Kamloops
Playtime in Kamloops
Dwayne Brandly samples Kamloops’ hospitality and superb sledding
by DWAYNE BRANDLY
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| WIDE OPEN: With nine spectacular snowmobiling areas, Kamloops offers sledders plenty of choices. |
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SNOW DRIFT: Kamloops’ terrain and conditions were extraordinary.
—photos by Dwayne Brandly |
Bob McKinnon and I arrived in Kamloops on the evening of Wednesday, March 5, 2008. Looking at the windblown dry grass on the hills and the complete lack of snow, combined with the 9°C temperature, we wondered aloud if there would be any good sledding in this area. We would be proven wrong in the next two days.
We met our hosts, Howard Grieve and Lisa Strachan of Tourism Kamloops and they treated us to a fine dinner at the Brownstone Restaurant where we discussed our upcoming sledding adventure. It turns out Kamloops is almost a forgotten sledding playground. With nine large riding areas, all within an hour and a half from Kamloops, the sledding choices are unlimited. That evening, we stayed in a very comfortable room at the Sandman Inn and Suites. There is a Denny’s restaurant in the same lot, so breakfast the next day was quick and delicious.
At 8 a.m. we met Dianne Lawson of Kamloops Yamaha. She is a member of the Kamloops Snowmobile Association (KSA) and is also on the tourism destination development committee. She would be our guide for the next two days. After introductions to her business partner George Hinsche, we all left for Wendego Lodge.
Driving northeast from Kamloops, we went into the hills toward Tranquille Lake, about an hour away. Along the way, I couldn’t help but remark to Bob that the hills were very bare and dry with brown grass and sagebrush everywhere. This kind of scenery disappeared as we got higher, and the further east we went, we encountered more snow.
Before long, we were at the turnoff to Wendego Lodge. The new snowfall covered the ice on the road and it was unplowed, which made driving a bit tricky. We were almost at the lodge, with one hill to go, when George got stuck. His vehicle had four-wheel drive but because it was pulling a trailer, the truck slipped off the road.
After several unsuccessful attempts to move, we unloaded his sleds, put on chains and he chewed his way to the lodge. By this time, the snow was a good foot-and-a-half deep and the differentials and axles were dragging. Then, it was our turn to try the hill. We took many runs at it before we finally slipped off on the same side of the road as George. Right after we got out of the truck to start digging, George arrived on his sled to bring chains.
Eventually, we made it to the lodge without further incident—the road is usually plowed but the grader was broken on this particular day.
A warm welcome
Wendego Lodge is a wonderful, peaceful place. It is located on Tranquille Lake, 55 kilometres from Kamloops, and has been owned and operated by Norm and Flo Flynn for the past 28 years. The main building is their home and it has a small convenience and tackle store as well as the restrooms and check-in/sitting area. Snowmobile gas is available. There are seven private rustic cabins, each with two bedrooms, a kitchen with a wood stove and a covered porch. These are very well insulated and can sleep up to six persons. The cabins look out on the lake, which was snow-covered when we were there. Apparently, fishing is great in both summer and winter.
We were anxious to go sledding, so we dropped our gear at our cabin and off we went. George and Dianne led us along winding trails to Porcupine Meadows Provincial Park. This area is an ecologically protected area; however, snowmobiling is allowed after December 15, when there is three feet of snow cover and the moose have left for lower feeding grounds. Although it is only about five miles long, the meadow area seemed endless. We cut through the clean untouched snow, back and forth across the meadow, until there were tracks everywhere.
Back on the trail, we stopped at a KSA warm-up cabin where Dianne kindly provided lunch for us. In our haste to get out sledding, Bob and I had forgotten to bring our lunch. It’s a good thing someone was thinking ahead. We then headed up to the highest elevation at an old forest fire lookout. The view from here was spectacular. Over the tops of the rolling hills to the southwest we could see steam rising from the pulp mill in Kamloops, about 35 kilometres away. To the east the snow-covered peaks of the Shuswaps rose like a majestic wall. It was getting late so we headed back to Wendego Lodge. With a promise to return the next morning, Dianne and George left for home.
It was a very warm evening and Norm Flynn kindly loaned us a propane barbecue. I cooked our steaks outside on the porch while Bob split some wood for the stove. We enjoyed a glass of homemade wine with dinner, cleaned up, then shut down for the night.
Unlimited sledding opportunities
We got up early the next morning, anxious to get going. After an early breakfast, we fuelled the sleds, filled the oil reservoirs and headed out. The large parking area had been completely plowed and it was waiting for the weekend crowd of sledders. The trails had been groomed overnight so we followed the main trail back to the KSA Chalet, which we had passed on our way to Wendego the day before. The chalet is a large, very well-furnished log cabin, complete with a generator, microwave, electric lights and a gas stove. There is plenty of wood to keep the cabin warm for overnight guests; this is one of the perks of belonging to the KSA. The trail cut through the forest, over hills, through valleys and across frozen creeks. The sun was shining and with the temperature hovering just below zero, it was turning into a lovely day.
We had missed meeting Dianne and her crew of sledders, so we headed back to Wendego Lodge. There, we met her son Jeff and his friend, Richard Sheridan. With Jeff in the lead, the five of us headed out together.
We soon discovered there is much more to the Porcupine Meadows area than the trails we had followed yesterday. Jeff led us to other areas of the park where there were even larger untouched meadows. Being with the Yamaha dealer in Kamloops, Dianne had brought along a couple of demo sleds for us to try. We rode the FX Nytro, the Attack with a long track and the Apex Mountain sleds. What performance. Each of these beautifully handling sleds made riding much more of a pleasure than it already was. The quiet four-stroke motors and the absence of the two-stroke smell was a real treat.
We played in the deep snow, laying over and cutting tighter and tighter circles until either the sleds would tip over or we would fall off. We explored one open area after another. The snow was untouched and beautiful—it was almost a shame to track it up. Those feelings lasted for about a second as we chased each other through the trees and played a game of hide-and-seek behind huge mounds of snow that had piled up on the smaller trees and bushes.
Eventually, it was time to head back, but not before we did some hill-climbing on several of the many cut blocks that lay wide open, between the edge of the park and Wendego Lodge. There was more than enough snow cover to eliminate any concern of hitting a log or stump. Not once did I feel an unusual bump on the sled, except when I fell off while making a tight turn. These areas seemed endless as we explored from one to the other. We were soon very tired and glad to see the parking lot at the lodge.
More to discover
Thanks to Norm and Flo Flynn, our stay at Wendego Lodge was absolutely great. It was not something that will soon be forgotten—nor will our sledding trip to Porcupine Meadows. Thanks to Dianne Lawson for taking the time to show us around and to Tourism Kamloops for making our first trip to this wonderful sledding area a great experience. I mentioned at the top of this article that Kamloops is an almost untapped sledding resource. We only explored one of the nine areas.
Kamloops is known for its desert-like hills in the summertime, but it has so much to offer in the winter and should not be passed over when considering a winter sledding vacation. We definitely will return to explore more of these areas.
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