| Extreme Wells Gray for the Advanced Adventurer |
There are really two kinds of extreme
adventures you can do in the Wells Gray
Area; the ones for adrenaline
junkies-death defying feats of near
stupidity, and the ones for Trekkers- To
go where no one, (or almost no one) has
gone before.
Probably less than a third of Wells Gray
Park sees human access in a year... That
leaves about 1400 square miles for those
looking for something beyond the
boundaries of average visitor.
Not that you have to go Way Out to get
to more extreme local recreation
opportunities. As many a Kayaker has
discovered, the lower Clearwater River
can keep them in thrills and spills for
days and is easily accessible from right in
Town..
adventures you can do in the Wells Gray
Area; the ones for adrenaline
junkies-death defying feats of near
stupidity, and the ones for Trekkers- To
go where no one, (or almost no one) has
gone before.
Probably less than a third of Wells Gray
Park sees human access in a year... That
leaves about 1400 square miles for those
looking for something beyond the
boundaries of average visitor.
Not that you have to go Way Out to get
to more extreme local recreation
opportunities. As many a Kayaker has
discovered, the lower Clearwater River
can keep them in thrills and spills for
days and is easily accessible from right in
Town..
Adrenaline Junkie Fun
Whitewater Kayakers can have about 25
Km's of world class bumps and bruises, in
holes and rapids like "the Wall" the "German
Basher" and "Sabretooth" all known to flip rafts
and chew kayaks... And their occupants.
You really need to make friends with a local,
or buy a hungry raft guide lunch to get that
lifesaving local knowledge on this river-
seriously! This is not that forgiving Olympic
Park waterway or a Wavepool... Some wrong
left or right turns will possibly kill you. Some
river sections are better than a Class 5 and
have to be portaged. Scott at Rivers Edge B
and B offers Kayak lessons... Booking a lesson
and get him to run you through things once
might be an option.
There are other local areas to play with your
boat, but most are only seasonal spots, so I
won't get into them. Most just offer a waterfall
drop or two, not a full days fun.
Mountain Bikers
We are really not there yet when it comes to
mountain biking, but there is a local informal
group trying to get an organized trail system
together for the future. We have lots of Cross
Country Ski routes and steep old skidder trails,
so the future looks bright.
There are lots of old logging roads around the
park boundaries. Michael Allchin at Bearfoot
Outdoors sells some mountain bike gear and
can probably point you in the right direction.
Scott at Rivers Edge B and B offers guided
mountain bike training inside and outside Wells
Gray Park, and has exclusive access to some
normally off limits trails.
Rock Climbers
The locals have a few spots... But this ain't no
Moab. Dunn Peak gets some local attention, as
does an area around Little Fort, But thats about
it.
Whitewater Kayakers can have about 25
Km's of world class bumps and bruises, in
holes and rapids like "the Wall" the "German
Basher" and "Sabretooth" all known to flip rafts
and chew kayaks... And their occupants.
You really need to make friends with a local,
or buy a hungry raft guide lunch to get that
lifesaving local knowledge on this river-
seriously! This is not that forgiving Olympic
Park waterway or a Wavepool... Some wrong
left or right turns will possibly kill you. Some
river sections are better than a Class 5 and
have to be portaged. Scott at Rivers Edge B
and B offers Kayak lessons... Booking a lesson
and get him to run you through things once
might be an option.
There are other local areas to play with your
boat, but most are only seasonal spots, so I
won't get into them. Most just offer a waterfall
drop or two, not a full days fun.
Mountain Bikers
We are really not there yet when it comes to
mountain biking, but there is a local informal
group trying to get an organized trail system
together for the future. We have lots of Cross
Country Ski routes and steep old skidder trails,
so the future looks bright.
There are lots of old logging roads around the
park boundaries. Michael Allchin at Bearfoot
Outdoors sells some mountain bike gear and
can probably point you in the right direction.
Scott at Rivers Edge B and B offers guided
mountain bike training inside and outside Wells
Gray Park, and has exclusive access to some
normally off limits trails.
Rock Climbers
The locals have a few spots... But this ain't no
Moab. Dunn Peak gets some local attention, as
does an area around Little Fort, But thats about
it.
Going beyond the beaten paths -the
Wild Edge of Wells Gray
Wanna see something almost no one has? Want
to put your new boots to the blister test? Want to
see just how high devils club can grow or just how
bad the mosquitoes can get? Then Wells Gray is
your heaven.
Really, there are lots of places you can go in Wells
Gray that are off the regular park guides, But I'll just
go through a few that are done in an average year by
at least one person.
Allow at least 3 full days for most of these:
1. Hike to, and Paddle, Hobson Lake.
I bet less than a six pack of people do this hike/lake in
a year.
