Kamloops Lake Trek – Carabine Creek to Savona
We hiked from Tranquille to Savona over 2 days covering about 38 km over the hills on the north side of Kamloops Lake (link to the story). On our first day we hiked all the way to Painted Bluffs Provincial Park, then climbed over the hills to a rustic site near the Carabine Creek Road. On Day 2 we packed up our gear then we hiked through the hills and down to the Savona to Sabiston Creek Trail, finishing the day at Steelhead Park in Savona.
We were on the trail all day on the first leg so we just made a rough camp that evening. It was cold enough that ice formed in our water bottles overnight.
Our route started on a track through the forest, then we traversed open slopes down to the lakeshore, staying above the tracks. There were several creeks to cross on the way.
The whole 2 day trek featured many views, but the best one was in the hills above Sabiston Creek looking east up Kamloops Lake.
We wound down to the lake on open south-facing slopes with Kamloops Lake on our left, all the way to Savona.
The final section was a single track on dry slopes above the rail line.
We went past the Savona Cemetery, then followed the road to the Highway and crossed the Thompson River on the bridge. Our last section of walking took us into Steelhead Park where we found a picnic table to anchor down while we waited to be picked up.
We have never heard of anyone hiking the length of Kamloops Lake before, although the Hudson Company Brigade Trail followed a similar route 180 years ago. Much of the route was on a good series of tracks (lots of exploration and navigation is required) , but there were sections of difficult terrain too. Kamloops Lake is not very accessible, but it is always rugged and scenic.