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 →
Mild November weather has allowed dedicated paddlers an opportunity to extend the 2025 kayaking season on the water. As long as the temperature is 2ºC or higher and the wind is 10 km/h or less, the day will be okay for paddling. Since it is colder up in the high plateau hills, lower level lakes and the rivers are a better choice. I find that … 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 →
Mild days with not much wind allowed a few more days of paddling. This was a hike on Edith Lake:
Continue reading →At the end of the paddling season, things began to change. The weather became cool, a series of storms came through the Interior, and I caught a cold. From the 78th day of paddling to the 79th day, there was a gap of a week, then the week after, another gap. In 2024, the last day of kayaking was Nov. 4th. Once I have … 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 →
On a mid-October day I drove into the upper grasslands to the Lac d Bois Conservancy Area and hiked a loop route around Stony Lake. The old double track was a cart track for homesteaders who grazed livestock on the rolling grasslands from 1890 to the present time. It was called the 1000 acre lease, but changed hands a number of times. There was … Continue reading →
