Author Archives: dsmith

Mt. Embleton Hike

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On a sunny day the Mt. Embleton Trails was the hiking destination.    From the upper parking lot, the upper trail wound up through the forest to the Pine Loop Trail and over to the gazebo and the lookout, the highest point on the trails.    From there, the trail descends to a junction and the trail to the right goes down to the Skyline Trail following a rocky ridge back down to the forested slopes. There are fine views most of the way down the Skyline Trail.    As the trail winds down, there are several junctions to return back to the parking lot.    The return route was along the Old Mills Trail, a favorite.   This loop route … Continue reading →

Leighton Lake Trail

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On a hot summer day I drove up to Tunkwa Provincial Park, then turned onto the Leighton Lake Campground Road to the campsite and boat launch area.    I paddled around Leighton Lake first, then secured the boat, and changed into hiking gear.   I hiked the Leighton Lake Trail counter-clockwise, a loop route of 4.3 – 4.5 km (depending on route choices). The trail winds through open forest on the southeast side of the lake and then joins the Tunkwa Lake Campground on the south side of the lake. The lake trail goes between the two lakes (they are connected by a short stream).    Tunkwa Lake is the larger of the two lakes.    We can hike around that … Continue reading →

Tranquille Slot Canyons

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The Tranquille Slot Canyons are an extended gorge in the Tranquille River Canyon.    They are accessed by parking at a pullout area off the Tranquille Criss Creek Road, then hiking down a steep trail to the river’s edge.    There are two slot canyons not far apart.     The North Slot has a deeper pool to wade and swim through, but we can go all the way through to the north end, then back.   When we go down to the slot canyons, we bring our gear and leave it by the shoreline, before entering the river. The steep trail down is a single track, winding around a cliff, past some car wrecks, along a ridge, then down through a … Continue reading →

Twilight Hill Loop

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There are a number of steep hills and there are a few trails up through them which can be combined from the trailhead at the end of Uplands/McLeod Drive in Barnhartvale.   For a moderate hike, we sometimes hike a series of single tracks through the grasslands benchlands (Uplands Trails Ramble).   The routes into the hills require some steep climbs on single tracks.    To the east is the Sunrise Mountain Trail which follows the ridge to the top.   West of Sunrise is a mountain/hill of the same elevation which I have been calling Sunset Mountain for many years.    It can be accessed from various directions using old double tracks and newer single tracks.     North of Sunset Mountain are … Continue reading →

West Opax Loop

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We have been hiking from Lac du Bois to Hanging Valley, then up an old double track up Opax Mountain for many years.   Most years we hike out to the western side of the mountain to the tops of bluffs overlooking the Tranquille River Canyon.    Sometimes we traverse the top of the lava cliffs bearing east and then return on routes down to Lac du Bois.   A newer route was blazed by Al Budreau (Kamloops Backcountry Hikes) in recent times and we decided to try the route down a steep ridge to the western end of Hanging Valley and then back to Lac du Bois. We hiked around the north side of Lac du Bois and started to go … Continue reading →

Hiking the Timber Lake Hills

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On a hot summer day, I drove up the Lac le Jeune Road and turned onto the Timber Lake Road, passing under the Coquihalla Highway and parking near a junction of a road that bears west, going up into the hills.   The plan was to hike a known route, one I have done on foot, on cross country skis, and on snowshoes.    The first part of the hike was to go to the top of Timber Lake Hill where a tall communications tower overlooks the grasslands and forests. There are several spots on the east side of the tower area with views looking north over the grasslands hills. From a side route out to the top of a rocky … Continue reading →

Zoa Peak Hike

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We have hiked up to the top of Zoa Peak almost every year for many years.    It is usually a fall hike, but this time it was an end-of-July day for the 8.2 km out-and-back route.     The forecast was for 39ºC in Kamloops, so we got an early start and we were at the trailhead by 9:15 am.    The first two kilometers is a steady uphill up the gasline track then onto a single track which winds through the forest up to a subalpine ridge. The second half of the hike up to the top has open views, meadows, and forest pockets winding around rocky hills.    To the north July Mountain stands above the other side … Continue reading →

McConnell Hill Hike

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One of the hikes to be done each summer is a route that goes over McConnell Hill.    There are a number of ski trails, snowshoe trails, and even cross-country bike trails that can be combined to go up and over McConnell Hill.   Each year the route is changed.    This year the route started at Stake Lake, then followed cross country trails up to the basalt bluffs area, and onto a single track snowshoe trail up to the top of the hill/mesa. The day was hot and there was no wind on Stake Lake as I hiked by. The snowshoe trail is a bit rough and at one point near the top, it passes under a wooden archway. At … Continue reading →

Eagle Pass Mountain

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Eagle Pass Mountain is located in the Monashee Range, north of the TransCanada Highway, overlooking Eagle Pass between Sicamous and Revelstoke.   Access is by mountain backroads.    The Crazy Creek Forest Service Road angles up the hill and after a few junctions, the final climb up the Eagle Pass Road winds up to a small parking area at the trailhead.    The road is in good shape, but best suited to high clearance vehicles.   We got an early start for the longer drive to the trail. The trail starts by winding up through the forest, then it emerges into an area of sloping meadows, always traversing uphill to the northeast.    The first half is a steady climb, but not … Continue reading →

Dead Coyote – Three Amigos Loop

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There are a number of trails that climb from the Dewdrop Range up the Red Plateau Escarpment to the rim of Red Plateau.    We can combine any two of the trails into a loop route.    Most hikers go up the Dewdrop Trail from the east end of the Dewdrop Range.    The Dead Coyote Trail and the Three Amigos Trail were both developed by mountain bikers as downhill trails from the Red Plateau Traverse route.    The uphill route was from the Tranquille – Criss Creek Road near the Pimple, winding up and around Jag Hill, then continuing west along existing hiking trails west along the plateau.   Alternately, cyclists could bike up the Red Plateau Forest Service Road … Continue reading →