The trail to Hobson Lake starts in the river channel
between Clearwater and Azure Lake. This is Topo
map and GPS country, don't go without some form of
advanced navigation skills/gear. The trail(not really a
trail anymore) is about 13-14 Km's with a modest
elevation gain.
There are tricks to doing this trip the easy way:
A. Abandon any thought you had of portaging
your own canoe in, collapsible or otherwise.
Clearwater Lake Tours(who can also water taxi you
to the Trailhead) foolishly flew a handful of canoes
into Hobson Lake some years ago... Take advantage
of their foolishness and rent a canoe at the other end
for a surprisingly low rate. You will need to pack in a
paddle and a PFD. They are well hidden and locked
up, so you will need to get directions to them.
B. Go late in the season. The one really dangerous
part of this trek is crossing Lickskillet Creek, at about
the 8 km mark. In June and July, the run off may be
too high to cross safely. You will get wet, you will get
cold here. You will need rope and straps etc. Michael
Allchin at Bearfoot Outdoors has done this trip
relatively recently- bug him before you go... Be nice
and buy a Nalgene bottle or something for his time.
2. Huntley Col - Garnet Peak Ascent.
Quite a few people hike Huntley Col, trail starts at 4
1/2 Mile Campsite on Azure Lake(canoe or water
taxi to it), But not many actually go all the way and do
Garnet Peak as well. Think about it, you get to climb
a mountain that looks like the Matterhorn, without
flying to either Disneyland or the Alps. Take lots of
water!
You need a bit of local advice on this ascent. Once
again Michael Allchin at Bearfoot Outdoors has done
this and knows the route. Several local guides have
also done this, and routes are mentioned in some
guide books, Roland Neave's being one of them.
The hitch on this hike comes from a snow slope that
melts during the summer. Come early, and with a bit
of ice gear, you can walk up it to the summit route.
Come later and you'll need climbing gear to get up
past the sheer rock face that lies under the melting
snow. The view from the top is Mindblowing... Find
the cairn and sign you name to the short list of people
of have made it to the top.
3. Kostal Lake Route
Kostal Lake is stunning- check out the picture. The
problem is getting there, its hard and it takes time.
Route starts at Clearwater Lake Campground. It
wouldn't hurt to find campground staff and have them
register your name, date in, date out, and next of kin.
The route is 24 Km's one way, goes over lava flows,
through forests of devils club, swampy areas, up
switchbacks, and through sometimes hundreds of
blowdown. You need bug dope, a Topo map, good
footwear, a compass and or GPS. If you venture
further on to McDougall Lake, or onto any of the
local lava flows, you can expect to destroy a new pair
of boots on this trek. There is a rough campsite on the
lake near the cone. You're on your own for firewood
,etc. But considering the number of blowdowns, you
should be fine on that. Bring a fishing rod! A casting
rod and a bobber might land you something
impressive for dinner!
The tricks: Start early and stop when it gets dark.
You need to do this trek in full daylight as the trail is
very easy to loose! People get lost out there on this
one, you can't see landmarks from the ground easily,
so you get disoriented... A compass and map are
essential!
4. Stevens Lakes
This place gets overlooked all the time. Probably
because its Grizzly country. I don't know enough
about this route to give accurate info, But I do know
that you can get to it via the Battle Mountain Access,
plus a couple of other roads. It has rustic
campgrounds on the lakeshore, and the fishing is good.
5. Whale Lake
This one you can do as a same day tip or an
overnight. The hike is long - 8Km's - and starts near
Mahood Campground at the Mahood river bridge.
Just to see the colour of the lake is worth the hike...
And there's a small campsite there that you can camp
overnight at as well. Last time I went up there, there
was almost no sign of human presence there... Way
off the beaten path.
6. Battle Mountain
This gets more use by far than any of the above
mentioned areas, But does offer some good back
country hiking and camping, notably at Philip Lake.
Access road starts near Wells Gray Ranch.
7. Horseshoe Falls/Majerus Falls
The first part of this trail to the Pyramid mountain
volcanic cone is maintained... After that you're on
your own.
This trail is fairly level and your biggest obstacles are
blowdown and curious Black Bears. There is a rustic
campsite Near Majerus Falls - about 7 or 8 km's in.
The two falls are spectacular. This is a great
overnighter to get away from the crowds.
8. Hike Murtle Lake
There are lots of great hikes on Murtle Lake, Wavy
Range being one, you're already in a remote corner of
the park, give up the beach for a day and climb a
mountain.
Wild Edge of Wells Gray
Wanna see something almost no one has? Want
to put your new boots to the blister test? Want to
see just how high devils club can grow or just how
bad the mosquitoes can get? Then Wells Gray is
your heaven.
