At the end of summer, the chairlift at Sun Peaks was still running so I rode the chair to mid-station to do a loop route on Tod Mountain. After a summer of heat, the south-facing alpine slopes of the bowls and ridges were bone dry and the vegetation had more browns than greens. I started the hike by climbing up through the Crystal Bowl … Continue reading →
On a late summer day, I hauled my kayak down the trail from the parking area for Cooney Bay to the rivershore. Getting a longer kayak down to the beach is difficult with so many logs on the path and then mud down by the shoreline. I would probably kayak Kamloops Lake more often, but limited access discourages more frequent access. I paddled Kamloops … Continue reading →
The Kalalau Trail on the Island of Kauai is world-famous for the route along the cliffs of the Na’Pali Coast. The trail starts at the end of the road on the north part of the island. The trail is 11-12 miles one way from the trailhead at Ha’ena State Park to the campsite in the Kalalau Valley. Permits are needed to camp at … 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 summer morning I drove up the bumpy Harper Lake Road to a small Rec Site on the northeast corner of the lake. It was a weekend and the Rec Site was full so I parked off the road and hand launched my kayak into the lake. Harper Lake is located in the hills to the southwest of Chase. Take the Chase Creek Road … 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 hot summer morning I drove up into Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park, then over to the Leighton Lake Campground and boat launch. I paddled the lakeshore (3.5 km), then secured the boat and put on my hiking boots for a 4.5 km hike on the Leighton Lake Trail. By late summer the lake is lower from evaporation and from draw down. the shallow … Continue reading →
On a hot summer day I drove up the Coquihalla Highway and turned at the Inks Lake Interchange. I turned right onto the dirt road and parked at an open area on the right. I have hiked the trails, tracks, and routes of the Outer Inks Trails many times. There is a maze of tracks, mostly used by dirt bikes and ATVs in … Continue reading →
Badger Lake is located in the hills north of Kamloops, accessed by a longer dirt road. We can drive the Knouff Lake Road and continue on along a bumpy backroad for another 10 km. We can also use the Orchard Lake Road (Badger Creek FSR) from the Walterdale area (between Vinsula and Louis Creek). On the latest trip to Badger Lake, I drove the … Continue reading →
We traveled to Central Washington State in the spring to hike a series of trails in “Washington Desert Lands.” One of the places we camped was at Potholes Reservoir, close to a number of areas protected as wildlife refuges. The Columbia Wildlife Refuges cover 30 000 acres, with rugged cliffs, lakes, marshlands, and sagebrush grasslands. The whole area is dry, but the Columbia River dams, … Continue reading →
