Four-Wheeling in the BC Interior : The Kootenays to Bella Coola

Not one for the beaten path? Take the roads less-travelled with four-wheeling ''guru'' Mark Bostwick

Look around at the roads today, and you''ll see a variety of sport-utility vehicles, trucks, jeeps, and any other rugged outdoor vehicle you van think of. It all points to the fact that four-wheeling is becoming one of the BC''s fastest growing leisure activities. If people aren''t actually out there on weekends in their four-wheel drive, they''re sitting around dreaming about it.

Share in the fun as Mark Bostwick explores more of the province in his battered four-wheel drive workhorse. This sequel to his bestselling Four Wheeler''s Companion emphasizes trails in the vast region forming an arc from the Chilcotin, across the Okanagan to the Kootenays. Bostwick rambles around Nelson, Kelowna, Kamloops, Williams Lake and Bella Coola, and everywhere in between.

Four Wheeling in the BC Interior introduces more than 75 trips of varying degrees of difficulty, ideal for both the leisurely explorer and the zealous expeditioner. The guide is easy to use, because it''s organized by geographical area, with a list of trips rated for difficulty, and descriptions of terrain, critical decision points, side paths, difficulties and danger spots, and points of interest. There are also maps, tips on photography, a list of gear you will need, and more.

Treading lightly along the footsteps and pathways of earlier visitors is what responsible four wheeling is all about to Bostwick, a lifetime environmentalist. Take the passenger seat as he discovers the best secluded spot to unrack the fishing pole or pits himself against the back country''s roughest terrain. Then jump in your four wheeler and do some rambling of your own.