Lacoma Lake Trail

Lacoma Lake trail in Trepanier Provincial Park near West Kelowna isn't for everyone. It's remote, difficult to access and does not have much to offer. There is exactly one view on the trail and there is nothing special about the lake at the end (well, actually there is a nice campsite). It's also a bit of a long trail for a hike (18km round trip) and that's if you can drive all the way to the parking lot. Therefore the suggestion is to make this a long trail run or a mountain bike trip (18 to 28km).

Stream Crossing

Flooded Trail

Much Treefall

More Treefall

Singletrack

Trailhead

Access Road

Access Road

With a few kilometres of single-track and good mix of inclines, this trail should be a cross-country mountain biker's dream. Unfortunately because the trail isn't used regularly, there are many trees blocking the route. Try brining a small handsaw - if everyone cuts a couple logs it will make for a great biking trail.

Access

The access road for Trepanier Provincial Park and the Lacoma Lake Trail begins at a right turn just before West Kelowna Aggregates on Trepanier Rd (I'll call this KM 0). Already the road here is very rough. A truck or 4x4 will be able to make it to the parking area and trailhead. An SUV could do it but it gets a little rocky in sections and there are a couple streams to cross. My rule of thumb is that if I am driving slower than I can bike, the vehicle gets parked. The full trip from entrance of access road to Lacoma Lake and back is exactly 15km one way (doable on bicycle in 3-4 hours depending on trail conditions).

KM 0 start of 4x4 road, can park here or drive as far as comfortable
KM 6.8 official parking area and trailhead, no motorized vehicles past here
KM 7.4 stream crossing
KM 13 viewpoint
KM15 Lacoma Lake + camp spot

Viewpoint at KM 13 - connector highway and Brenda Mine in view

Lakeside - canoeing anyone?

Lakoma Lake

Bonaparte Mountain Lookout

Mt Bonaparte is located just south of the Canadian border in the north of Washington state. The hike is average at best as it follows a dusty ATV track up to the summit. The journey is worth it for the good views and history lesson. A fire lookout originally built in 1914 stands tall at the summit and is still occupied for service during fire season.

Uninteresting walk up the dusty ATV trail

https://youtu.be/qJf4LLltJL0

Barber Mountain on the Canada-US Border

Border Monument # 111 near the Summit of Barber Mountain

Barber Mountain is nothing special aside from the fact that its high point is very close to the US-Canada border. It is also just plain fun to hike to border monuments. Each monument is numbered and this gives a rough idea of distance from the start of the border line near Vancouver.

Access

There is no signage or trail markings for this hike but the 'trail' starts exactly 1.7km (north) up the road from the US border. There are some gravel side roads to park on. The trail starts as a rough road through a field and turns into singletrack for a loop up the mountain. One must 'bushwhack' off the loop trail to reach the 'summit'. There are few trees and bushes so bushwhacking is straightforward. There is no visible trail in most places up to the summit so just follow the ridgeline and keep going up.

Typical Landscape around the area

From the top there are excellent views along the US-Canada border line, Mt. Chopaka, and down into the Similkameen river valley.

https://youtu.be/0m8XgqFauRY

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View east along the US-Canada border (Nighthawk border crossing below)

Note the different shades of vegetation north and south of the border

Tuktakamin Mountain

Tuktakamin is one of the Okanagan's tallest mountains and is located just south of Falkland, BC

Overlooking Falkland from part way up Tuktakamin

Access

Tuktakamin Mt is accessible from both Pinaus Lake Road as well as Ingram Creek road. The first is the most direct but should only be attempted with a high-clearance 4x4. Ingram Creek road is in much better condition and doable with most vehicles. Both roads can become very muddy depending on the time of year. Eventually these 2 roads converge around Will Lake. From here the road has some questionable sections and the hiker may wish to park along the road and continue on foot. An SUV has a good chance of driving most of the way to the summit.

Trail

There is an unofficial loop and parking location that can be found with a bit of research. The trail is a bit difficult to follow at times but given the light underbrush, it is straightforward to regain the trail when lost. The route connects a number of bluffs and lookouts including the summit area.

