Campi

WILDERNESS CAMPING, once
the exclusive preserve of highiy-
specialized experts, is now avail-
able to a wide range of people
thanks to initiatives undertaken by
B.C. Parks.

While a solid grounding in basic
camping skills ana an under-
standing of human impact on the
environment are still necessary for
any backcountry outing, estab-
lished trail networks and campsites
* have made true wilderness more
accessible than ever before.

Shouldering a 20-kilogram pack
and striking off into the trackless
wilds is a daunting thought for
many, including many seasoned
campsite campers.

Yet the wild country, especially
in a province blessed with vast
tracts of protected wilder-.ess,
lures many people.

Parks’ extensive network of
signed backcountry trails, in many
cases complemented by toilet and
firewood supplied campsites, helps
bridge the gap for those who have
fallen under the spell of wilderness
but are not quite ready for off-trail
hiking.

Canoe, camping and guided
horseback trips in provincial parks
are alternate means of reaching
wilderness for those unable or un-
willing to undergo the rigors of
hike-in camping.

Few camping experiences can
compare to quietly slipping
through prime wilderness in the
comfort of a canoe. It is the
time-honored method of
wilderness trave! in Canada and is
a unique way of touching on our
heritage.

Guided horseback trips, while
more expensive than do-it-yourself
trips, allow relatively easy access
and full-comfort camping in set-
tings of unsurpassed natural beau-

ty.
While most areas of the province
are suited to a variety of camping
experiences, the northern and
southeastern regions, due to their

ng offers w

extensive wilderness areas, are
especially suited to hike-in, canoe
or horseback camping.

The north is particularly suited
to canoe and horseback travel
while the mountainous alpine ter-
rain of the Kootenays has often
been described as a hiker’s para-
dise.

For first-time hike-in campers,
Kokanee Creek and Kokanee
Glacier Parks near Kootenay Lake
in the Nelson area provide an ideal
side-by-side combination of drive-
in campsite and hike-in wilderness.

19 — Wednesday, April 26, 1989 - North Shore News

A SPECIAL FEATURE OF THE
NORTH SHORE NEWS

Kokanee Creek Park, with full
camping amenities and 112 sites, is
the ideal starting point to the sky-
high scenery and hiking trails of
Kokanee Glacier Wilderness Park.

With more than 30 alpine lakes,
many stocked, the park is ideal for
the hiker-turned-angler.

Trails are of various lengths and
difficulty, camping areas have
been set aside and cabins are also
available.

Top-of-the-World, Elk Lakes
and Mount Assiniboine Provincial
Parks, while more difficult to

e ARE YOU TIRED OF THE SAME OLD VACATION TRIPS?
¢ ARE YOU WILLING TO ENJOY A UNIQUE AND

DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE?

Then

join us on one of our...

“NATIVE

WILDERNESS

® Jive at an Indian camp for 5 days

You
will.--

@ use horses for transportation in the vast Cariboo
country of B.C.

& gather and sample traditional Indian foods
@ sleep in teepees

® waich Natives dip for salmon and crown the days
activities with a barbecue

@ be a part of a guided tour through Indian heritage

sites

® experience the Indian Sweat Lodge"’
@ participate in various cultural activities and learn
how to make Indian crafts

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS AFFORDABLE & UNFORGETTABLE

HOLIDAY, WRITE TO:

R.A. #2, Comp. 105, Site 14, Williams Lake, B.C. V2G 2P2 fj

reach, also offer signed backcoun-
try trails and campsites.

Mount Assiniboine also boasts a
privately-operated lodge and inex-
pensive helicopter service.

Most trails are suitable to family
use.

Valhalla Park, reached by boat
across Slocan Lake, is often rough
going, but for canoe campers of-
fers 20 sandy beaches along 23
kilometres of lake front (watch for
sudden afternoon wind squalls).

Trail hikes can be taken directly
from the beach. Parks rangers

ow
B

iiderness adventure

patrol and live in most backcoun-
try parks.
While the alpine

lakes and
meadows of the sky-high
Kootenays are an all but irresistible
drawing card for those seeking an
alternative to drive-in camping, it
is the call for wild northlands
which truly epitomizes the feel and
flavor of wilderness.

As in the Kootenays, much of
the northern wilderness is now
readily accessible to even family

See Follow
Page 22

— SUMMER PACKAGES —

HOLIDAY FOR TWo $56.5

per
person

(Inc. Accommodation, Dinner and Breakfast)

SENIOR’S SPECIAL «cc. sreakrast & DINNER)
$51 Berson double

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