A quick summary of conditions on local trails. If you have additional updates, please comment. Lower Trails all clear and dry Mara Canyon has some muddy spots, some new erosion, and some new fallen trees the Raven Trail on the Salmon Arm waterfront has some construction the east end of the Rivers Trail by the airport is still under construction … Continue reading…
We are often asked about the “best” hiking trails of our area and we are happy to recommend trails, but there are a few factors to consider: ease of finding the parking area, the trailhead, and if there are trail signs difficulty of the trail – fitness requirements and experience needed on harder terrain seasonal appropriateness risks – including footing, … Continue reading…
We return to many of the same hikes, paddles, bike routes, and snowshoe routes each year, though we do change the season for the outing, the direction of travel, the starting point, the duration, and the group to offer some variety. Some of these are always worth doing again (like Mara Canyon, the Dewdrop Trail, Skoatl Point, Painted Bluffs, the … Continue reading…
December, 2016 Dec. 2 – Frederick Bluffs Dec. 3 – Kamloops Climb Dec. 7 – Outer Inks trails Dec. 9 – Kamloops Climb Dec. 14 – Dogwood Marshes snowshoe Dec. 18 – Bush Lake snowshoe Dec. 21 – Lodgepole Lake snowshoe Dec. 23 – Hull South snowshoe Dec. 28 – Upper Goose Hills snowshoe Dec. 30 – Bush Lake South … Continue reading…
December 2015 Isthmus Peak, Wanaka Queenstown walks Ben Lomond, Queenstown Mueller Glacier, Mt. Cook Akaroa Trails, Banks Peninsula Kiakoura Peninsula Trails Kiakoura Peninsula kayaking Blenheim Valley walks Queen Charlotte Sound paddle Queen Charlotte Sound Track Bowentown headlands and beach walks Dec. 16 – Mt. Peter Dec. 18 – XC Ski at Stake Dec. 25 – Mesa Trail Dec. 26 – … Continue reading…
July, 2018 July 1 – Mabel Lake July 6 – Wild Horse Ridge June, 2018 June 4 – Walloper Lake paddle June 6 – Three Amigos Hike June 8 – Floodlands paddle June 10 – Galiano Island hike June 11 – 13 – Wallace Island June 16 – Stake Lake paddle and hike June 20 – Inks Lake … Continue reading…
There are over 2000 posts about hiking, paddling, and snowshoeing routes on this site. They were mostly written soon after doing the route. Back in 2010, the articles were shorter and there was less integration with Google Earth, GPS, maps, and recent photos. By 2013, the posts are full of photos, maps and Google Earth routes. For some hikes, I … Continue reading…
A local hiker contacted us about some changes that have occurred in Mara Canyon recently. His comments are provided here: "I have a very concerning issue that I want to get out to the kamloops hiking/outdoor community, and your website seemed like the best place to start. Last year I hiked the cinnimon ridge hoodoo trail for the first time. … Continue reading…
Which Trails are in Your Top Ten for the Greater Kamloops Area? Mine are listed here. You can find articles on each trail in the Archives. 1. Dewdrop Trail 2. Mara Canyon 3. Tod Mountain 4. Grasslands Community Trail 5. Embleton Mountain Trails 6. Battle Bluff 7. Stake Lake Trails 8. Mount Dufferin Trails 9. Valleyiew Silt Cliffs 10. ? … Continue reading…
We hiked from Lac du Bois up onto Opax Mountain, and on to the western side where cliffs overlook the Tranquille River Canyon. Usually we do this as an out-and-back hike, a great 15 km hike. Recently Al Budreau, the author of Kamloops Backcountry Hikes, has developed a trail from the viewpoint down to the end of Hanging Valley. He … Continue reading…
When the snows melt, mud is a challenge on most hiking trails, but any sloped route that is south-facing will dry off first. A route from the bottom near Tranquille up an old double track, then along a series of steeper ridges climbs through sagebrush grasslands to a high point above the Tranquille Canyon. The final goal is the top … Continue reading…
Wheeler Bluffs is prime destination for a hike, but all routes to the top of the cliffs are long. We sometimes come up from the Tranquille area by following the road from the Mara Trailhead to Pruden Pass and then up the Wheeler Mountain Road. We have also come from Lac du Bois and from Mara Mountain, but all of … Continue reading…
Although we have hiked to the Guardsmen many times, we try to take a different route each time or to combine different detours, often taking an eclectic approach along the way. The Guardsmen are a number of large hoodoos standing over Tranquille River in a difficult-to-get-to spot of the rugged canyon. We started at the trailhead for the … Continue reading…
The first areas to dry out at the end of winter are in the valley bottom, then on the lower south-facing open slopes. Some of the best hiking at this time of the year are in the lower Batchelor Hills, the Dewdrop Range, and the Tranquille – Mara Hills. On a sunny day we followed double tracks and single tracks … Continue reading…
When the snows melt and the ground thaws, we end up with mud everywhere. Beach sands in the valley bottom are a good choice at first, but soon afterward some of the lower hills start to dry out. First to dry are the south-facing, open slopes. The sun dries out the snow and frost and with the low winter sun … Continue reading…
Opax Mountain is the large mountain area north of Wheeler and Mara Mountain at the north end of the Lac du Bois area. Driving Directions/Trailheads: Start at Lac du Bois or in the Mud Lake area. There are no signs and most routes require good navigation skills. A good map or a GPs is recommended. The area on top of … Continue reading…
