Getting out on the trails almost every day all winter can be challenging, but a variety of activity choices like snowshoeing, spike hiking, and valley-bottom walks/hikes allows some flexibility with changing weather and conditions.     When the roads are clear enough to get into the high country hills south and north of Kamloops, snowshoeing is the preferred winter activity.     Off the Lac le Jeune Road, we can snowshoe trails and routes at Bush Lake, Dogwood Marshes, Lodgepole Lake, Stake Lake, and Lac le Jeune.    Many of the trails will be stomped in and many are signed and mapped too.    One of the best choices for multiple return outings is Dogwood Marshes.

The parking area for Dogwood Marshes and for Bush Lakes (the other side of Lac le Jeune Road) is a pullout area on the east side before McConnell Lake (south of the Goose Lake Road and McConnell FSR).    It is a user-maintained area, stomped in by snowshoers and ridden by fat-tire bikers,    Many of the inner trails (starting on the marsh areas of Anderson Creek) are now signed and flagged, but there will be a number of stomped in tracks from snowshoers exploring routes through the forest.   Snowshoers new to the area can follow well-stomped-in tracks.    The trails are mapped and a GPS/mapping app (I use Maps.me) can be used to see locations and route choices.    I always try for a loop route, but I also vary the route each time.

The inner trails can be snowshoed for 1 – 2 hours, but there are routes over to McConnell Lake, routes across the McConnell FSR and up onto the flanks of Hull Hill, and many marshes, ponds, aspen groves, plantations, and glades to explore.   In a snowshoeing season I usually explore the Dogwood Marshes 4- 6 times.    To date this season, I have been on the trails twice.

A gallery of images from snowshoe outings is provided here as a Google Photos album – Dogwood Marshes Snowshoeing  (link).

An embedded version of the album is also provided here.

See you on the trails…

• Youtube video – Dogwood North Snowshoeing