Cirque of Tarns

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The Cirque of Tarns Trail is a route on the north side of Raft Mountain.    The trailhead is off the Spahats Creek Forest Service Road which branches off from the Trophy Mountain Road.    It is a good high-clearance gravel road that follows the creek valley between Trophy Mountain and Raft Mountain.   The same road can be used to access trails into the East Trophy Range, Caligata Lake, and Spahats Hill.   At about 14 km along the FSR near a sign that indicates a Provincial Park Boundary (Caligata Lake).    There is a sign at the trailhead.   The first part of the trail is through a wet meadow above the lake.    We usually used an old pair of running shoes through the meadow, then changed into hiking boots once we reached the forest.    the trail is a rough single-track up into a pass between Spahats Hill and one of the Raft Mountain peaks.   In the pass, hikers can go to the top of Spahats Hill, down to Crystal Lake, or up a steep route past the tarns.

The route up to the upper tarn is steep, rocky, and not well-marked.    Watch for cairns.    Three small tarns are passed on the way up.    The final tarn is the largest, in a cirque below one of the Raft Peaks.   A small glacier/snowfield hangs under the north face of the mountain.    For most hikers, the cirque will be spot for lunch before returning by the same route.    It is possible to scramble up the steep rock slope on a ridge to the Raft Mountain rim for more views of the Raft Summits, views to the south (Dunn and Baldy) and a wider view of the area.      It is not an easy route up and down.   

We have hiked the trail a handful of times and each time we have explored side routes.    The whole area is rugged and challenging, but also rewarding.    The return hike to the upper tarn and back is about 10 km (with 560m elevation gain), and much of it is slow-going.    It took us about 4 hours.   

Some photos were taken on the hike and shared here in a Google Photos Album slideshow:

     

  • Click on any photo link to see the caption (link to album)
  • Trailhead – N 51.44.920 W 119 50.347 (1653 m elevation)
  • Cirque – 51°43.915′,  W 119°51.151′(2200 m elevation)
  • Raft Two Summit – N 51°43.905′,  W 119°50.882′ (2338 m elevation)
  • Cirque of Tarns (YouTube)

Asulkan Trail

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Some of the best hikes in Western Canada are in Glacier National Park, with most of the trailheads starting at the Illecillewaet Campground in Rogers Pass.  One of those 5-star hikes is the Asulkan Trail.   The trail follows the Asulkan Brook Valley bearing south for about 5 km before climbing up a steep route on the spine of a moraine.    On the way up the moraine, there are expanded views of the Asulkan Glacier and the towering peaks on both sides.    The hiking distance from the start to the official end of the trail near the Asulkan Hut is about 7 km.    On all of my Asulkan hikes I have gone beyond the hut, climbing farther and … Continue reading →

Sunrise Mountain Hike

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On a sunny mid-October day I hiked up and over Sunrise Mountain.   From the trailhead at the end of Ronde Lane in Barnhartvale, the single track trail starts to climb up the north ridge of the mountain, then continues south climbing steeply for 2 km to the open mountaintop.   I continued down the south side of the hill to a gully, then I followed an old double track to the north end of GMS Hill and went up the ridge to the open hilltop, overlooking Barnhartvale.    On the way back I went farther west to avoid the rocky southeast slope of Sunrise.  From the top of both Sunrise and GMS Hill there are open views of all four directions.  … Continue reading →

Frederick Bluffs Hike

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On a mild day in mid-October we hiked a route in the Dewdrop Range.    We drove along the Frederick Road to a parking area (at N 50 45.165 W 120 36.578).    From there an old trail bears south up through a gully into the hills.   It was once a double track that went to a pond in a dale, but fallen trees, erosion, and disuse have rendered it to a hard-to-spot track.    We veered off to the west going over three hills, winding to avoid bluffs and rocky slopes.   At the far west end we stopped at a viewpoint looking over the outer Dewdrop Range, the route down to the small collection of cabins at Frederick (between … Continue reading →

Mt. Baldy Hike

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The forested trail to Mt. Baldy was burned in the 2023 forest fire season and was closed until recently.     Over the last few years, Shuswap Trails and volunteer organizations have cleared danger trees, replaced footbridges, and rerouted trails past eroded areas.  After the fire, the burned forest started to regenerate and annual plants made some areas overgrown, but those areas were cleaned up for our hike in early October.   The route was an 8 km hike taking about 3 hours (inc. lunch).    the trail winds up through mixed forests, across some small creeks, through a cedar forest, then an aspen grove, up to an open forest ridge.     Baldy is not really a mountain.    It is a … Continue reading →

Gus Johnson Trail

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On a cool day at the end of September, we hiked around Lac le Jeune.    We started at the campground beach and hiked clockwise along the shoreline trail, along the Lac le Jeune East Road to the Rossmoore Forest Service Road, then we turned onto the signed Around the Lake Trail, which then becomes the Gus Johnson Trail.  Gus was a local resident who helped to clear the trail and maintain it in winter.    The route is mostly a double track around the east and south side of the lake.    We went off on a single track side loop trail to the lakeshore and then up to a residential area, following Lookout Road to Lac le Jeune … Continue reading →

Abbott Ridge

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The best hikes in Glacier National Park start in Rogers Pass, with the trailheads at Illecillewaet Campground providing access to a number of outstanding hiking trails.     One of those trails goes up Abbott Ridge to an alpine meadow and then to a rocky ridge with 360° views.    The trail is a good one, climbing through the forest on switchbacks for 3 km to Marion Lake.   A little farther along the trail is a junction with choices for a shorter and steeper route or a longer and not as steep route.    We usually go up the steeper way and may take the longer route back.    The trail emerges into the subalpine zone and the views are abundant, … Continue reading →

Paddle Battle

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We can launch a boat for kayaking in Kamloops Lake at Tobiano and Savona, but we can also hand launch a kayak or canoe at the end of the road to Cooney Bay.    From the parking lot to the muddy shoreline of the river is only about 150 m, but we have to get past high water logs that partly block the trail.    Hauling a 16 foot kayak and gear solo down to the river (and back) is not easy, but it can be done.   The launch is on a muddy bank and much of the river there is shallow with large muddy sandbars.    To get to Cooney Bay, the route/course requires finding the middle channel around … Continue reading →

Kayaking Eagle River

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On a summer day we drove east on the Trans Canada Highway through to Sicamous where we left one vehicle.    Three of us then went up the highway to Malakwa.   The launch spot was next to the Malakwa Suspension Bridge (originally built in 1915).    We paddled downstream to Shuswap Lake, a paddle of 33 kms, then paddled around to Sicamous (another 2.5 km).  The river meanders for most of the way downstream, doubling the linear distance.    We encountered a number of hazards in the first part of the journey.    It was a route for experienced paddlers only.   The second half of the route had slower water, but that also meant slower progress downriver.    All seemed … Continue reading →

Bluenose Mountain

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In the first week of September the target for a new route to hike was Bluenose Mountain.     It is located to the east of Vernon by backroads near Lavington.    The trailhead is up the Bluenose Road and there is a signed parking lot and trailhead.    A good trail switchbacks up the first steep rocky hill, then traversed over to climb a second hill.    A separate trail can be hiked through the forest back to the start for a 5.5 – 6 km loop route.    The first climb was steep, but manageable with switchbacks.     A side trail climbs on top of the hill.    Open views to the south, west, and northwest from rocky ledges … Continue reading →