The Stake Lake Trails were closed, but as the Ross Moore Fire lessened, the gate was opened and people returned to fish and paddle the lake and to bike, walk, and paddle the trails. On a day in mid-September I hiked on ski trails to the base of McConnell Hill. Near the Basalt Bluff area I followed a snowshoe trail, …Continue reading…
Stake Lake (Overlander Ski Club) has expanded its snowshoe trails and last year we did a loop along Cow Creek and Spruce Canyon, then up to Rattler Viewpoint , and back on a loop route around the lake. We snowshoed the same route this year, following the Cow Creek Trail through the lodgepole pines. The trail loops back into Spruce …Continue reading…
There are a number of basalt bluffs surrounding McConnell Hill and trails go by the ones on the west and southwest sides, but there is a set on the northeast corner too, forming a kind of “basalt amphitheater.” To get to the site, the route goes around the east side of Stake Lake, then turns onto trails to get to …Continue reading…
On a hot summer day we got an early start for a 9 km hike over McConnell Hill. We hiked around the east side of Stake Lake, then followed a series of ski trails (Cartwheel, Sitting Bull, Rustler) to the shoulder of McConnell Hill. We watched for the single track snowshoe trail (Bushwhacker) that goes up to the rim of …Continue reading…
On a mild late-February day, we decided to stomp the new snowshoe trails at Stake Lake. The Cow Creek, Spruce Canyon, and Rattler Lookout trails are top-notch routes to try. In years past, I had explored this area on foot, but the terrain and the windfall was difficult so I opted to stay on the trails. The new trails were …Continue reading…
A summary of early winter snowshoeing is captured in this YourTube video by KamloopsTrails: Click the YouTube link on the menu bar for more KamloopsTrails videos.
When smoke covered the area we watched the forecasts on firesmoke.ca to see where we might find some reasonable conditions for hiking. We checked every day and the Lac le Jeune area or the Merritt area had the best average conditions so we paddled the area around Nicola Lake and we hiked trails in the Stake Lake-Lac le Jeune area. …Continue reading…
In winter we transition from hiking ridges and open hilltops to snowy forests. When there is enough snow we put on our snowshoes and choose routes that wind through the trees, along ponds and marshes, and through glades in the high country. One of the perennial choices is to stomp on the Stake Lake snowshoe trails. For this post, I …Continue reading…
In winter we cross country ski or snowshoe the Stake Lake Trails and for a longer route, we sometimes take the Vista Trail from Stake Lake to the Lac le Jeune Lookout. In summer, we may start at Lac le Jeune and hike on the Stake Lake Trails from the south end. One of the routes we have done many …Continue reading…
When the weather gets hot an option is to drive to the high country (4000 feet+) and paddle one of the lakes, then go for one of the hikes nearby. On this blue sky hot day, I paddled twice around Stake Lake, then hiked a snowshoe route nearby. It was an early morning start and winds are usually calm until …Continue reading…
We hiked up McConnell Hill in the Stake Lake Trail system, then we braved the Bushwhacker Trail loop, stopping for lunch at a viewpoint, then returned to the Sidewinder Trail to complete an 11.5 km loop. With such a wet spring we encountered a number of wet areas to get past and all the forest ponds were full, reflecting the …Continue reading…
There is a chain of marshes in the space between Stake Lake and the Coquihalla Highway that are fun to explore in winter. Access is via a cattleguard entrance off Lac le Jeune Road. A double track goes west and branches connect to the South Bush Lake area too. On this sunny winter day, I headed out onto the ponds …Continue reading…
There are 60 km of hiking trails in the Stake Lake network. A few of them go over or around McConnell Hill. The hill rises 600 feet above McConnell Lake, with steep cliffs on the west and north sides. Below the cliffs are talus slopes of broken rock, a rugged terrain, not suitable for hiking. Yet, when the snows cover …Continue reading…
While hiking the Stake Lake trails I traversed the McConnell Hill Bluffs. Along the way, I stopped to investigate the flora and fauna of the area. Hover your cursor for a caption/ID. Click an image for a larger view.
On the west side of Stake Lake is an osprey nest at the top of a broken-top fir tree. Eggs were laid by the mating pair and then were incubated for about 40 days. The chicks hatched then nested for 50 – 60 days this summer and each time I returned to kayak the lake, I checked their progress. From …Continue reading…
The Lac le Jeune Lookout Tail can be accessed from Stake Lake, from the Ross Moore Forest Service Road, or from Lac le Jeune Provincial Park Campground. We started at the beach and hiked 8.5 km out and back, with a short scramble down from the top to shortcut the route back. The first part of the trail is the …Continue reading…