Author Archives: dsmith

Mount Thynne

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Mt. Thynne is located south of Brookmere on the east side of the Coquihalla Highway, across from July Mountain.   It is accessed by turning off the Coquihalla Highway at the bridge across the Coldwater River and turning onto the Brookmere Road.  Drive through Brookmere and turn right onto the Mount Thynne Forest Service Road. The gravel road has a number of junctions, some signs, and a number of MSC (Merritt Snowmobile Club) signs (the route to the trailhead).   From Bookmere to the trailhead is about 16 km.   The road continues past that, but it is too rough for most vehicles.   The trailhead is at the Tin Shed Shelter. The “trail” is really a rough double track used to service communications … Continue reading →

Red Plateau Ramble

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On a warm mid-June day we drove up the Red Lake Road, then turned up onto the Red Plateau Forest Service Road.     Near the 4.5 km marker, we parked, then started a hike on tracks and trails across Red Plateau.  Our route connected us with the Dewdrop Trail/Castle Butte/Red Plateau Traverse Trail.    The trail passes above the scramble route to Castle Butte, then we continued on to one of the best viewpoints on the Red Plateau Escarpment.    Rugged lava cliffs rise 700 vertical meters (2300 feet) from the Dewdrop Range below.   After exploring an arch, we had lunch, then returned by the same route. Navigating on Red Plateau requires either past experience or a good app and … Continue reading →

Stony Lake Hills

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On a sunny and breezy June day, the route was up the Stony Lake track.     This originally was a cart track that connected homesteads located near the ponds and lakes on the northeast side of Lac du Bois to the main road.   We can access the track from a spot before Lac du Bois near a fenceline or from a point near McQueen Lake.    All of this land is now part of the Lac du Bois Nature Conservation Area so motorized vehicles are not allowed and there are barriers installed.     Walkers, hikers, and naturalists are welcome to go on foot on the old track.  For this day, the plan was to hike to an area above Stony … Continue reading →

Mara Mountain NE Route

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In early June we drove the bumpy Pruden Pass Road, then hiked up to the top of Mara Mountain from the northeast side.   We have been doing this hike in spring every year for decades.    There are several routes up the mountain, but this route starts at a higher elevation and is less arduous.    There is no established trail, and the first section is mostly just winding up the open grassland and forest slopes.    After passing a small dry pond, we picked up a known trail over the shoulder of the mountain, then down through a gully, and up and out to the top of the south face of the mountain. Some of the route is up … Continue reading →

Greenstone Trails

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At the end of May I went up the Greenstone Mountain Road to hike a series of single-track trails.   I parked at the 5 km mark on the Forest Service Road then followed trails to the west, then up through the rocky hills in a counter-clockwise loop.    Although there are some old double tracks in the area, most of the single tracks were built by the mountain biking community.    There are some hand-made signs here and there, but for the most part, hikers need to navigate on their own, making choices at each junction.   I have hiked the trails a number of times and I use a mapping/GPS app (Maps.me) if I come to an unknown junction.    … Continue reading →

Buse Hill Hike

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On a mid-May morning we drove to Barnhartvale, then out the Robbins Range Road to the trailhead to Buse Hill.   Buse Hill has volcanic ridges with steep north-facing cliffs overlooking Buse Lake.  There is a BC Parks Protected Area for the ridge and the cliffs down to the lake.   A double track climbs the grassland slopes to a series of viewpoints.    Most visitors go to the viewpoint and back, but we wanted to hike over to the Buse Pillar and then loop back. We hiked a steep single track down into the forest, then followed an unsigned trail to the west end of the ridge to a spot directly above the pillar.   On the return hike, we followed an … Continue reading →

Majerus Falls Trail

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We have hiked the trail in Wells Gray Provincial Park up the Murtle River to Majerus Falls twice.    There are seven waterfalls on the Murtle River, starting with McDougall Falls near the outlet to Murtle Lake, then a series of waterfalls on the 36 km journey down to the Clearwater River – Meadow Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Majerus Falls, Dawson Falls, the Mushbowl, and finally Helmcken Falls.   McDougall Falls is accessed from the west end of Murtle Lake.    Meadow Falls is rarely hiked to since it means a very long day with lots of deadfall and grown-over tracks.    Horseshoe Falls is about 4 km past Majerus Falls, but that is a 28 km return hike with sections of … Continue reading →

Clearwater River Trail

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On a pleasant spring day, I drove north to Clearwater, then up the wells Gray Road for 4.3 km to a trailhead for the Clearwater River Trail.    This had been an informal parking area for the trail to Triple Decker Falls and beyond, but it is now an official trail with BC Rec Sites and Trails.   There is now a good parking area, signage, and evidence of trail maintenance.    The trail descends from the Clearwater River Road down toward the Clearwater River and continues on to Dutch Lake, but for this day I hiked down to Triple Decker Falls, then to the Osprey Lookout, and to Candle Creek Falls, then I hiked back up the hill to the … Continue reading →

Copper Island

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On a sunny and calm May morning we drove east to Shuswap Lake Provincial Park at Scotch Creek.    We parked at the boat launch area and got our kayaks ready for launching into the lake.    The crossing to Copper Island was about 2 km.    We paddled to the east side of the island where there are a few gravel landing spots.    We secured our boats and put on our hiking shoes.    The Copper Island Trail is a loop route of abut 2 km.    About half of the trail is along the top of bluffs with fine views in each direction.   After the hike, we had lunch on the beach, then we loaded up and … Continue reading →

Sugarloaf and the Lundbom Grasslands

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At the start of May, I drove south to Merritt, then down Highway 5A Princeton for 9km to the Lundbom Lake Road.    This gravel road goes through grassland hills to Rec Sites on Marquart Lake and Lundbom Lake.   We  can park near the lake and pick from a number of double tracks and single track trails through the Lundbom Commonage Area.    A number of mountain bike trails usually start off the double tracks, including the one I hiked on this day.    I hiked northwest toward Hamilton Lake, then up a steep double track to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. The top is accessed by a short scramble up a series of ledges.    From the top we … Continue reading →