More time needed to explore Jasper area
Long time, no see, Jasper. So the Sheriff and Constant Companion Carmen took advantage of the opportunity to meet long-time hiking-biking friends Gert and Suzanne in this popular Alberta resort town that also bills itself as a four-seasons playground.
(In reality, there is no comparison to the Okanagan Valley with its magnificent Okanagan Lake and far-reaching hills for warm weather outdoor recreation, and the too-numerous-to-mention downhill resorts and cross-country ski areas in the cold weather. We’ve got it all.)
Our friends were able to book us side-by-side sites at the popular first-come, first-served Snaring Campground, 15 kilometres north of Jasper. From that base, we spent five days hiking and biking the countless trails. First step: get the Jasper National Park’s Day Hiking Guide from the tourist information centre on Connaught Drive, the main street.
We decided to check out the trails west of town, but hiking to Riley Lake, we found relatively flat trails criss-crossed with above-ground roots through a forest with only occasional glimpses of small ponds.
So we switched to the east side of the Athabasca River, and went around Lake Annette and Lake Edith to Maligne Canyon, a mustsee.
While the others cycled around Lac Beauvert, which CCC crowed about for days, the Sheriff climbed to the top of Old Fort Point, also a must-see. By comparison, it is mostly grassland with a few patches of trees, so you get panoramic views in almost every direction.
It was so impressive that the Sheriff led everyone to the summit of this prominent bedrock hill the next day. When we reached the two Red Chairs (a Parks Canada tourist attraction), five bighorn sheep came up the backside and grazed on the green grass only a few metres away. Photo op.
The Sheriff thought this doesn’t happen all the time - until we completed the hiking loop back to the parking lot next to the Athabasca River bridge. Six bighorn sheep wandered across the parking lot and drank by the water’s edge while tourists took dozens of photos.
Our brief vacation ended all too quickly but both the Sheriff and CCC kept looking longingly at all the outdoor recreation possibilities along the Icefields Parkway (with the most magnificent mountain peaks anywhere). And we vowed to return asap.
***** Back from Jasper, the Sheriff and Constant Companion Carmen decided to check out phase three of the Mission Creek Greenway (aka Scenic Canyon Park) on Wednesday, in advance of today’s hike with the Central Okanagan Outdoors Club.
For those unfamiliar with the Greenway - an estimated 1,000 users every day, phase one is from Lakeshore Road to Mission Creek Regional Park. Phase two is from Hollywood Road South to Field Road. Phase three starts at Field Road and heads upstream, thanks to a new bridge over KLO Creek.
First, we went down Saskatoon Trail and left at the Y, heading downstream and taking the deadend Rock Ovens Trail over to oven caves stained with a black film, presumably from smoke. They were possibly used by Chinese placer gold miners as early as 1859.
We returned to the Y and headed upstream toward Big Rock, a boulder of unbelievable proportions compared to every other rock along the creek. For rock buffs, it is composed of gneiss (pronounced ‘nice’) and is the result of rock exposed to high heat and pressure. It could have been carried down by glaciers more than 10,000 years ago or come from Layercake Mountain cliffs on the other side of the creek.
A short section of Black Bear Trail leads to Pinnacle Trail, an uphill half-circle which takes you back downhill to the other end of Black Bear Trail. Continue upstream and you reach the end of the trail and Big Rock.
Big Rock now has a zipline — not installed by the Regional District of Central Okanagan — so you can cross the creek, grab the line and swing into the deeper water around the base of the Big Rock. Warning: the water is “refreshing” according to those who tried it out Wednesday.
Just downstream of Big Rock, there is a new heavy timber fence and small gate, the start of Black Bear Trail heading downstream and back to the junction with Pinnacle. With no ‘Closed Trail’ signs, we decided to check it out and ran into major landslides with trees and dried mud covering the trail. Not recommended.
When the Sheriff checked with the regional district, he found an April 17 news release, “Washouts Close Section of the Mission Creek Greenway. At least two washout slides have forced the closure of a section of the Mission Creek Greenway. The Pinnacle Trail loop past the KLO Creek Bridge, the Black Bear Trail along Mission Creek and the upper Greenway Trail leading to the Hydraulic Creek trailend are closed until further notice while staff assesses damage, stability and possible repairs that will be required.”
The latest word: they are still closed even though we navigated Pinnacle with only a few trees across the trail.
***** With wildfires raging, it’s no surprise campfires are prohibited throughout all Central Okanagan municipalities and electoral area fire service areas. Violators could receive a fine and be charged the cost of the fire department response to a burning complaint. Residents are encouraged to report anyone who is illegally burning by calling the Regional Fire Dispatch Centre at 250-469-8577. Residents are reminded that anytime you see smoke, call 911 and report it.
Fire departments throughout the Central Okanagan remind residents and visitors that all smoking materials should be fully extinguished and motorists are reminded not to toss cigarette butts from their vehicle.
Smoking is not allowed in any regional park or municipal park. Smoking is also prohibited in children’s play areas, sports fields, undeveloped parks and wilderness trails in Peachland.
***** Kokanee salmon should find a cleaner home when they return to a section of Mission Creek in the fall.
Ministry of Environment crews are cleaning the spawning channel and the associated settling pond in Mission Creek Regional Park through Aug. 15, ahead of the annual return of spawning salmon.
Visitors to Mission Creek Regional Park, the Mission Creek Greenway and the spawning channel should watch for signage and stay out of marked areas and trails when heavy equipment is operating. Some equipment may also be entering and leaving the park along the Hall Road access and trails.