Toward the summing on the ascent

There is a bit of history hidden between the extensive communication tower installation at the summit. Before all the modern equipment was installed, there was a lone fire lookout tower. The tower itself has been relocated to the Falkland Museum Heritage Park but the foundations and outhouse can still be seen.

https://youtu.be/X4_ejD0x7NU

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View of Estekwalan Mountain to the north

Tahaetkun Mountain

Tahaetkun Mountain is an impressive 2042m summit located north of Terrace Mountain, behind Fintry canyon in the BC Okanagan. It is seldom visited but makes for a pleasant hike for the adventurer who has already done all the rest.

Tahaetkun ridge

Access

**note that as of Jun 2023, the easiest access via Whitemans Creek FSR (access near Sugarloaf Mt off Westside rd) is CLOSED due to a major washout**

From the north, take Douglas Lake Rd near Westwold. From the south, take the same approach as Terrace Mountain and continue on until joining with Whitemans Creek FSR.

Better yet, just check this map:

Green rocket at the summit

It is possible to drive quite far up the road with most vehicles and park within a couple kilometres of the summit. From there it is a bit of a bushwhack until you reach the burn line. There is a bit of scrambling but overall it is relatively short and straightforward to reach the ridgeline.

https://youtu.be/9A4FPVpfwoY

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View of Terrace Mountain to the south

Mt Wapiti (+ Grizzly Peak)

Mt Wapiti is Elkford BC's signature hike. Firstly there is some confusion to clear up as to the name of the peak. Various maps label the highest peak Grizzly and others Wapiti. Consensus from locals is that the highest is Wapiti. There isn't even a reason to have a name for the bump just north on the ridge but we'll leave that as Grizzly. See map:

Ridgeline to Wapiti Peak

Access

The 'trailhead' starts at the top of the Wapiti Ski Resort. If during daylight hours, it is likely safe to park in the resort parking lot but if at odd hours, consider parking outside the gate incase your vehicle gets locked in. Walk up the resort to the very top-left and there are obvious markings for the trailhead.

The hike wraps around to the back (west side) of the mountain for a grueling climb up the 'avalanche chute'. After gaining the ridge, it is a wonderful walk first to Grizzly Peak and finally to the high point at Wapiti.

Finally gaining the ridge with the summit at the top left.

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The final ascent up Mt. Wapiti

Three Sisters (& Heiko’s Trail)

Three sisters is the absolute classic Fernie through-hike. It is a must do. On the classic route, a visit to Bisaro Cave is very much recommended. It is also pleasant to spend a night in the meadow under Three Sisters.

Looking up at Mt. Bisaro along the way

https://youtu.be/S7iYjk5RWxo

Access

The classic route or 'Heiko's Trail' starts north of Hartley Lake rec site. The road gets worse and worse. It is reasonable to get to the trailhead with an SUV but a 4x4 is recommended. The other end of the trail is near the Island Lake resort which has easy access.

There are a couple alternate routes. First is the 'Three Sisters Trail' which starts a little closer to Hartley Lake. This route is a bit more direct to the Three Sisters area but bypasses Bisaro Cave. Another alternate route is to forego the lacklustre section near Island Lake and instead head on Heiko's rocky road trail past mount Fernie. The Mt. Fernie trail ends just north of (Fernie) town.

Three Sisters Summit

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Camping

There isn't much at the official campsite in the meadow below 3 Sisters. Essentially just a picnic table. No bear cache, pit toilet or anything else.

https://youtu.be/SIWnWbnA4CQ

Mt. Fernie addon

Climbing up Three Sisters with Bisaro Mt in the background

Another 'higher peak' in the area that is worth summiting is Mt. Fernie. It is a bit of a scramble but one can walk around the U-shape ridge and back down a different slope. See map for details.

Mt. Fernie is the rightmost of the 3 peaks pictured. A ridgewalk can be done linking with the middle peak.

Begbie Lookout

For fire lookout hunters that don't want to get too far off the beaten path, this is the lookout to visit! It's just a short hike off the highway south of 100 Mile House, BC.

See, can be done in flip flops

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Oyama to Streak Lake

Oyama Lake has a lot of islands to explore. Some of these are curiously named Lunch Island, #turdisland, and Castaway Island. There is also a little channel connecting north into Streak Lake which has a very remote and peaceful atmosphere. There is a small rec site at the north end of Streak Lake for camping. Many of the islands in Oyama lake also make good camping locations. Of course there is also the resort on Oyama lake which has car-camping and cabins available.

https://youtu.be/VfjOlBJBC7g

Oyama lake in the back with many islands

channel connecting Oyama and streak lakes

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Peaceful Streak Lake

North end of Streak Lake