When the winter snows start to melt one of the first trails to dry out is the Savona to Sabiston Creek Trail.   it faces south, has no trees, is sloped to face the low winter-early spring sun, and is subject to the drying winds of the Kamloops Lake corridor.   When other trails still have snow, ice, and mud, this trail is often dry.  The trail starts as a double track from the Savona Cemetery (take the first right off the Highway and follow the gravel road to the end).   The track parallels  the CNR line above the lake for about 5.5 km one way.

The trail starts across the lake from Savona and bears east, changing from a double track to a single track.

For most of the way, the trail stays well above the railway line, offering fine views up and down the lake.

There were almost no living trees along these dry slopes, except for an occasional juniper in gullies.

Part way along the trail the slopes above became steeper as wound around ridges above small bays in the lake.   In late winter, the lake was down, exposing wide gravel beaches.

Rocky hills stand higher upslope south of the Sabiston Creek Road.   Those hills will be good area for exploration at a late date.

the wide beach areas are covered over during freshet, but they are a good area for exploration in early spring and late summer.   The trail descends to a side track down to the shoreline at the last point before the Sabiston Creek Caliente Resort (a  few private homes on the next point – link).

We used the side double track to access the beach area for lunch.

This is a pleasant beach sometimes used by boaters on Kamloops Lake.   Six Mile Point is 5 km east of the beach in this photo.An old ramshackle cabin stands above the high water mark.   Note the Free Wifi sign in front.

We walked down the beach for the 1 km length and looped back on an old double track to the trail.   Past this beach the trail climbs the ridge above Sabiston Creek.   To continue east, hikers have to descend into the creek gully to the other side.   There is a road (access for the resort) and another older double track on the other side of Sabiston Creek that can be used to continue one in a loop or for further exploration.   Most early spring hikers stop at a ridge above Sabiston Creek, then return on the trail back to the trailhead for an 11.5 km hike.

The open grasslands and rugged hills above call for further exploration before the area becomes too warm for the south-facing slopes.   Watch for a report on those explorations.

We have also driven and biked the Sabiston Creek road above and have explored a number of side tracks, one to the viewpoint/tower (link), the Sabiston Lake Road, and the Copper Creek Road, but more days of exploration are needed.  In addition, there is a bike trail that goes north from the Cemetery up into the hills.   We have hiked this too, but it is better down once the snows fully melt.   Watch Kamloopstrails for updates.