|
|
100 mile house, b.c.
More than a pretty place
You can always find an adventure around 100 Mile House
by KIRSTEN ARMLEDER
 |
THIS IS THE LIFE: The 100 Mile Snowmobile Club love to spend time together enjoying camaraderie and the area's superb sledding.
—photo courtesy 100 Mile Snowmobile Club |
Located on the Old Cariboo Gold Rush Trail in one of the most diverse regions of the province, 100 Mile House provides some impressive and fun sledding opportunities.
Step into the wild side
Consisting of a vast, unspoiled wilderness covered in pristine lakes and majestic mountains, the area surrounding 100 Mile House has more than enough to satisfy sledders from every background.
Popular places to ride include Clearwater Lake and Crooked Lake; but you had better have your game face on, as the terrain in these areas can test your mettle.
“The mountains toward Clearwater Lake and Crooked Lake are beautiful and as challenging as anyone could want,” said Peter Messner, a longtime resident and member of the local snowmobile club.
Getting there: To get to the staging area from 100 Mile House, turn right off Highway 97 onto Forest Grove/Canim Lake Road and drive east past Canim Lake to Eagle Creek, then head towards Hendrix Lake—an old townsite for a molybdenum mine. You can access the riding area from the abandoned mine site, or turn right before you get there and drive to Spanish Lake.
Miles and miles of scenery
The 100 Mile Snowmobile Club has also developed a trail that leads from the neighbouring community of 70 Mile House north to Spout Lake. This route is great for touring, as it features gorgeous scenery. Sledders can also choose to ride from 70 Mile House, south of Green Lake on a route that links to trails near Kamloops and is also connected to the extensive Trans Canada Snowmobile Trail.
According to Messner, there are many more miles of trails to be explored between 100 Mile House and Barkerville—where you are only limited by how much fuel you bring.
The early explorers
Messner, who has lived in the area since 1969, remembers when many of the trails were not yet developed and the current riding areas were still being discovered.
“There were six of us exploring those mountains back in 1988 or so, and we named some of them after the first to make it to the top—such as Messner’s Mount, Hyland’s Hump and Turphin Top,” said Messner. “It took us several years just to find routes to some mountains, and back then—with the sleds we had—making it to the top of some was a real challenge
|
|
|
|
