There are 3 mountains in a line between the Lac du Bois Road and Tranquille Canyon. From south to north, they are Mara Mountain, Wheeler Mountain, and Opax Mountain. Driving Directions/Trailheads: From North Kamloops, drive up Batchelor Drive and carry on into Lac du Bois Protected Area. Wheeler Mountain is mainly accessed from Lac du Bois, but it is possible … Continue reading…
I led a small group on a complicated route above Pruden Pass. We parked at the end of the Pruden Pass Road and went up the northeast flank of Mara Mountain, working our way to the southwest summit where we had our first break. We followed an old double track down the northwest side of Mara to Massey Lake, then … Continue reading…
When the south-facing hills start to dry out, we look for scenic routes through the hills. On this mid-March day we hiked up the Pruden Pass Road from the Mara Trail(head), then took side routes out to the Guardsmen Overlook, Panorama Point, and Moby Dick before returning to the double track back to the parking area. We climbed up the … Continue reading…
We hiked from the Mara Trailhead near Tranquille up the old double track to Pruden Pass, then turned north onto the Wheeler Mountain Road. The road climbs steeply then at about 1 km up, an older-yet hard-to-see double track angles west and after about one more kilometer arrives near the top of Wheeler Bluffs. We stopped there for lunch and … Continue reading…
The south side of Mount Mara is very rugged, with many bluffs, cliffs, canyons, hoodoos, and rocky slopes. We usually hike on two trails on the south side, but there are a number of hard-to-get-to areas requiring scrambling on steep terrain. To the west of the main canyon is a “hidden vale”, untouched by cattle grazing, wildfires, or human activity. … Continue reading…
One of the first routes to clear and dry up in early spring is an off-trail route up a series of open ridges to the top of the Pimple. This up-and back hike is 6.64 km and climbs 545m (1788 feet). Along the way are wide-open views of the Tranquille River Valley, the flanks of Mount Mara and Mt. Wheeler, … Continue reading…
Some planned (but not scheduled) field trips to hike, explore, take photos, inventory, and map will include: Elephant Hills Provincial Park (east side) Bedard Aspen Provincial Park Epsom Provincial Park\Venables Hills Harry Lake Aspen Provincial Park Soap Lake Ecological reserve Dewdrop – Rousseau Protected Area Mara Meadows Protected Area Columbia River wetlands Hemp Creek Canyonlands Mount Savona Skwaha Lake Ecological … Continue reading…
Overview Google Maps: Google changed their algorithm so these links no longer work. Kamloops Area Hikes Snowshoeing Routes in the Kamloops Area Kamloops Area Paddling Spots More Google Maps: Bonaparte Plateau Bush Lake Routes Deep Lake Area Dewdrop Area Map Goose Lake Road Points of Interest Interior Hiking Trails and Routes Lac le Jeune Points of Interest Lower … Continue reading…
December, 2017 Dec. 1 – Uplands Bench hike Dec. 3 – Snag Hills hike Dec. 6 – Lower Rose Trails hike Dec. 8 – Lodgepole Lake hike Dec. 15 – Sugarloaf Hill hike Dec. 27 – Bush Lake snowshoe November, 2017 Nov. 1 – Watching Creek trails hike Nov. 6 – Mesa Trail hike Nov. 9 – South Kohala … Continue reading…
The old double track that starts just across the tracks near Tranquille is the old wagon road to the homesteads near Pruden Pass. The road is rough now, climbing from the Tranquille – Criss Creek Road to Pruden Pass between Mara Mountain and Wheeler Mountain. There is a gate blocking private property in the pass, but rougher-yet side roads … Continue reading…
Overlooking the west side of the Tranquille River is a series of open ridges that climb toward the prominent hilltop that is sometimes called The Pimple, The route up Tranquille Ridge climbs 1150 feet in about 3.5 km. It starts on an old double track that climbs steeply through the sagebrush and grass, then we have to cross the first … Continue reading…
In the widget on the right (Upcoming Posts), completed articles ready for publication are listed. The articles come out every 2 or 3 days, depending on the topic. Some are part of a series and some are reports from local outings. Upcoming (local): hikes in the Dewdrop Range, Lac ud Bois Grasslands, Valleyview Silt Cliffs, Mt. Mara, Neskonlith Meadows, and … Continue reading…
In February after recent snowfalls we put on our snowshoes and tramped over the hill and then down to the Tranquiile River. From Pine Park we continued upstream to the dam. In a number of spots the ice had collapsed into the river but we could walk on the snow on the riverbanks up to the narrows. The Mara Hills … Continue reading…
Looking ahead, these are some of the outings planned, although the weather, family demands, and serendipity often changes out plans: Hull Hill West on snowshoes with KHC snowshoeing – Mara Hills Snowshoeing near McQueen Lake with KHC snowshoeing on the southwest end of Hull Hill with KHC (a new exploration area) hike (tbd) hiking the Barren Hills with KHC hiking … Continue reading…
The source of the Tranquille River are the meltwaters of the southern end of the Silwohiakun Plateau. A dozen streams flow down the slopes below Porcupine Ridge (6000 feet) and end up In Tranquille Lake. The river really starts at the lake, but the log starts at the longest stream that flows into the lake. Km 0.0 – Porcupine Meadows … Continue reading…
The Dewdrop Traverse is a route that spans 19 km one way from the Red Lake Road to Hardie Hill, across the top of Red Plateau. It follows old double tracks, the Dewdrop Trail (single track), and some new single tracks on the west end set by motorcyclists, mountain bikers, and hikers. Only the middle section (the Dewdrop Trail) is … Continue reading…
