A little adrenaline rush over my morning cup of coffee? Yes, please. FULL DISCLAIMER: What I consider an adrenaline rush is probably a solid 2/10 on the scale of an average adrenaline junkie, but I digress.

So, I had this overly eager plan to wake up at the ungodly hour of 4:30 a.m. to catch the sunrise from the Sicamous Lookout. Of course, my little pea brain forgot it was summer solstice, so it threw us a wee little curveball. Since we were about a 30-40 minute drive to the top, I hadn’t quite accounted for the fact that the sun would already be up doing its thing.

I’d already been to this lookout 2 or 3 times before, but here’s a quick preview of why I wanted to go back. Once you’re at the top, there is a wooden platform that you can walk out on… it’s straight-up a haven for paragliders, or at least it was at some point. Pretty exhilarating, if you’re into that kind of thing! Personally, walking to the edge is all the excitement I need.

But I’m really getting ahead of myself here because the drive up this friggin’ logging road to get to the point is, erm, questionable at best. It kind of feels like a roller coaster, minus the safety bars (literally cliff edges without a guardrail in sight can you even), but safety third, right? (Just kidding. I’m fairly convinced it’s totally safe… fairly). But trust me, as white-knuckled as you might be, it’s totally worth it for the view that awaits.

At the top, we unpacked my camping gear—and by camping gear, I mean the one camping item I actually own, which is the Jet Boil. If you’re going to own anything for camping, this baby is it. Coffee, obviously, was our first order of business… always. Especially while gazing at a view that’s nothing short of spectacular.

Up here, you can see views of the Sicamous Channel, Shuswap Lake, and Mara Lake. While you can see the views from the road, the actual platform is worth the stomach butterflies. The wooden deck slopes downward, so one misstep feels like it could send you sliding into oblivion. I scooted on my bum to the edge because I was too nervous about standing, tripping, and toppling over the edge (I mean, it’s a good day when I don’t fall off a sidewalk, so…). But seriously, if you’ve got a fear of heights, this place will give you existential dread.

When we finally got our coffees ready, I took the opportunity to do some content creation for a couple of my clients (Redneck Mocha Moonshine is an absolute must in any holiday coffee—or non-holiday, I don’t judge). 

It was also quickly determined, however, that it was mosquito-central up here and their approach toward us was kind of like an all-you-can-eat buffet. They were RELENTLESS. We tried to enjoy some views, but I’m going to keep it real with you here: the bugs were being such savage assholes that we quickly finished up, took a few snaps, and headed back down. (Total time at the top was maybe half an hour.)

Please enjoy this image of me trying to fight off mosquitos… and I mean the ‘fit I was throwing that day…woof

MAIN TAKEAWAYS:

Pack bug spray. I’d also tell you to go for sunrise, but I missed it, so I guess all I can say is, if you do go, enjoy and punch a mosquito in the tit for me. That’s all..