Completely revised 3rd edition due out next summer. Exciting new trails will include several originating at Sol Mountain Lodge and Mount Carlyle Backcountry Lodge

It’s been more than a month since our last post. If you were following our blog until then, we apologize for our lengthy disappearance. We spent most of that time hiking in the Selkirks, Purcells and Monashees, working on the next edition of our West Kootenay guidebook.

Constantly driving long, rough, steep, unpaved access roads to and from trailheads, and hiking daily—from mid-morning nearly til sunset—doesn’t leave time or energy for much else, certainly not blogging. Getting dinner together each night, and getting ourselves going early each morning was all we could manage.

With winter descending on western Canada, we returned to our home in the Canadian Rockies. We’re now devoting our days to mentally re-hiking all that West Kootenay terrain, condensing what we learned onto the page. The unfortunate truth: we spend twice as much time at our computers as we do on the trail. But blogging is once again possible.

So here we are. Thanks for checking in. We’ll do our best to resume posting regularly.

Though exhausting, our recent West Kootenay sojourn was a rich experience. We used to live on Kootenay Lake. After scouring the mountains surrounding our home, we wrote Where Locals Hike in the West Kootenay, The Premier Trails in Southwest B.C. near Kaslo & Nelson. Though we eventually moved to Canmore, Alberta, we returned to the West Kootenay every year for backcountry research. This last stint there was the most intensive, as well as the most fruitful. The new trails and destinations we discovered are even more rewarding than those we must drop from the book due to trailhead access problems.

The upcoming 3rd edition of our Locals West Kootenay book will offer several exciting options you’ve likely never heard of. Some begin above Arrow Lake, at Sol Mountain Lodge (solmountain.com), and above the former mining boomtown of Sandon, at Mount Carlyle Backcountry Lodge (skihikebc.com). Both lodges are well known among avid, backcountry skiers. If you’re a skier who’s yet to visit Sol or Carlyle, we urge you to check these lodges out now, before they’re fully booked this winter.

But neither Sol nor Carlyle enjoy wide recognition among hikers—yet. We believe that will begin to change once we publish the 3rd edition of Where Locals Hike in the West Kootenay, which will offer complete directions for three premier hikes emanating from each lodge.

For now, here are some photos from our explorations near Sol and Carlyle. We hope they inspire you to watch for the upcoming 3rd edition of Where Locals Hike in the West Kootenay, The Premier Trails in Southwest B.C. near Kaslo & Nelson. It’s due out next summer.

Did the universe send us a symbolic gift of encouragement? We were certain of it when, years ago, we received an Alberta license plate bearing the letters CFA. We recognized it as an acronym: Camp Free Always.

"B.C." stands for "Best Camping"

Camping free has long been our creed. We wrote a book about it: Camp Free in B.C. But sometimes camping free-of-charge isn’t feasible, as on our recent drive through British Columbia. It was late. We considered pushing deeper into the night. We knew of a free campground ahead in the foothills. But another long drive the next day was necessary for us to catch the boat on Lake Chelan, in Washington, where we intended to backpack. (We’ll describe that magnificent trail in our next post.) We didn’t want to be exhausted when we began hiking. So we caved to convenience and pulled into Okanagan Lake Provincial Park.

We’re ashamed to admit we spent $30 to pitch our tent there. The campground was meticulously maintained. The endlessly hot shower was soothing. But $30? Too much. Especially given the campground location: immediately below the highway. We couldn’t listen to the water lapping at the lakeshore. We had to wear earplugs to drown out the vehicle noise so we could get the sleep we’d invested in.

The experience reminded us that Camp Free in B.C. is an important, valuable resource. Yes, some provincial-park campgrounds (smaller ones in less desirable locations, with limited facilities and no showers) charge only about $22 per campsite per night. But many campgrounds in B.C. remain free of charge or truly cheap: just $12 per site, per night. And because these are mostly beyond paved roads, they feel wilder than provincial parks and are often much quieter. You want to find them? Pick up a copy of Camp Free in B.C.

Camp Free gives you detailed descriptions of, and complete driving directions to, 350 free-of-charge campgrounds (plus 80 low-fee ones) throughout southern and central British Columbia, including Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, the Okanagan, the Shuswap Highlands, the Rocky Mountain Trench, the Cariboo Mountains, and the Chilcotin Plateau.

You’ll find Camp Free for sale at all Indigo-Chapters bookstores, and in the book sections at Mountain Equipment Co-op stores. You can also purchase Camp Free directly off our website. Or from Amazon.com.

To jumpstart your free-camping adventures this summer, here are some of our favourite, free-of-charge, B.C. campgrounds. We rate each of these “destination,” meaning they’re worthy of a multi-day stay, not just a utilitarian, overnight stop.

