In early June the lands near Tranquille begin to flood during freshet. We can paddle this area once the water is high enough so we can clear the barbed-wire fences. Past the fences is a large area of channels with “islands” of deciduous vegetation separating them. We can paddle out to Cooney Bay, we can cross the river to channels on the other … Continue reading →
On a sunny day near the start of June, I hiked the Bailey’s Chute and West Lake Trail in Wells Gray Park. The trailhead is 57 km up the Clearwater Valley Road. A signed parking lot is on the right side of the main road and a trail crosses the road and then winds up along the Clearwater River as it races through a narrow … Continue reading →
An annual hike for late spring is a route to a viewpoint on the northeast side of Lac le Jeune Provincial Park. There are cross country ski and snowshoe trails that can be used from Stake Lake, but we can hike to the Lookout from the Lac le Jeune area too. From the Lac le Jeune Park Drive east Road, a Forest Service Road (Rossmoore … Continue reading →
Elephant Hill Provincial Park is located west and northwest of the town of Ashcroft. The hills are in the sagebrush grasslands, but are difficult to access. The hills between Ashcroft/Thompson River and Highway are partly bordered by private property, grazing lands, and steep cliffs. The park extends to the east side of the Bonaparte River, but permission to cross grazing lands would be needed. … Continue reading →
On a mid-May morning I drove to the Neskonlith Provincial Park boat launch to kayak paddled a loop route on the lake. I have paddled right around the lake, but that is an ambitious venture (11.8 km) so I usually do a section of the lake each time. On this day, the wind was out of the west so I paddled southwest to ago around the … Continue reading →
On a mid-May day with changeable weather I drove up the Lac le Jeune Road as it rained, but emerged into drier weather past Lac le Jeune. From the start of the road to Logan Lake (Meadow Creek Rd.) to the turnoff is about 8 km and the lake is 8.5 km up the Paska Lake Road (paved). I used the boat launch at the … Continue reading →
On a greyish, cool day in May, I returned to an area I snowshoe in winter to hike a loop route. From the Bush Lake – Dogwood Marshes parking lot I hiked double tracks and single tracks on a known route. The trails were fine for hiking with no spring mud, but there were still patches of snow in sheltered spots. I went along an … Continue reading →
On a warm mid-May morning I hiked a route in the Lower Rose area, a grassland-benchland of gullies and ridges above Valleyview and below the communities of Rose Hill and West Juniper. there are several access points from Valleyview and from Rose Hill Road. Informal trails and tracks are used by hikers, dog-walkers, and mountain bikers. This is an area I hike 2-3 … Continue reading →
In the last month I have been out kayaking the lakes, varying the location each time, but if conditions are marginal, I return to a few sheltered spots (Edith, Stake, McConnell mostly). If the forecast has been for stronger winds, that has been a hiking day instead. The goal is to paddle on almost all of the area lakes each year, but the higher … Continue reading →
On a warm and sunny morning I drove north to Heffley Creek then turned onto the Heffley – Sun Peaks Road. At the waste disposal turn-off I went up the dirt road and parked. I then hiked up the dusty and bumpy backroad to the Sullivan Valley and to the shores of Lyons Lake. The hike was 6.1 km taking just under two hours. … Continue reading →