Really, there are lots of places you can go in Wells
Gray that are off the regular park guides, But I'll just
go through a few that are done in an average year by
at least one person.
Allow at least 3 full days for most of these:
1. Hike to, and Paddle, Hobson Lake.
I bet less than a six pack of people do this hike/lake in
a year.
The trail to Hobson Lake starts in the river channel
between Clearwater and Azure Lake. This is Topo
map and GPS country, don't go without some form of
advanced navigation skills/gear. The trail(not really a
trail anymore) is about 13-14 Km's with a modest
elevation gain.
There are tricks to doing this trip the easy way:
A. Abandon any thought you had of portaging
your own canoe in, collapsible or otherwise.
Clearwater Lake Tours(who can also water taxi you
to the Trailhead) foolishly flew a handful of canoes
into Hobson Lake some years ago... Take advantage
of their foolishness and rent a canoe at the other end
for a surprisingly low rate. You will need to pack in a
paddle and a PFD. They are well hidden and locked
up, so you will need to get directions to them.
B. Go late in the season. The one really dangerous
part of this trek is crossing Lickskillet Creek, at about
the 8 km mark. In June and July, the run off may be
too high to cross safely. You will get wet, you will get
cold here. You will need rope and straps etc. Michael
Allchin at Bearfoot Outdoors has done this trip
relatively recently- bug him before you go... Be nice
and buy a Nalgene bottle or something for his time.
2. Huntley Col - Garnet Peak Ascent.
Quite a few people hike Huntley Col, trail starts at 4
1/2 Mile Campsite on Azure Lake(canoe or water
taxi to it), But not many actually go all the way and do
Garnet Peak as well. Think about it, you get to climb
a mountain that looks like the Matterhorn, without
flying to either Disneyland or the Alps. Take lots of
water!
You need a bit of local advice on this ascent. Once
again Michael Allchin at Bearfoot Outdoors has done
this and knows the route. Several local guides have
also done this, and routes are mentioned in some
guide books, Roland Neave's being one of them.
The hitch on this hike comes from a snow slope that
melts during the summer. Come early, and with a bit
of ice gear, you can walk up it to the summit route.
Come later and you'll need climbing gear to get up
past the sheer rock face that lies under the melting
snow. The view from the top is Mindblowing... Find
the cairn and sign you name to the short list of people
of have made it to the top.
3. Kostal Lake Route
Kostal Lake is stunning- check out the picture. The
problem is getting there, its hard and it takes time.
Route starts at Clearwater Lake Campground. It
wouldn't hurt to find campground staff and have them
register your name, date in, date out, and next of kin.
The route is 24 Km's one way, goes over lava flows,
through forests of devils club, swampy areas, up
switchbacks, and through sometimes hundreds of
blowdown. You need bug dope, a Topo map, good
footwear, a compass and or GPS. If you venture
further on to McDougall Lake, or onto any of the
local lava flows, you can expect to destroy a new pair
of boots on this trek. There is a rough campsite on the
lake near the cone. You're on your own for firewood
,etc. But considering the number of blowdowns, you
should be fine on that. Bring a fishing rod! A casting
rod and a bobber might land you something
impressive for dinner!
The tricks: Start early and stop when it gets dark.
You need to do this trek in full daylight as the trail is
very easy to loose! People get lost out there on this
one, you can't see landmarks from the ground easily,
so you get disoriented... A compass and map are
essential!
4. Stevens Lakes
This place gets overlooked all the time. Probably
because its Grizzly country. I don't know enough
about this route to give accurate info, But I do know
that you can get to it via the Battle Mountain Access,
plus a couple of other roads. It has rustic
campgrounds on the lakeshore, and the fishing is good.
5. Whale Lake
This one you can do as a same day tip or an
overnight. The hike is long - 8Km's - and starts near
Mahood Campground at the Mahood river bridge.
Just to see the colour of the lake is worth the hike...
And there's a small campsite there that you can camp
overnight at as well. Last time I went up there, there
was almost no sign of human presence there... Way
off the beaten path.
6. Battle Mountain
This gets more use by far than any of the above
mentioned areas, But does offer some good back
country hiking and camping, notably at Philip Lake.
Access road starts near Wells Gray Ranch.
7. Horseshoe Falls/Majerus Falls
The first part of this trail to the Pyramid mountain
volcanic cone is maintained... After that you're on
your own.
This trail is fairly level and your biggest obstacles are
blowdown and curious Black Bears. There is a rustic
campsite Near Majerus Falls - about 7 or 8 km's in.
The two falls are spectacular. This is a great
overnighter to get away from the crowds.
8. Hike Murtle Lake
There are lots of great hikes on Murtle Lake, Wavy
Range being one, you're already in a remote corner of
the park, give up the beach for a day and climb a
mountain.
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Whale Lake