We have hiked, run, backcountry skied, and backpacked the Yoho Valley.    Our favorite trail is the Whaleback Trail which runs from the top of Twin Falls to the Yoho Valley.    This bridge crosses the creek that spills over the cliffs to form Twin Falls.    Across the valley is Mt. Balfour, another peak we have explored on the Wapta Traverse.    All of the trails in Yoho National Park are A+ hiking destinations.

We have kayaked on Johnson Lake.    It is accessed by the Johnson Lake FSR, a road that climbs into the hills from the Barriere to Adams Lake Road.     The lake has marl shoals with clear blue water in a setting surrounded by hills.    It has become too popular so if you go, pick a weekday morning.

• Johnson Lake

We  have hiked the Stein river Trail from the east a few times.    From Lytton, we have taken the Reaction Ferry to the west side, then drove north to the access road to the park.     We have backpacked in twice and we have day-hiked in and out several times.   Our most recent hike was in the spring of 2024.   We hiked to the pictographs wall and back, a km hike.

The trail follows the river, then climbs over the hillside at the Devil’s Staircase, then back down to the river again.     There are a number of excellent places to camp, to have lunch, or just to dally by the river.   A special place, one we will return to hike again.

There are many remote lakes on the Bonaparte Plateau.    Tsintsunko Lake can be reached on foot from backroads.    One day we hiked from the Jolly Lake trailhead to Jolly Lake and then beyond to Tsintsunko Lake.    Old fishing cabins were found on the shoreline, accessed by a rough ATV track.    We hiked back on the track and backroads.

On another day some years later, we hauled our kayaks in to the lake on carts on a different rough track to paddle and fish the lake.  Since then a forest fire has burnt much of the forest in the plateau.    Nevertheless, another visit is planned, this time with a folding kayak.    Watch KamloopsTrails.ca or kamloopskayak.com for a story later in 2024.

We have hiked in to Majerus Falls twice.    It is a longer hike, start on the Pyramid Mountain Trail in Wells Gray Park, but continuing on up the Murtle River to the falls.    The trail is not well-trod and is a bit overgrown.    It can be done as a backpack.    There are two primitive campsites by the trail.    Beyond the falls is a faint trail to another falls and then the trail disappears upstream.    Anyone wanting to hike all the way to Murtle Lake would be bushwhacking.   This was a good hike to do once or twice and Majerus Falls is an impressive spot, but its a long hike in rugged and remote country so picking the right day and the right season is recommended.

We hiked a few trails and routes in Smithers, including a steep hike and scramble up Glacier Gulch.     Hudson Bay Mountain stands above Smithers.    The southeast side has a road up to ski runs and cross country trails.   Above that is a good hike to the summit of the mountain.    From the top I could see down into Glacier Gulch, a north-facing cirque which hosts a small glacier, surrounded by steep ridges.   Snow lingered here into summer.   A rugged and challenging area to explore any higher than this point.

The hike to the top of Hudson Bay Mountain on a different day was outstanding.    This hike was interesting and good to do once.

These rocks are situated at the south end of Saturna Island (now part of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve).   A lighthouse stands on the rocky point and the rocks below face the open Strait of Georgia with prevailing winds and salt spray eroding the sandstone.   There are similar formations on several exposed areas on the Gulf Islands.    We recently spotted an area on the southernmost tip of Denman Island.    Hiking the rocky headlands is a favourite outing while on the Coast.

A photo taken on a windy day on an exploration hike in the Barnhartvale Hills.    This spot is south of Sunrise Mountain and I have been calling it GMS Hill.   It is a fine viewpoint in a remote spot.   The older tree is giving the space to the younger one, part of the story of the naming of the hill.    I will be there again soon, back to pay respects to GMS.

We drove to Waimea Canyon on top of the island of Kauai, then continued on to the end of the road. The parking area is on the rim of the caldera with the NaPali on one side and the Alakai’i Swamp on the other.   We hiked a trail along the rim of the caldera and then descended into the swamp basin.     Uluhe Ferns (Dicranopteris linearis) covered the slopes on the way down to the rainforest of the massive swamp.    The Alakai’i Swamp trail is a favorite, one we have done a few times.

I have portaged into Murtle Lake several times.   on this paddle camp trip, I camped on Leo Island on the west arm.     The next morning I paddled to the north shore of the arm and landed at the trailhead for Central Mountain.   On a solo hike to this remote spot, I traversed the top of the mountain and looked down at the island from above, 3325 vertical feet below and 1.89 miles distant.    I continued on to loop down into the north arm, then hiked back, a long route, before paddling back to Leo Island.     Few people hike this route and the trail is overgrown and hard to follow.    A once-only hike.