I started exploring this area in 1976 and I continue to follow tracks and routes wherever they lead, with the aid of map, compass, GPSr and camera. After many dead-ends, but also many discoveries, I chose to share this information. Getting out 12 months each year, I continue to explore trails, tracks, routes, and waterways of the Kamloops area and beyond.
Starting in the Inks Lake Exit area, backroads and trails expand through the forested slopes, linking over to Greenstone Mountain southwest, to the Timber Lake-Bush Lake area south and beyond southwest to the Chuwhels Mountain trails. The total area is 15km by 7 km, with hundreds of trails, tracks, and backroads within a 100 square kilometer area. Much of the … Continue reading…
When you live at N50 latitude, winters stretch from early December to the first part of March. Higher elevations become blanketed in snow. It takes a while for the snow to build up to allow good backcountry cross country skiing and snowshoeing and the short days also restrict our week day outdoors activity. Late Shoulder Season is a challenge for … Continue reading…
The hills above the north shore of Kamloops rise steeply above the flood plain, but the hills beyond are mostly rolling and treeless Bachelor Hill stands above this area with Telus towers on top. A road switchbacks up to the top, but this is the least pleasing route choice. Instead, a number of old double tracks can be combined … Continue reading…
Kamloops area rockhounds have uncovered many locations where agates can be found. Agates have been used for ornamental purposes, carving, and display since ancient times. Agates are formed through volcanic processes when crystalline silicas bond into layers within a pocket in the lava. Quartz layers may also be present in the nodules, Our area is well-know for its chalcedonies. Chalcedony … Continue reading…
Kamloops and area has a number of fossil sites nearby. There was once an inland sea over the area and plant and animal life became trapped in layers of mud and silt. Where these old shale layers have been uplifted and then exposed to the air, we can sometimes find fossil impressions by breaking apart the layers. In general, the … Continue reading…
For many years we have been quietly hiking to the top of Coal Hill and Sugarloaf Hill in the area to the southwest of Kamloops. There are trails to the top of both, though there are some fences here and there to be avoided. Access routes have changed hands and they are changing again with the start of the Ajax … Continue reading…
The chain of mountains to the south of Smithers dominates the skyline. Hudson Bay Mountain looms above the town. A gravel road winds up the flank to cross country and alpine ski trails. The road ends at a small village and the ski runs come down off the ridge in two directions, but the summit of the mountain is not … Continue reading…
While we were in the Smithers area, we tried several of the hikes and we were very pleasantly surprised by the Malkow Lookout hike. The hike starts at the edge of pastures, winds through forests, then climbs a hill in the middle of the valley. There are wide view of the fields, hills, Bulklley River Valley, Babine Mountains, and Hudson … Continue reading…
While we were in Smithers we tackled Hudson Bay Mountain from two sides. Our first hike was up Glacier Gulch. Hudson Bay Glacier sits in a basin on the north side of the mountain. The meltwaters run down cliffs and form Twin Falls. To see Twin Falls and get to the trailhead of the hike, drive north on Highway 16 … Continue reading…
KamloopsTrails normally features outdoor explorations in the Kamloops area, but when we travel and find hikes, we include them into the site. Driftwood Creek is a spot we have returned to over the years. On the first trip back in the 1970’s, there were some references to a fossil bed on the way to the Babine Mountains so we had … Continue reading…
In the middle of the Lac du Bois Grasslands lies a long, narrow lake. Long Lake sits at the bottom of a trench between the Bachelor Range and the Upper Grasslands. The lake itself is 1.5 km long, but there is really a chain of ponds stretching over 3.5km. A double track runs along the east side and there are … Continue reading…
A year after our first trip to Bearcat Caves, we returned to expand our explorations of the caves and the area. The Kamloops Search and Rescue team had done an exercise in the caves area, marking a trail route in and the cave mouth openings. They had also explored some of the caves on a rope team and had found … Continue reading…
This hike has been in our sights for a number of years. All references to the hike stated to not attempt it in wet conditions so it was bypassed in marginal conditions. In our latest attempt, conditions were cold (-4) at the start and there was snow over most of the route, but the road in was fine, though we … Continue reading…
Orchard Lake Road climbs the hill from McLure on its way to Badger Lake. The road pass by three small lakes called the Struthers (Loon) Lakes. Not far past the largest of the lakes a road at 5.5 km turns south. This side road is the Coyote Lake Road and for most of the year it is suitable for most … Continue reading…
Watching Creek drains the hills to the northeast and runs into a canyon before meeting Tranquille River. Near the confluence of the creek and river two gorges converge and a point of land juts out between the two canyons. From this point it is also possible to cross Watching Creek and follow a trail down the east side of the … Continue reading…
Thanks to Russ Walton for his research and for his company as we did the field work on this exploration. "In 1877, G. M. Dawson surveyed the area around Kamloops for the Geological Survey of Canada. In his report he wrote that, “Battle Bluff derives its name from an Indian legend, and on a surface of smooth, glacier-polished rock on … Continue reading…