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 →
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 →
On a sunny end-of-August morning I drove up through the Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area to a parking area by Lac du Bois. There is no boat launch, nor any easy lake access so I hauled the kayak over the fence and down to the shoreline for a narrow and awkward marshy spot to access the lake. Using tall paddling boots or waders … 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 sunny and windy day in May I drove to the upper side of Aberdeen, then hiked a series of tracks, winding to the top of Coal Hill. I looped back, traversing three sides of Coal Hill back to the track to take me back to the start. This was a 5 km hike with many fine viewpoints and spring wildflowers along the way. … Continue reading →
I snowshoed a route through the upper grasslands of the Lac du Bois Conservation Area up to a series of viewpoints on the southwest side of Clapperton Ridge a few days ago in sunny conditions. Then, I took a group up the same route after a snowfall in greyer conditions. The same route was a bit harder with two snowfalls filling in the tracks. … Continue reading →
