and Logan Lake).    It is a gravel road bearing south, climbing up through the forest.     After 7 km it passes under the Coquihalla Highway.     It provides access to several lakes in the area – Surrey Lake, Frogmoore Lake, and Sussex Lake.   The Surrey Lake … Continue reading →

Alexandra Bridge

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We went down the Fraser Canyon for a hiking tour, hiking the Stein River in the morning, overnighting in Boston Bar, then stopping to hike the trail down to and across the Alexandra Bridge.    In the afternoon we drove to Hope then hiked the Thacker Mountain Trail. Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park has no vehicle access (parking) in winter and was not scheduled to open until … Continue reading →

Along the Clearwater River Road

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The Clearwater River Road runs from a junction on the west side of Clearwater up the river to the confluence with the Mahood River, a total of 38.5 kms.  It is an old logging road, always bumpy and frequently closed.    At this time it is open for only 11 km, just past the Kettle.    It is now mostly used for fishing, whitewater rafting, and … Continue reading →

Ladner Creek Trestle

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The Kettle Valley Railway was built between 1910 and 1915.    By 1916 trains were hauling freight, connecting the Kootenays with the CPR at Hope, with a number of side branches to mines and other communities.    A number of challenges were met by Chief Engineer Andrew McCullough to keep the railway grade reasonable through mountainous terrain.   The railway lines were closed in 1961, and now … Continue reading →

Mahood Lake Hikes

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We have been to Mahood Lake a few times, driving Highway 24 west from Little Fort, then on backroads to Canim Lake,  and then down to the campsite on the east side of Mahood Lake.   We have base-camped there to hike trails, and on other occasions, we have paddled across the lake to camp at the far end.   From the Provincial Park Campground are a number … Continue reading →

Lac du Bois Hills Exploration

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On a hot summer day the plan was to explore a route to try to link up two old tracks, going around two hills on the north side of Lac du Bois.     On previous explorations  routes were taken that went over the top of the hills and another time I gone cross country around the hills, but for this time I was hoping to link … Continue reading →