Author Archives: dsmith

Napier Lake Ranch Conservation Area

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The Nature Conservancy of Canada, in partnership with Napier Ranch, has established a heritage grasslands conservation area (526 ha) in the rolling hills between Kamloops and Merritt.   Most of the area is open grasslands with pockets of aspens, mostly in gullies    It is still a working ranch area, but for a few months each year, we can drive up the narrow and steep gravel road to the gate.    There are grass tracks heading north and west and if cattle are on the ranges, we should choose to hike in a different direction.    I have been hiking the area for a number of years and I vary the route each time.    There are no established trails, but … Continue reading →

Gattling Gorge Hike

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In mid-May we drove north through Clearwater into Wells Gray Provincial Park.    We continued on paved roads to the turn to Helmcken Falls.    We parked in the lot there and enjoyed the viewing areas for the falls, but we continued on along the rim trail following the Murtle River down to the Confluence with the Clearwater River.   A signed single track follows the edge/rim of the lava cliffs bearing west, then contours north above the Clearwater River,  with many views down into the canyon.   There are no guard rails on this section of the trail, making it unsuitable for dogs or children, and even experienced hikers have to be cautious along this part of the trail. Any hike … Continue reading →

Rose Swanson Trails

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We drove southeast through Falkland, then we continued on a series of backroads to the trailhead for the Rose – Swanson Trails, in the forested trails to the west of Armstrong.   We had hiked here before, so we chose this time to vary our route from previous hikes.    We hiked through the forest on the north slopes of the hill toward the southeast and then out to the top of bluffs looking south, southeast, and east into the North Okanagan.    Our route was about 7 km, but we included some breaks, so we were on the trails for about 2.5 hours. The main trail was a wide track through cedar, birch, and lodgepole (and jack pine) forests. From … Continue reading →

Albas Falls Hike

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At the end of the first week of May, we drove east to Shuswap Lake, then out the North Shuswap Road and out toward the end of Seymour Arm, a 150 km route (each way) to hike the Albas Falls Trails.   The Albas Site is part of Shuswap Lake Marine Park and it is often visited by boats.    At this time of year, there were no boats in sight and no one else on the trails.    The Celista – Seymour Arm Forest Service Road is a wide gravel road, with some logging trucks, but is a good road, although it was dusty.    the turn down toward the lake has a small sign and the road into the … Continue reading →

Griffin Lake with a Folding Kayak

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In early May I drove up the Lac du Bois Road then turned onto the Isobel Lake Road and parked just off the roadside.    I had my folding kayak in a large backpack so I gathered my gear and then hiked to the marshy shoreline of Griffin Lake.   I had paddled the lake once before, hauling my kayak through the woods and into the lake, on rough ground, but this was the first time with a folding kayak. The distance from the truck to the marshy launch area was only about 150m, an easy hike with the boat on my back.    The boat (Oru Inlet) unfolds like an origami puzzle and then it has clips to hold the … Continue reading →

Gibraltar Rock from the West

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On a Saturday morning, we had the Paul Lake Park Group Site for a get-together, and we started off the day by hiking the trail up to the top of Gibraltar Rock and back, a moderate 6.7 km out-and-back route.   Many hikers, dog walkers, and runners also use this trail in Paul Lake Provincial Park.    It is a well-maintained trail with signage at the trailhead and at junctions.   It can be busy at summer prime times, but we met only a couple of other hikers along the way on this day. We started at the Paul Lake Group Site where Paul Creek flows out of the lake into a marshy area. Along the lakeside trail were continuing views of … Continue reading →

Neskonlith Meadows to Aylmer Lake Hike

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Near the end of April, we stopped at the Adams Lake Indian Band Office to get a permit to hike the Neskonlith Meadows Trail on the Reserve.    We then drove up the Bear-Loakin/Neskonlith Lake Road to the trailhead.    We hiked 10.7 km to Aylmer (Star) Lake and back.   The lower end was through the wildflowers in the meadows.    The upper end was behind the ridge, through the forest to Aylmer Lake. There is a double track to follow all the way, but we went off track to enjoy the wildflowers in the meadows.    Neskonlith Lake lay 1.5 km to the west.   We will be back there to paddle the lake in the next month. As we … Continue reading →

Painted Bluffs Hike

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On a sunny morning at the end of April, we drove west past Savona, then up the Sabiston Creek Road to Copper Creek Road and we parked above the gate, not far above the lake.   We hiked over the hills and gullies to a spot above the Painted Bluffs Provincial Park, then we followed a rough track down to the base of lower end of the bluffs. The “trail” in is just a rough track, not always easy to follow, winding down into and out of gullies and around steep bluffs, bearing east, for a 2 km hike each way From the base area at the bottom of the bluffs, we explored the lower slopes, going over some of the … Continue reading →

Stein River Hike

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We drove south to the Fraser River, then into Stein Valley Nlaka’Pamux Heritage Park to hike up the Stein River Trail for an out-and-back route which turned out to be 3.5 hours on the trail, with about 2.5 hours of moving time.    It was a sunny and pleasant day for a beautiful hike.   For the whole distance we had views of the rushing river,  while signs of spring greeted us along the way – wildflowers, pollinators, birds, flowering shrubs, and new growth.    The river was impressive, not yet in freshet, but still full from bank to bank, churning downstream. Lytton is still being rebuilt after the wildfires of 2021.    We drove through Lytton and took the exit … Continue reading →

Barnes Lake Trails Hike

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We hiked the Barnes Lake horse-and-hiker-trails in Barnhartvale on a mid-April sunny day.    We started at the Gardiner Road entrance and went through the gate and onto the trails in the sagebrush grasslands, hiking a counter-clockwise 9.25 km loop on double and single tracks.   The trails were quiet but we watched for signs of spring, spotting wildflowers and birds along the way. The lower elevation areas have open grasslands and open forests. We went past Killdeer Pond, reduced in size after another drought year.    From there, we followed the trails on a moderate climb into the douglas fir forests. Half of the hike was in glaciated (undulating) terrain through douglas fir and lodgepole pine forests on the upper … Continue reading →