October 2007 — VOLUME 5 ISSUE 10
Time on your hands? Take a hike!
Summer’s over, the lifts are closed, and you’re desperately trying to avoid that caged-in feeling that fall tends to bring—teasing you with cold weather but no snow.
Sun Peaks and the surrounding area has a few great places for you to wear off the quiet boredom that shoulder season can cause—it’s as easy as going for a walk through the autumn colour display.
As the lift’s now shut down until November, hiking choices have become more limited at the resort, but the Nordic trail network on Mount Morrisey offers moderate trails through the alpine. Just head to the bottom of the lift there and look for the trails that branch around the golf course, including the trail to McGillivray Lake. Maps can be picked up at Guest Services for more information on these and other trails within the resort.
Another really wonderful walk is the trail to the waterfall near Whitecroft Village. Whitecroft is only a short drive from Sun Peaks, and while the entrance to the trail is unmarked, any local can put you in the know.
It only takes about 10 minutes to hike up to the waterfall, but you can adventure around the area or unwind in the serenity of the picturesque falls. And a winter visit is something to add to your “to-do” list—when the water freezes it makes a natural ice sculpture around the waterfall.
Embelton Mountain Trail is 16.6 km up Tod Mountain Road toward Sun Peaks from the Heffley Creek Store. This trail takes about three to four hours return trip and the views of Heffley Lake are spectacular.
If you have the time and means, head down to the Hoodoos Trail in Kamloops. This 10-kilometre hike takes about three hours. Drive toward the Kamloops Airport and on to Tranquille Farm where there’s a gravel pullout for parking on the right side of the road. Cross the tracks and at the woodpiles head northwest into the canyon. The hoodoos are especially striking at sunset or sunrise.
Kamloops offers a lot of other trails as well, from Peterson Creek Park that starts near downtown, to Kenna Cartwright Park, Mount Paul, and Isobel Lake up past Batchelor Heights.
For more information on hiking around Sun Peaks contact the Activities Center at 250-578-5542 or check out www.trailpeak.com, where you can view all the hikes in the area, with directions and reviews. One note—although the Embelton Mountain Trail was named for Tony Embleton of Kamloops, who first flagged the trail, when the B.C. Forest Service officially designated the trail they unfortunately misspelled the name. To find it on trailpeak.com you have to spell it “Embelton.” Happy trails!
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