In early spring the south-facing lower slopes of the river and lake valleys dry out first and a good choice for a 9.3 km return hike is to follow a trail from the Savona Cemetery along the slopes of Kamloops Lake toward Sabiston Creek.   The trail continues past the beach area there by the tracks, but it climbs steeply up a ridge, so we turn instead to the lakeshore as our turn-around point, a good spot to have lunch and explore the beach and an old cabin on the shores. 

The trail starts as a double track then becomes a narrow single track, winding across the steeper slopes, heading east-northeast above Kamloops Lake.  The route is grassland, rocks, and sagebrush with a few junipers along the way.   It is a fine route in spring, but not a great hike for the summer heat.  

As always we stop to enjoy whatever nature offers and whatever artifacts we encounter.    Click any image for a full lightbox view and a caption.   All photos by the author.  

Sabiston Beach cabin

aged juniper wood

black-margined flower fly

aged sagewood

Savona Cemetary slopes

Kamloops Lake

Some video footage along the way also adds to an understanding of the kind of hike this is. 

We do this hike every year in March and so we will be back again next year to enjoy the Savona to Sabiston hike.  

The swish and rattle of steps on the dirt path

Provide the rhythms for the sweeps of wind across the open hillsides,

As the waves below roll on by to lap on cobbled shorelines

Below the winding earthen trail on ochre rockslopes.