At the end of summer, the chairlift at Sun Peaks was still running so I rode the chair to mid-station to do a loop route on Tod Mountain. After a summer of heat, the south-facing alpine slopes of the bowls and ridges were bone dry and the vegetation had more browns than greens. I started the hike by climbing up through the Crystal Bowl … Continue reading →
The Kalalau Trail on the Island of Kauai is world-famous for the route along the cliffs of the Na’Pali Coast. The trail starts at the end of the road on the north part of the island. The trail is 11-12 miles one way from the trailhead at Ha’ena State Park to the campsite in the Kalalau Valley. Permits are needed to camp at … Continue reading →
On a sunny but smoky late summer day I drove up through the Lac du Bois Grasslands to the Nature Conservation Area in the upper grasslands and douglas fir forests south of McQueen Lake. I hiked an old grasslands track, then took a grown-in single track around Clay Lake, then looped back through the forested slopes and grasslands. Clay Lake had low water levels from … Continue reading →
On a hot summer day I drove up the Coquihalla Highway and turned at the Inks Lake Interchange. I turned right onto the dirt road and parked at an open area on the right. I have hiked the trails, tracks, and routes of the Outer Inks Trails many times. There is a maze of tracks, mostly used by dirt bikes and ATVs in … Continue reading →
We traveled to Central Washington State in the spring to hike a series of trails in “Washington Desert Lands.” One of the places we camped was at Potholes Reservoir, close to a number of areas protected as wildlife refuges. The Columbia Wildlife Refuges cover 30 000 acres, with rugged cliffs, lakes, marshlands, and sagebrush grasslands. The whole area is dry, but the Columbia River dams, … Continue reading →
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 →
Red Plateau is line of a volcanic hills and ridges rising up above the Dewdrop Range. the steep cliffs comprise the Red Plateau Escarpment. We can get to the rim of the escarpment from below, hiking up a variety of routes, or we can drive up the Red Plateau Forest Service Road. There are many possible combinations of trails which can be hiked, … Continue reading →
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 →
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 →