This short window provides the chance for cleaning the channel of debris and sediment deposited during the spring runoff prior to the annual kokanee spawning season. Each year, any material that settles in the channel is removed and using high pressure washers, the gravel in the channel is cleaned to improve the potential for successful spawning by the land-locked freshwater salmon.
***** Regional parks has a bonus summertime edition of Story Time with a focus on the Syilx/Okanagan culture.
An indigenous park interpreter will share authentic First Nations stories with five- to eight-yearolds followed by a nature walk and discussion of the habitats of the Four Food Chiefs — bitterroot, black bear, Saskatoon berry and spring salmon.
Youngsters can also take part in a Medicine Wheel activity. These special activities were developed in conjunction with Westbank First Nation Cultural Services staff.
Indigenous Story Time is 11 a.m. to noon today, Aug. 18 and 25 at the Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan in Mission Creek Regional Park, Springfield and Durnin roads in Kelowna.
This is a free program but let organizers know you’re going to attend by registering at 250-469-6140 or emailing eeco@cord.bc.ca.
***** This is your last weekend to check out the Nature Smarts – Okanagan Edition exhibit at the Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan in Mission Creek Regional Park, Springfield and Durnin roads in Kelowna.
Starting Monday, the EECO will be closed as parks services staff move the exhibit out to make way for a new exhibit called Fins and Fur, opening on Aug. 11.
The new exhibit focuses on the relationship between spawning kokanee salmon and hungry black bears looking to bulk up in advance of their winter hibernation.
Fins and Fur will be on display through early October. Following the closure to change over the exhibits, the EECO will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
For more information, go to: regionaldistrict.com/parks, contact the EECO at 250-469-6140, email eeco@cord.bc.ca or drop into the EECO.
***** Gibson Heritage House Tours and Art in the Park events on Sunday at Kopje Regional Park on Carrs Landing Road in Lake Country have been cancelled. The Sunday tours of the heritage house will resume 10:30 a.m.3 p.m. on Aug. 12, 19 and 26, and the final summer Art in the Park is 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Aug. 12. For more information, go to regionaldistrict.com/parksevents.
***** You can bring the whole family for an interactive treasure hunt around a Kelowna park this summer. No experience is required. You can borrow a GPS for a $5 deposit and search the forest around Mission Creek Regional Park for hidden geocaches.
Geocaching at the EECO centre runs at 10:30 a.m. every Saturday through August. It is free, but registration is required.
For more information, check out Your Guide to Regional Parks, visit the regional district website: regionaldistrict.com/parksevents or contact the EECO at 250-469-6140.
***** Booking a campsite during the busy summer months can prove hopeless. A new app offers to monitor your chosen campground and text you when a vacancy appears.
Campnab, developed by two Vancouver-based campers, monitors campgrounds for cancellations. It then notifies users of availabilities via text message.
Online campsite booking systems are problematic. Savvy campers reserve spots many months in advance. This leaves others unable to find a campsite, spoiling their summer plans, said Eric Shelkie, Campnab’s creator, who experienced this frustration first-hand.
He had recently bought a campervan, but found himself unable to book a campsite.
Shelkie’s ah-ha moment came while watching his wife repeatedly hit the refresh button on a campground booking website.
“It took a while but a spot did open up,” he explained to the Sheriff. “I started to wonder how often this happened.”
Shelkie programmed an application to automatically watch for new vacancies. Soon, he found himself bombarded by more openings than he could use. So he asked friend and designer, Eric Karjaluoto, whether they should “make it pretty” and open it up to the public.
Within days, they made Campnab (campnab.com) available to B.C. residents. Shortly thereafter, they did the same for campers in Ontario.
“What we found was eye-opening. In those two provinces, up to 4,000 new campsites opened up every day. I suspect most don’t realize how many cancellations there are so they give up on looking — and those spots potentially go unused.”
Through the app, campers note when, where and how long they want to camp. They also provide their mobile phone number and select a payment option.
Campnab then continually scans that park for cancellations. If a suitable spot comes available, the app sends a notification via text message. From there, it’s up to the camper to book his/her spot.
Campers access the service in two ways. Infrequent campers can use the pay-per-use option. This costs $10-$20 to track a single location, date and duration. Regular campers can opt for memberships at $5-$15/month which allows them to monitor more campgrounds at a lower price.
Although Campnab is still in its infancy, users are enthusiastic about the service. Campnab member Christine Muzsik remarked: “I love Campnab! I’m booked up for most of the weekends in July and August - half of which I found through Campnab.”
Besides B.C. and Ontario parks, Campnab now scans parks in Washington state, California and Oregon. It also scans Canadian national parks, and many parks and recreation sites across the United States.
Campnab is a side-project by smashLAB, a small Vancouverbased design studio.
***** Bring your three- to five-yearolds for a free drop-in story and activity at Mission Creek Regional Park at 10 a.m. on Fridays during August. The stories will be followed by an exploration of nearby areas through a series of mini-nature walks.
No registration is required. Meet under the trees near the park playground at Springfield and Durnin roads in Kelowna.
For more information, go to regionaldistrict.com/parksevents, drop-in or call the Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan at 250-469-6140.
***** You can grab a backpack filled with equipment to discover the secrets of Mission Creek Regional Park in Kelowna. For a suggested $2 donation, sign out a Discovery Backpack at the EECO centre. You can choose your adventure from the themes Pond Exploration, Forest Walk, Mini Beasts and Kokanee.
***** The Nature Smarts – Okanagan Edition exhibit can help you with tips to be better prepared for your next outing. You can check it out at the EECO centre, as well.
J.P. Squire, aka the Hiking, Biking, Kayaking and Horseback Riding Sheriff, is a retired Okanagan Weekend reporter and an avid outdoors enthusiast. Email: jp.squire@telus.net.