One of the best places to snowshoe in our area are several routes off the Chuwhels Mountain Road.   Drive on the Lac le Jeune Road and just before Stake Lake, turn right onto the Chuwhels Road and go under the Coquihalla.   The road is kept plowed and sanded all winter.   Follow this road to the end where you will find a plowed-out parking area at the end of Lodgepole Lake, next to the BC Recreation Site.

To follow the Walloper Creek Loop counter-clockwise, start up the Chuwhels Mountain Road.   Continue up the hill for 1.5km.  Watch for a side road (Chuwhels No. 20 FSR).   Turn south onto this road (follow our tracks).   We chose to veer onto a snowmobile/motorcycle track (0.7 km down the road) which goes along a long pond/lake.   The lakeside has trail markers and also makes a good lunch spot.    Above the lake is a cutblock, replanted with small trees.   Climb through this open area (shown as a treed area in the image below), going to the top of the slope.   Then, turn north.   Any path will do since it is open.   On your east, you will see a creek drainage.   Drop into the creek once you see that the forest thins at the bottom.   Follow Walloper Creek to another long pond and along the edge of the pond which ends next to the Chuwhels Road, just below the parking area.

The route is well stomped in over two trips, the last one with 12 people.   The loop is about 5km at an elevation of 4700 feet, with some nice terrain for snowshoeing.   There are many more routes in this area too, for future reports on this site.

Coordinates:

• Start – N50 31.008 W120 31.299
• Road 20 – N50 31.124 W120 32.050
• Lakeside – N50 30.595 W120 32.322
• Drop into Creek – N50 30.718 W120 31.976