Testalinden Canyon Hiking

Testalinden Canyon Hiking



I did this hike in April a few years ago, but this year with the cool spring the foliage will likely be at this stage in early June.

Hiking the hillsides on either side of the Testalinden Creek Canyons is a matter of following cattle and game trails. I had the pleasure of doing this hike in mid April. Turn west off highway 97 on Road No. 16 then right on 123 street and left of 324^th . This end on the property of John and Darlene West. They do not mind people accessing the hikes here, if people ask permission first. An alternate way would be to head up the Mt. Kobau Road to the second switchback and head out that way.

I parked near the shop and walked up to the deer fence and slightly south to a gate in the fence. Please, as with every other gate of this sort, be sure to close it securely. Keeping south of the creek I wandered up to the hillside and onto a cattle/game trail that headed south an uphill through sagebrush and bunch grass.
Not wanting to get too far from the canyon, I took the first fork that took me back towards the creek. This eventually petered out and I began to climb the so what steep slopes walking very carefully. I could see into the steep canyon of the creek and the open hillsides to the north of the canyon. To access that side you would want to cross the creek near the bottom and take the cattle/game trails on that side. Either side offers nice open hillside hiking.

I spotted several mule deer alertly watching me and listening with those big ears. We watch each other for several minutes before all eight of them bounce off over a ridge. I was not too surprised as I had been seeing lots of droppings, but it is always a thrill to spot them.

Ever the one on the look out for wild edibles, I noticed lots of yellow bell flowers. Enough so that I almost regretted not having my digging tool with me. Almost, I could feel my back protesting enough as it was. Still! Maybe next time I will take it along just in case. The tiny bulb a little bigger than a pea is very nutty in flavour and is a nice crisp addition to a salad.

Eventually the land levelled a bit, (ok became less steep) and I wandered for a while enjoying both the hillside and the views of the valley floor from Tuckelnuet Lake to Osoyoos Lake. But one always must come down again, I wanted to explore just a little more, so headed down a bit further south than when I came up.
Always remember that when coming down and you run into a rocky bluff, you either have to scale it, find a way around or head back up hill. I found a few faint deer trails that led me safely through, although I was very glad I and good sturdy boots to support my ankles.

Once down to the lower cattle/game trail I followed it south to a pole which appears to have been for an electric wire years ago. Here the trail headed both up hill and down hill, so I headed back to the West’s place.

So far I had not run into any prickly pear, but there were a couple of nice patches along this trail. Nice plum prickly pear! I have carefully skinned and eaten some of these raw, can not say that I particularly liked them but they were edible. It is said though if you roast the spines off in the coals of a fire, the insides could then be popped out much like a marsh mellow. Our children initially thought they tasted like kiwi fruit, but I could not taste the similarity.