It snowed in December, then the weather turned mild and snow in the lower parts of the valley began to melt. On a mid-December morning I chose to hike single track trails from the Uplands Drive (Barnhartvale) trailhead. The access route follows a pipeline track, then breaks off onto single tracks that bear west, then branch onto the sagebrush – grasslands benchlands, or up … Continue reading →
The first time I hiked up onto Panorama Ridge was in 1969. In the next 15 years I hiked to the top of Black Tusk, over Gentian Pass, over Mt. Price, around the lake, up Helm Glacier, and a loop route past the Table and down Culliton Creek. In that period of time I went up Panorama Ridge a few times and it became my favorite … Continue reading →
When trails became snowed in with wet snow, an alternative is to hike less-traveled gravel roads. A favorite is the Goose Lake Road. The road is usually plowed so we can walk/hike on the shoulder out and back. I usually wear microspikes to avoid injuries from repeated small slips. There are a number of pull-off spots on the side of the road. … Continue reading →
We have hiked up the trail to Garibaldi Lake a number of times, but not recently. On our first time up the trail in 1969, there was no one around and we camped on the Battleships Islands, long before the current campground was built. In 1970 I did a solo backpack and climbed Black Tusk, then over Panorama Ridge and Gentian Pass to Sphinx … Continue reading →
Near the end of November the snows had not yet fallen and the trails were still relatively dry and with some business on the North Shore later in the day, I chose to hike trails in the Batchelor Hills. From the main trailhead, I parked then picked a loop route – up the Tower Classic Trail into the pass between the hills, then along and … Continue reading →
In a previous year, we traveled northwest – to Lillooet, then north and west to Carpenter Lake, then north to Tyaughton Lake. We stayed at Tyax Lodge. One of the hikes we did was a hike through Taylor Basin, up Taylor Creek to the old cabin, then up to Taylor Pass and back. This was a longer hike, but a scenic one. The original route … Continue reading →
When I arrived in Kamloops in 1976, the first hikes I did were all in Peterson Creek. The area was not a park at that time, but there were trails to the canyon from the lower end, and from Sahali. Early on I explored up the canyon, following tracks along the rim. I crossed the creek at various points and came back down the other … Continue reading →
We have traveled to the Chilcotin area a number of times, exploring trails, lakes, and various routes. On one of these trips, we drove from the Chilcotin Highway down the Chilko River Road to the north end of Chilko Lake (Tsilhqox Biny). Chilko Lake is 65 km long with the north end in the Chilcotin Plateau and the south end in the Coast Ranges with … Continue reading →
In the hills above the Thompson River estuary and Kamloops Lake are expansive sagebrush – grassland slopes. There are some scattered ponderosa pines and shrubs in drainages. The north side of the steeper hills have mixed forests of douglas fir, pine, and juniper. Some of these areas are used for seasonal grazing, so any hiking in the areas is best done in the off … Continue reading →
We have been to Murtle Lake a few times and we have paddled the whole lake and have done some hikes from the lakeshore. Between the North Arm and the West Arm is Central Mountain. Steep slopes rise above both arms, but the top has open, rolling meadows and fine views. From Leo Island I kayaked to the trailhead, just a sign on a rocky … Continue reading →
