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Nature Hikes and Featured Flora

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Category Archives: Nature Hikes

Wildflowers, flowering shrubs, and interesting plants observed and photographed while hiking, kayaking, and exploring.

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Trailside, on Hot and Smoky Days in Early August

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-08-14 by D. Smith2026-08-08

Early August had smoky, hot, and dry conditions in the southern Interior of BC.   Forest fire smoke blanketed large areas and I used smoke forecast services to go where the smoke was less hazardous.    Often the hikes were shorter, planned for times and areas of tolerable conditions.    The grasslands and forests were very dry and seemed susceptible to forest fire danger.     My hikes were on quiet trails and tracks.    Along the trails were a few wildflowers, but there were lost of other things to observe, a few of which are shared in a Google Photos album, embedded in this post.

Shared here are white prairie aster (Symphytotricum falcatum), curlycup gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa), a sage tree cricket (Oecanthus salvii), a Fritillary butterfly (Arynnis sp.), leafy aster (Symphyotrichum foliaceum), white clematis (Clematis lingusticifolia), a mammal skull, and an (owl?) feather.

Posted in Nature Hikes | Tagged dry summer days | Leave a reply

Little McGillivray Lake Nature Hike

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-08-02 by D. Smith2026-07-23

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Hikes | Tagged McGillivray Lake, Sun Peaks | Leave a reply

Trailside, in the Grasslands

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-07-27 by D. Smith2026-07-08
meadow salsify

There are many hiking routes in the area.    We can hike through the forest on the Interior Plateau.    We can hike up local hills from the valleys and we can hike through grasslands at lower elevations.   Many of the lower elevation hikes go through open forests and open sagebrush grasslands and may climb into ponderosa pine, then Douglas … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Hikes | Tagged wildflowers | Leave a reply

Trophy Mountain Nature Hike

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-07-16 by D. Smith2026-07-07
Trophy

For the fiftieth consecutive year, I hiked up the Trophy Mountain, enjoying the many faces of the route to the high alpine cirque.    It was a sunny and hot day for this 12.5 km hike. Along the trail through the forest, subalpine glades, seep zones, alpine ridges, and alpine heath there were many plants.    Many photos were taken … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Hikes | Tagged alpine wildflowers, Wells Gray Park | 2 Replies

Mount Thynne Nature Hike

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-07-10 by D. Smith2026-07-05
jacobs ladder

Near the end of June, on a sunny day, I hiked over the top of Mt. Thynne to enjoy the wildflower display. The mountain is located south of Brookmere and requires driving up a forest service road for 16 km. The track climbs the ridge and continues south through subalpine meadows for 4 km, finishing at communication towers on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Hikes | Tagged alpine meadows, Brookmere | Leave a reply

Sullivan Hills Nature Hike

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-07-04 by D. Smith2026-07-04
columbine

Every year I go up to kayak on Sullivan Lake by going up the Knouff Lake Road.   I paddle the lake, then on the way back, I turn down the Sullivan Valley Road, which is a good gravel road all the way down to Highway 5N.   The upper area is mixed forests with some wet areas, some plantations, and some … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Hikes | Tagged Sullivan Valley | Leave a reply

Ponderosa – Big Pine Nature Hike

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-06-29 by D. Smith2026-06-17

On a warm mid-June day the nature hike was a combination of trails on the west side of Kenna Cartwright Park – out west on the Ponderosa Trail and back on Big Pine Trail, and some connector trails for a loop route.   Spring wildflowers and flowering shrubs bordered the trails and birds and pollinators were active in the open forests … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Hikes | Tagged Kenna Cartwright Park | Leave a reply

Baileys Chute Nature Hike

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-06-25 by D. Smith2026-06-07
Hookers fairybells

At the start of June I journeyed up the Wells Gray Corridor towards Clearwater Lake.    I stopped to hike a loop route which included three waterfalls and a lake.    I hiked past Bailey’s Chute, Marcus Falls, Myanth Falls, then West Lake on a warm day.    Much of the hike was through a wet zone with mists from … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Hikes | Tagged Clearwater River, Wells Gray Park | Leave a reply

Greenstone Nature Hike

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-06-21 by D. Smith2026-06-07
spreading dogbane

On a longer hike on trails on the northeast side of Greenstone Mountain, I stopped along the way for some quick photos of flowering plants alongside the trail.    Some areas were open grassland, some were on slopes that had burned in a forest fire and some were in open Douglas fir forests.  Almost all were expected appearances for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Hikes | Tagged Greenstone Mountain | Leave a reply

Lac le Jeune Lookout Nature Hike

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-06-17 by D. Smith2026-06-01
early blue violet

At the end of May, the day’s destination was the viewpoint on the lava cliffs to the northeast of Lac le Jeune, sometimes called the Lac le Jeune Lookout.   A route on cross country ski trails, unmarked routes, and snowshoe trails provides for a loop route to the open lookout and back through forested trails.   The top of the lava … Continue reading →

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Nature Hikes

There will be many days of hiking in 2026 and a number of them will be to destinations chosen specifically for a nature hike.    A calendar or proposed dates is available online at this link – Ramble On Calendar

 

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