Toquart Bay, page 53, SE of Tofino, on Vancouver Island

Nimpkish Lake, page 72, S of Port McNeil, N end of Vancouver Island  (ideal for kite-boarding & windsurfing)

Cal-Cheak, page 122, at the confluence of Callaghan Creek and Cheakamus River, SW of Whistler

Lillooet Lake and Duffey Lake, page 130, in the Coast Mountains, NE of Pemberton

Seton Dam, page 135, W of Lillooet, in the Coast Mountains

Ashnola River, page 168, near Keremeos, close to Cathedral Provicial Park

Harmon Lake, page 183, near Merritt

Wragge Beach, page 272, near New Denver, in the West Kootenay

Little Slocan Lake, page 280, NW of Nelson, near Valhalla Provincial Park, in the West Kootenay

Glacier Creek and Howser Glayco, page 292, N of Kaslo, in the West Kootenay

Mitten Lake, page 306, between Golden and Radium Hot Springs

Quesnel Lake, Crooked Lake (and 30 other free campgrounds in the vicinity), page 433, in the East Cariboo, W of Wells Gray Park

Owen Lake, page 474, SE of Smithers

Beaver River, page 495, NW of Robson Provincial Park

The Opinionated Hikers on Patrol for You

During our recent backcountry research trip in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, we spent as much time checking trailhead access roads as we did hiking. A lot of what we learned was discouraging. If you keep reading, however, you’ll find we also have encouraging news.

You’re unfamiliar with the West Kootenay? Take time to view an inspiring slide show (http://www.hikingcamping.com/photos-west-kootenay.php) comprising many images from remote but spectacular high-alpine country in the Purcell and Selkirk ranges, which isolate the region.

The West Kootenay is on your agenda? Here’s what you need to know…

Several trailheads described in the 2007 edition of our guidebook Where Locals Hike in the West Kootenay (http://www.hikingcamping.com/hike-west-kootenay.php) are no longer accessible. Some roads are now unmaintained—either overgrown or prohibitively rough. Others have been closed due to forest fires or bridge failures, or decommissioned because resource extraction (forestry, mining) has ceased. In particular, please note the following:

(1) Monica Meadows (Trip 3) and Jumbo Pass (Trip 4) will be inaccessible until a new bridge spans Glacier Creek in the fall of 2010. For details, phone the Ministry of Forests, Kootenay Lake District: (250) 825-1100.

(2) The Lemon Creek road is now impassably overgrown, and the Lemon Creek trail is no longer maintained. So hiking to Glory Basin via Nilsik Creek (Trip 21) or Lemon Creek is inadvisable. Glory Basin is now accessible only via Kokanee Glacier Park Road and the Gibson Lake trailhead, as described in Trip 24.

(3) The Keen Creek road to Joker Millsite trailhead suffered damage and is now impassably overgrown. None of the authorities we spoke with expect the road to re-open. This places Helen Deane and Joker Lakes (Trips 17 and 18) beyond dayhiking distance. To reach these destinations, you must backpack starting at Gibson Lake trailhead (Trips 22, 23, 24).

(4) The Enterprise Creek Valley was severely burned during a 2007 wildfire. The road is now closed due to threat of debris torrents, so the trailheads for Blue Grouse Basin (Trip 19) and Enterprise Creek / Tanal Lake (Trip 20) are inaccessible.

(5) The trailhead for Sphinx Mtn (Trip 30) is inaccessible because the access spur (off the Gray Creek Pass Road) has been decommissioned.

(6) The trail following Sharp Creek upstream to New Denver Glacier (Trip 13) in Valhalla Provincial Park has been, and will likely remain, unmaintained.

NEW & IMPROVED

(1) In Kaslo, hike the 3.5-km Kaslo River Trail starting at the end of Railroad Ave. It leads upstream to a beautiful, beet-coloured bridge spanning the river. Ask local shops for the brochure/map.

(2) From Kaslo, at the junction of 5th Street and A Avenue (near the post office), drive Highway 31A northwest 23.7 km to the the K&S Rail Trail info kiosk near the Robb bridge, which spans the Kaslo River. From there, hike the rail trail upstream 2.5 km to Retallack. Just beyond the lodge is a short but enchanting Cedar Loop. Retrace your steps to the Robb bridge.

(3) The Kaslo Viewpoint Trail starts near the end of Prospectors Street in Kaslo. The short, steep ascent (155 m in 1.5 km) climbs the forested skirt of Mt. Buchanan to a spectacular vantage of the town, Kootenay Lake, and the mountains beyond. From the junction of 5th Street and A Avenue (near the post office), drive Highway 31A northwest. Pass Highway 31N. At the stoplight where left is 31A to New Denver, turn right onto Washington Street, left onto Water Street, then right at the T-junction. 100 meters farther, go left onto Park Street. Ascend to a T-junction where you’ll see the signed trailhead (right). On foot, immediately bear right, and at 3 minutes fork left.

(4) In Nelson, the Pulpit Rock Trail (Trip 48) has been vastly improved. It used to be a steep, rough route. Now it’s a broad, comfortable, gently-switchbacking path with a dedicated, trailhead parking area.

(5) You’re an experienced backpacker, competent scrambler, and capable cross-country navigator? Send a note to <nomads@hikingcamping.com>. Ask us about the traverse between the Woodbury and Silver Spray cabins in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. We’ll send you complete, detailed directions for this three-day trip.

(6) Trailhead access for Haystack Mountain (Trip 32) has improved. New bridges in the Sanca Creek drainage allow you to safely drive all the way to the Kianuko Provincial Park trailhead—17 km from Highway 3A (east shore of Kootenay Lake). This puts the summit within much closer reach.