Cathedral Lakes Lodge, B.C.
High Altitude Hiking near Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada
Mar 11, 2009
From Vancouver, take either the Hope-Princeton route or the Coquihalla highway to Merritt and then head southeast to Princeton. Keremeos is 67 km past Princeton and the turn-off to Cathedral Lakes is about 2 km before the town. After crossing the Similkameen river at the “Red Bridge', drive about 11 km on paved roads before hitting the gravel that runs alongside the Ashinola River. The Cathedral Lakes Lodge base camp is located another 11 km ahead.
Cathedral Lakes Lodge
The author first heard about Cathedral Lakes from Don Pope and Rhonda Padmos while visiting them in Peurto Vallarta, Mexico in 2006. They said that during the summer they stayed at this high altitude hiking resort run by Rhonda's brother; Richard Padmos. From the base camp Don drives visitors up the 9 mile of private road to lodge. The trip takes about an hour although a Land Rover can do it in half the time. The route is flanked by Douglas Fir and several species of spruce and pine. The lodge itself is situated on Quiniscoe Lake which is at an attitude of 2,000 meters. This also the site of the provincial campground.
High Altitude Hiking
Radiating out from lake area are well-marked hiking trails, which, for the most part, lead up towards the rim which is a climb of another 500 meters. From this vantage point a hiker can see for hundreds of miles in all directions. The upper regions of the park were not affected by glaciation. The intriguing rock formations have been given names such as Devil's Woodpile, Stone City, Smokey the Bear, and the Giant's Cleft. The fauna of the area include mountain goats, Bighorn sheep, marmots, deer, squirrels and on rare occasions Black bears.
Back at the Lodge
Typically guests socialize, hike, canoe and fish. Meals are served in the lodge and hikers can pack a lunch. After a long day of exercise, there's a chance to relax in the hot tub. Don and Rhonda are a performance duo in Puerto Vallarta, and, on occasion, they play the lounge. The author has played sitar there as well.
The main season for Cathedral Lakes Lodge is June to September but this year (2009) they are planning to open for a winter session of February and April. Other developments include plans to accommodate Yoga retreats and sitar music instruction.
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