Monday, July 25, 2016 (Irvin's RV Park and Campground, Valemount, BC)

With thundershowers possible this afternoon, we decided to forgo our resistance exercises and get out this morning and explore the area. So after coffee, a quick breakfast and showers...we were ready to go. Steve took a couple of pictures of the mountains surrounding us...

We started off at the Valemount Visitors Centre...got the "lay of the land", hiking trails in the area, etc. Lots of suggestions of what there is to do in the area.

 Then we took a drive through Valemount...

We went as far as the Cariboo Grill and since there was a train on the tracks, we turned around...

 ...and went back through town...

One of the hiking trails suggested was Little Lost Lake, with the trailhead off highway 16, on the way to Mount Robson Provincial Park On our way there we decided to just continue onto Mount Robson Park and check it out instead as it was only 25 minutes away. We had to go through a 1 km gravel stretch of road construction just before reaching highway 16. It reminded us of our Alaska trip...

 Seeding the roadside with grass...

We crossed over the Fraser River just before the junction (hwy 5 and 16). This is the same river that flows by Fort Langley where we normally stay awhile every spring and fall...

Heading east on the Yellowhead Highway (hwy 16) Mount Robson comes into view...

Mount Robson Provincial Park, the second oldest park in British Columbia's park system, is truly one of the world's crown jewels. The mountain for which the park is named guards the park's western entrance. At 3,954 metres, Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, towers over the lesser surrounding peaks; winter or summer; this is one of the finest views in the Rocky Mountains.

                                                       (Click on photos to enlarge)

Mount Robson makes a beautiful backdrop...too bad the top is shrouded in clouds...

According to the lady in the campground they hadn't had snow since last February and with the hot spring we had there's not much left on any of the mountains...

After a stop at the Visitors Centre and getting some info on hikes in the area, we decided on the 9 km return hike to Kinney Lake.`

The photos don't capture the brilliant blue/green of the water laden with glacial silt

The forest floor is thickly carpeted with moss...

We made it...

Wow!!!!

Closeup of that distant glacier...

And the mountain beside it...

Mount Robson...

And a closeup of it's glacier...

We thought this was a cabin but the map says it's a picnic shelter. There is a wilderness campground next to it...

See the vertical lines on this mountain...

The parking lot was full so it added about another 1/2 km each way to our hike just getting to the trailhead!

We checked out the campgrounds across from and next to the Visitor Centre to see how big rig friendly they were. Some sights were doable however the road was narrow in the Robson River campground (19 sites) mostly small with a very tight turn leading out. Robson Meadows campground (125 sites) had wider roads in some sections with lots of larger sites...but again a very tight turn getting out.

One last picture of Mount Robson...

Heading back to Valemount ...

Oh man the dust is worse now on that stretch of gravel!

We were very thirsty after that 10 km hike! So we stopped off at the Three Ranges Brewing Co.

Ahhhhhh!!

After we finished our refreshments, I popped across the street to pick up a couple of things at the IGA grocery store and then we headed home. It was after 4:00...and we'd had another great day hiking!

Blair and Birgit worked at Nk'mip RV Park in Osoyoos last winter and were there when we arrived back in Canada at the end of March. Well, they happen to be working here this summer and invited us down for a visit this evening. It was great seeing them...here they are with Jake (he says hi to Tucker!)