Old tower on the way to Fisherville
I decided I would spend one more week in BC before heading to Lethbridge to visit friends. BC is pretty in the spring, I might as well take advantage of the improving weather to see one more area I had scouted out with the motorcycle. I’ll be jumping forward to summer 2024 after this – there is not much to tell on my visits to Lethbridge, Calgary and Didsbury to visit friends and take care of business. Onto the the last BC spot!
The bridge crossing the Wildhorse River way up the valley is out
I had taken the Grom motorcycle out exploring north of Horseshoe rec site as there were several potential spots outside walking distance that did not require me to spend time on the highway. The Grom is not really a highway bike maxing out at about 90 km/h taking into account a little headwind. I’ll go a short distance down the highway, but not far as I don’t want to have cars on my ass all the time. This exploration kept me on the side road to Fort Steele, a restored ghost town that is a pretty major attraction for the area. From there, I explored up the Wildhorse river canyon, exploring the forestry roads on both sides of the river. The river is the site of SE BC’s first gold rush in 1864 with gold panning activity still going on today. You need to be aware there are claims being worked and property that definitely needs to be kept off. But outside of that, there is a lot of boondocking to be had up there if you are tolerant of narrow mountain forestry roads with long drop offs in places.
I had decided on a spot on a ridge overlooking the valley I came up, with the ghost town of Fisherville nearby for some exploration. This turned out to be an excellent spot with just enough cell service to keep me happy, plus a lot of things to explore. There have not been a lot of campers up here, although one person did come by and camp nearby on the road pullover. Even if this area was full, there is more camping if you go further up the main forestry road and turn back further up the ridge I was on. The only thing is your cell signal may run out further back.
Cemetery entrance
I explored Fishersville to start with. There is not much left in terms of buildings. The cemetery you pass on the way to the little parking area is the most substantial of the remains. You mostly walk through forest with rock piles left by the miners after digging up pretty much every square metre in the search for gold. There are signs along the way telling you about the history of the area so you get a sense of how the area was once all dug up and developed.
Griffith House remnants
A remaining chimney and some very old apple trees greet you at the end of the trails. You end your walk at the remains of one of the few people that settled for the long term after the gold rush. But even they and their garden are long gone now. At least there is a good bit of signage telling you about the history of the town and the gold rush.
Lakit Lake Rec site
There are a lot of logging roads to explore in the area. I drove a ways north down some rougher back roads to Lakit Lake Recreation site. It’s your standard BC rec site on a lake, with firepits, picnic tables and a pit toilet. I’d guess the lake has no fish, it looked pretty shallow. I was a bit surprised to see a Class C out there with there likely being no fish and it still being early in May. I’d probably give this site a pass for a future visit, it’s not worth it even for free if other people are nearby.
Why has all the bark been taken off these stumps?
Something peculiar at Lakit Lake was what I can only call “bark harvesting”. For some reason, a whole bunch of trees have been cut down at knee height, with the remaining tall stump stripped of its bark. I certainly noticed it right away, with the stumps being beside one of the sites. I only saw this at the site, so I can’t think of any research purpose. I’m going to go with “wtf art” and move on.
That’s about it for this site. I had a great week there with only a few people passing by on the side road I was parked near. There was even some aurora borealis one night to oooh and aaah over. I’d definitely be coming back here at at some point – it’s a good area with not too many people camping. I’ll leave you with a few more pictures of the area.
Current Update July 25: Yep, I’m still not updating much here. I think my next post will be a “What I did for summer 2024” followed by a “What I did for winter 24/25”. For those who crave current news, I’m camping near the Flathead valley, a remote area of SE BC. Thanks to my new Starlink mini, I can now get out to these areas and still be connected to the internet. It’s going to be a game changer in terms of my Canadian travels. I’ll be going more remote, rather than staying mostly within cell tower reception. As it’s raining all day today, I’m posting. If it rains more, I’ll get to more updates sooner. That’s as much schedule as I have in my retirement. Now I’ll really leave you with the rest of the pictures from May 2024.
Remnants of old logging camp near Lakit Lake
Wildhorse River
Old heirloom Apple trees
More picture on Flickr! I post the occasional square picture on Instagram! Those might even be “current”!!!
