Category Archives: Hikes

Hiking every day.

Trophy Meadows and Tarns

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At the end of the first week of July, a hike to the Trophy Mountain meadows and tarns was the course for the day.    It takes about 2 hours to get to the end of the Trophy Mountain Road and the trailhead.   It was an early start and I was first on the trail, hiking through the forest for 2 km, then up through the meadows below Little Hill.

From the Shepherd’s Hut I followed the ridge up past some small tarns to a rocky crest.

Just past the crest the trail passes above Sheila Lake.    The backcountry campground there is located on the south end of the lake and there was no one camping on this day.

Continuing up the ridge the trail passes several tarns, some of the most scenic spots on the trail.

Looking northeast, three of the Trophy Mountain peaks are visible.    I have climbed to the top of all of them over decades of hiking the area.    Some of these peaks require an all-day effort to complete and return (I finished in the dark once).

After hiking up for over two hours, I returned back on the same trail.    Raft Mountain stood to the southeast, calling for a return hike later in the month.

Since 1977 I have hiked up into the Trophy Range every year and sometimes more than once.    As I get older, I sometimes opt for a route through the meadows and tarns and go to the rim of one of the peaks from time to time.

This is one of the most rewarding hikes in the Interior, my personal favorite.    I usually time the outing to one of the wildflower bloom periods.    Some of the wildflowers spotted in 2025 are shared in a Google Photos album – Trophy Meadows and Tarns.

A new YouTube video is now published at this link – Trophy Meadows and Tarns

I hope to hike one of the East Trophy Peaks later in the summer.

 

 

 

Lac le Jeune Lookout Hike

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On a sunny and mild early July morning we started a hike from the Lac le Jeune Beach area in the campground and hiked the lakeshore trail, out through the gate to the road, then onto the Rossmoore Forest Service Road,  before going up old unnamed tracks up to the viewpoint on Lookout Hill.    there are several routes to the top, including the Vista Trail, a winter route.    For this day we followed unmarked/unsigned tracks up from the south and down the west side of the bluffs. From the top of the bluffs we had wide views to the south and west, including Lac le Jeune and Ridge Mountain. We followed an unsigned single track back down the … Continue reading →

Hamilton Corrals Hike

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For many years we have hiked the grassland hills of the Hamilton Corrals, a Commonage area between Hamilton Mountain and the Quilchena – Pennask Road.    We have hiked in spring, summer, and fall and had not yet put it into the schedule, but serendipity intervened and we hiked the west end of the trails on a pleasant early summer day.   We had planned to hike Mt. Thynne.    We drove south to Brookmere, them turned to climb the mountain There was a sign posted at the bottom of the forest service road that the road was closed because bridges were being replaced.     Since we knew there were several roads that approach the mountain, we drove up anyway and, … Continue reading →

Tod Mountain Summit

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Most of the snow had cleared off the trails on Tod Mountain by the third week of June.    The chairlift had opened in the middle of June and hikers had been exploring the trails above mid-station for a couple of weeks.   I was first on the chair on a mid-week morning and started my hike up the hill early.    I was not sure about trail conditions so I thought that I would continue to climb as far as was reasonable for the early season.   As it turned out, the first snow was below the summit at the junction between the Westridge Trail and the upper end of the West Bowl Trail.    The dale below the peak was … Continue reading →

Wounded Knee Hike

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For decades we have been driving south to hike the Lundbom Grasslands, usually in June.    Access is through Merritt and up Highway 5C to the turn to Lundbom Lake.    We parked near the lake then hiked a 9.4 km route out toward Hamilton Lake, then up the Cocobonk Trail.    At a signed junction we continued along the Wounded Knee Trail.    There are a number of trail junctions to choose from, but for this day we followed a known route, looping back to the Cocobonk Trail and then back to Lundbom Lake. Much of the route is in open grasslands, following old double tracks and newer single tracks through the hills to the northeast of Sugarloaf Mountain. … Continue reading →

Reinecker Creek Trails

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We drove out to Shuswap Lake and continued onto the Sunnybrae – Canoe Point Road out to Herald Provincial Park.    From the parking lot we hiked into Margaret Falls and back out to the start area, then hiked a loop route up the east side to a side trail above the falls, and then continued up Reinecker Creek to cross a bridge and return back down the east side.   This was a two hour hike, taking our time to enjoy the views and the spring wildflowers. The trail up to Margaret Falls is a flat route going up the gorge to the base of the falls. Margaret Falls falls 90 feet in tiers down into the creek. From the … Continue reading →

Exploring Mara Meadows Ecological Reserve

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There are no trails and no realistic access routes into Mara Meadows Ecological Reserve.    Until recently hikers could not enter the park/protected area without a permit.    Just this year, hikers may explore the reserve, but without established trails, fixed signage, or route information, we are left to figure it out on our own.    There are two backroads that can be used to get close to the central area, but from wherever you choose to park, you will have to navigate, following traces of tracks and trails to get to the central marsh area.    We hiked two routes from the west following old double tracks, then bushwhacking to the edge of the marsh, and back retracing our … Continue reading →

Stake Lake Thrice

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On a warm June morning I drove to Stake Lake to paddle and hike.   I got onto the water early and paddled twice around the lake, once in each direction.    Then I loaded and secured the boat, put on some hiking shoes and followed trails around the lake for a third time.   This has become a favorite outing in the last few years, one I will do again, but the hiking route is varied each time.    On other days I have paddled a nearby lake (Lodgepole Lake, McConnell Lake, or Walloper), then I made the short drive to Stake Lake for the hike. When I arrived at the lake there were two fishing boats on the lake, but … Continue reading →

Buse Hill Hike

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On a sunny June weekday morning I drove through Barnhartvale and up the Robbins Range Road to the Buse Hill trailhead.    I hiked up the steep double track to a small lake under Buse Hill, then went off track over the east shoulder to the rim, then continued west along the rim, down through gullies on single tracks, then back up the rim, all the way to the end of the hill overlooking the Buse Pinnacle.    On the way back, I looped through the forest and joined the main track on the south-facing grassland slopes. At about 1.2 kilometers up the track,  a small lake sits in a low spot between the hills.    The actual summit of … Continue reading →

Up the Red Plateau Escarpment

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On a hot (34 degrees C) end-of-May day, we drove into the Dewdrop Range and parked at the Dewdrop Trailhead area.    We got an early start and hiked steadily up the steep trail, climbing a series of ridges on the Red Plateau Escarpment.     There are a number of viewpoints and possible end points along the way, but for this day, we continued along the rim, traversing west to the top of the Ragged Red Ridge, our lunch and turn-around point.   We enjoyed the open views and explored the lava flow formations a bit, then we headed back down, retracing our steps, hiking back the way we came up. The climb from the Dewdrop Range up to the rim … Continue reading →