steveamie.com
steveamie.com
Umpqua Hot Springs is well worth the trip off the main drag near Bend, Oregon. Multiple pools sit on top of a steep cliff overlooking the freezing river below.
If the road is open to the final parking lot (sometimes not in the middle of winter), it is just a short (albeit) steep hike to the pools.
A steep decent (with help from some ropes) brings you down to the river where there is a very interesting hot cave with another pool for soaking.
Access to Sloquet is an adventure of a drive, 3 hours or so on a bumpy forestry road from either Harrison Hot Springs or Pemberton BC and that's if the road is open and the conditions are decent.
A number of hot pools dot the forest and if road conditions are favourable, it can be quite busy on a weekend. If heading north from Harrison HS, another gem along the way is Harrison Fire Lookout.
A fire lookout tower on Garnet Mountain in Montana that can be booked for an overnight through the government recreation website.
Mt. Hale, an unusual chunk of rock protruding up near the shoreline of Harrison Lake, is one of the destinations along the lengthy forestry road from Harrison Hot Springs toward Pemberton BC. Mt. Hale of course is nothing without the picturesque fire lookout at the summit.
After an hour or so of driving along the bumpy West Harrison Forestry Road, a short an d relatively popular hike brings you to the summit of Mt. Hale.
This lookout is well taken care of by the local community so it made for a wonderful overnight, even during a violent storm!
If willing to drive another couple hours up the road, there is the option of adding on Sloquet Hot Springs!
Bluejoint Mountain can be accessed north of Grand Forks, BC. It is located in the Granby river valley.
There is an unpaved road to the top of the mountain and it is possible to access with an offroad vehicle. This of course makes it a less appealing destination for the hiker. For this reason I have come to think of these type of places as interesting backcountry ski destinations.
My timing was perfect at end of November. I was able to drive up the forestry roads most of the way leaving less than 10km to ski the rest of the way. The snow was sparce at first but eventually a few feet of snow greeted me at higher elevations. This let me leave the road and venture onto what I would later find to be great ski terrain!
The lookout itself is in excellent condition, with many thanks to the local off-roading community for ongoing upkeep and maintenance.
A seldom visited trail in EC Manning Provincial Park, BC
A fairly short bushwhack off the Monument 83 trail (or even shorter up a logging spur near the Pasayten River)
A fantastic hike near Rossland, BC.
Wildhorse Mountain is a seldom-visited mountain between Peachland and Summerland. It can be accessed from Garnet Valley (see map below).
The hike is very straight-forward and not difficult. It involves walking along ATV trails followed by a short hike up to the summit (no hiking trail).
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For being such an obscure peak that rarely sees visitors, it boasts fantastic views over Okanagan lake with Okanagan Mountain in the foreground, Mt. Eneas to the north and Rattlesnake Mountain to the south.
Commando Bay is one of many Okanagan Lake-side camp spots accessible by paddling (or long hike).
