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 the CNR and the lake), and Kamloops Lake stretching west toward Six Mile Point.    We then contoured over a series of hills to the east, sometimes on rocky slopes and at times doing some light scrambling.    We worked our way out to a viewpoint on Bighorn Bluff, overlooking Kamloops Lake.  

There are no trails in the Frederick Bluffs area.     From having hiked there every year for decades, we know how to get around or over each hill.   At times we followed game trails, or well-worn paths, but we most wound around fallen trees, rocky slopes, large boulders, gullies, and steep bluffs.   

Frederick Bluffs

From Bighorn Bluff we worked our way down to a dried up pond, then on an old route through a gully back to the start.     The loop route took 2.5 hours.    There are many possible hiking/scrambling routes in the Frederick Bluffs area and each time we return to hike the area, we pick a different one.  All of the hikes require route-finding and navigation, good footwear, strong ankles, and a positive attitude for a series of small challenges along the way.    It is one of our favorites and we will be back in the spring again.     

Shared here are some photos taken while out on the hike.   A Google Photos Album is embedded here.

More Information:

  • Captions can be seen by going to the album itself (Click on an image).
  • Post – Frederick Bluffs Hike (RambleOn)
  • Video – Hiking the Frederick Bluffs (YouTube)
  • Frederick Bluffs viewpoint area (overlooking Frederick) – N 50 45.103 W 120 37.390
  • Bighorn Bluff viewpoint area- N 50 44.603 W 120 36.420

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 →

Joss Mountain

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Joss Mountain is in the Monashee Mountains,  accessed by backroads from Highway One near Eagle Pass.    Drive on Highway 1 then turn onto the Three Valley – Mabel FSR and then onto a mountain road, 16 km of high clearance to 4WD access to the West Approach.   A post marks the trailhead .   This is a steep trail, but mostly easy to follow.    It goes through a subalpine zone, before emerging into the rocky alpine traverse to the top of the mountain.    There is no trail in the open area, but hikers should take the easiest route to the highest point.    There is a Dominion Forest Lookout built in 1921 on top of a cliff at … Continue reading →

Wilcox Pass Hike

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Wilcox Pass is a trail which starts near the Athabasca Icefield area on the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff.   The trailhead is a the campground 2.4 km southeast.      The trail climbs through a subalpine zone up to alpine meadows (at 2337 m or 7667 ft).   It continues through an open pass between Mount Wilcox and Nigel Peak.    As we climbed we had superb views of Mt. Athabasca (3491 m or 11 453 ft.) and Snow Dome (3520m or 11 550 ft.).     Mt. Athabasca is an all-day climb up the glaciers which we did some years ago.    Snow Dome is the hydrological apex of North America with drainage going to three different oceans.     I … Continue reading →

Eagle’s View above Clearwater Lake

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On a warm summer day in a part of the province that was not wrapped in smoke, I drove north through Wells Gray Park to the the end of the road.      At the boat launch I got into my kayak, then I paddled up the lake, heading north for 6 km.    The plan was to land at the beach of a marine campsite, then hike a signed trail up to a viewpoint overlooking the lake.   I had done this exact route a few years ago, but Clearwater Lake is my favorite lake, so it was a repeat, but one I was pleased to do again.    The lake was calm as I kayaked to Divers Bluff Marine … Continue reading →