On a hot and smoky day I drove the backroad from Sun Peaks to McGillivray Lake. I first paddled around the lake, then secured the boat before starting a loop route on cross-country/mountain biking trails to Little McGillivray Lake. That whole area is wet year-round, and is often plagued by mosquitoes and flies in summer. It kept me moving quickly, stopping now and then to photograph a wildflower next to the trail.
Shared here are photos from the hike – pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), bog wintergreen (Pyrola asarifolia), one-sided wintergreen (Orthilia secunda), giant red paintbrush (Castilleja miniata), meadow hawkweed (Pilosella caespitosa), twinflower (Linnaea borealis), green false hellebore (Veratrum viride), yellow water lily (Nuphar lutea), and a spruce grouse (Canachites canadensis).
Click the link to go to the album (with captions) or enjoy the embedded slideshow:
Note to self – Hike this area after the “bug season.”

