Details
- Hike Leader - John Moslin, Carole Pugle
- Contact -
- Distance - tba
- Difficulty - Moderate
- Special Note -
Description
Join Carole and John as we explore Manning Park, I’ve only hiked once here and it was a few years back.
We will be leaving Kamloops on Wednesday August 19 at 07:00 am, returning on Friday August 21 post final hike , giving us 3 days to hike some new trails. There are opportunities to camp in the park or book a room at the Manning Park Resort. We will decide on the trails that we are going to lead closer to the date but we have many to chose from, we may even bag a peak or 2. Many of these will be exploratory to us put are most likely well marked. The hike difficulty will vary with the hikes selected.
-Day 1-LIGHTNING LAKES LOOP.
Leave Kamloops at 07:00 am { unless someone plans on arriving the night prior to set up camp }. Be on the trail by 10:00 am to hike the LIGHTNING LAKES LOOP. Relatively flat trail past a chain of scenic lakes, we will return to our vehicle by 3:30 or 4 PM to allow participants to set up camps for those who are camping. Dinner and evening to unwind and relax before the big hike for Day 2. Please refer to www. kamloopstrail,net/lightning
Day 2-Skyline 1
Skyline I is a good, sturdy full day hike for most hikers. It encompasses a variety of terrains and environmental zones, and on a clear day it offers stunning panoramas.
Starting at the Strawberry Flats end, walk along the old fire access road through the Lodgepole Pine forest, and through the flower meadow that is pretty in June with Strawberry blossoms and greening perennials in mid-July to August with a splash of bloom that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. The notable peak to the west is Red Mountain, 2922 m, named for the colour of its exposed iron ore deposits. About .4 km along the road, the Skyline I trail narrows and heads south, no-north facing slopes, through dense Engelmann spruce and alpine fir forest. The first meadow is reached at 3.7 km. This area is more sheltered and good for sighting spruce grouse and three-toed woodpeckers, and for hearing crossbills, nuthatches and hermit thrushes. There are Western anemone, marsh marigold and green bog orchid in the spring; cow parsnip, lupine, pink mimulus, arnica and more orchids blooming later in the season. This is also the beginning of a great bird-watching area that continues to the burn, caused by a forest fire in the mid 1940s. The burn also gives a clear view of the valley below.
The trail then goes on to a drier NWW-facing slope which offers an increasingly good view, from right to left, of the Red, Lone Goat and Snow Camp Mountains, and a first glimpse of Mt. Hozameen in the Unites States.
Day 3-HEATHER TRAIL-THREE BROTHERS
On our last day, we will leave the park lodge at 10:00 am to allow sufficient time for the participants who are camping to pack up and “sneak in” another favorite hike of this park before returning to Kamloops. The Three Brother’s Mountain hike is 21 km return , suggested hike time is 7 hours which would bring us back to Kamloops in the evening. This is a most popular hike as you can drive right to the Alpine, flowers are at their best during this time, the elevation gain is only 480 meters and gradual. Three beautiful rolling peaks to explore with valleys and meadows below with beautiful views all around. Please refer to www.kamloopstrails.net/heather-trail/
These are the hikes that we will be leading, this hiking adventure is a club event, however, participants are free to undertake/explore alternate hikes on their own, keeping in mind that you will be doing so at your own risk if you choose to do so. We will plan a meeting for all interested at a date closer to this event to finalize details.
Participants are to arrange their own reservation with Manning Park resort for lodging /camping sites. There are camping sites, motel with a small kitchenette and cabin for groups of hikers at manning Park available. Please book in advance as space will quickly fill up as the hiking season gets in full swing to ensure that you have a place to stay. Check out Manning Park website for more info. We booked a motel with booking.com which provided us with the best price.
