After paddling Neskonlith Lake I checked out some of the glades near Creek where I had found mountain ladyslippers in late May in previous years. This year some of the wildflowers I looked for seemed to be delayed in blooming, but I did spot a few, some of which are shared here. mountain ladyslipper (Cypripedium montanum) red … Continue reading →
Every year in the last part of May I combine a nature hike with another activity in the area to the south of Ashcroft. At that time, bitterroot blooms on rocky, open slopes near Black Canyon, Elephant Hill, Red Hill, and on the slopes below the Venables Valley, and probably on other hills down toward Spences Bridge. This … Continue reading →
On a sunny and windy morning I drove to the upper edge of Aberdeen and hiked up a series of tracks to the top of Coal Hill. there were wide views from the top to enjoy. on the way back down I looped around the hill, traversing grassland slopes back to the start. Along the way I stopped … Continue reading →
On a mid-May day I did a shorter hike on the trails in Aberdeen Hills Highland Park. There were many wildflowers in bloom and many on the way. Death camas was prolific and lupines were emerging; I also spotted upland larkspur, various types of pussytoes, yarrow, catchfly, mustard, saskatoon, and others. Included here are a few images … Continue reading →
On a mid-May morning I hiked along Scott Road (unsigned) from Rose Hill Road along a grassland route on a sloping bench above Juniper Ridge. This is the soon-to-be Juniper Ridge Park (or Protected Area) recently acquired by the BC Parks Foundation. The main route is a dirt double track which can be hiked to the east for … Continue reading →
We drove to the North Okanogan and along backroads into the hills to hike the Rose – Swanson Trails above and to the west of Armstrong. The trails on the north side of the hill had less flowering plants and only a few species. The open slopes on the south side had more wildflowers and flowering shrubs to … Continue reading →
The Albus Site is part of Shuswap Lake Marine Park and it is located near the east end of Seymour Arm. It can be accessed by water or by a one-lane road from the Ruckell Point – Seymour Arm Road down to a campsite or to a trailhead by Celista Creek. There are beautiful beaches on the lake, … Continue reading →
We drove up to the west end of Paul Lake and we hiked from the Paul Lake Park Group Site along the lake trail and continued up to the top of Gibraltar Rock, and then back by the same route. The views were outstanding on top. We stopped to observe and photograph flowering shrubs and wildflowers along the way, … Continue reading →
The premier wildflower hike of spring in our area is the route through Neskonlith Meadows up toward Aylmer Lake. We hiked to the lake and back (10.7 km), but this was a leisurely nature hike, a time to enjoy the wildflowers, the other flora, and the fauna. We stopped at the Adams Lake Band Office to get a permit, … Continue reading →
We traveled southwest to Lytton, then crossed the Fraser River on the reaction ferry to the West Side Road. We continued north, then west into Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park. We hiked up the Stein River Trail, spending about 3.5 hours on the trail for an out-and-back hike, and some exploration time in the valley. The day was sunny … Continue reading →
