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.
On a pleasant spring day I drove up the bumpy road to Pat Lake, sometimes called Six Mile Lake. It is a favorite spring fishing lake, but I stayed close to the shoreline paddling around twice, once in each direction. There were many birds on the shoreline and on the lake, including blackbirds, loons, ducks (mostly coots), geese, bluebirds, … Continue reading…
At the end of Abbey Road (west of Kamloops) an access road for the gasline runs through the hills. There are a number of possible routes through the rocky hills, some following old double tracks and an occasional single track, but the forest and the hillsides are fairly open so we can pick our own routes, respecting fencelines and posted … Continue reading…
On a cool grey day in early April we hiked the rocky Frederick Bluffs. There are no trails in the area, but we have hiked through the hills and gullies many times, passing a series of hidden ponds along the way. As we approached Bighorn Bluff we had our first views over Kamloops Lake. From the bluff, the views extended … Continue reading…
Every year I hike to the summit of Mara Mountain and the most frequent route used is a route from Pruden Pass up the northeast side of the mountain to the top. It is the shortest route with the least elevation gained, but there are no trails for half of the route, but the way is straightforward, winding up through … Continue reading…
We hiked some of the trails off the end of Uplands – Macleod Road in Barnhartvale, opting to hike mostly on the benchlands. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption. This was a moderate hike sandwiched between harder hikes and longer paddles. The Uplands Trails are one of our alternate hikes/walks for such days. The highlight of … Continue reading…
The Cache Creek Hills extend from Battle Creek (west of Juniper Beach) to Cache Creek. The range has open sagebrush – grassland slopes on the south side and forested slopes on the north side. Forest fires have burned the forest and have left charred stumps. Access is limited by rangeland fences, but we can access some routes from the Battle … Continue reading…
Every year we enjoy the hike up Buse Hill. The trailhead is on Robbins Range Road (link to more information) and the trail climbs up open slopes to the forest above. The upper part of the ridge is part of a provincial park. We hike on a double track first, across lands owned by the Buse Creek Ranch. Signs are … Continue reading…
On a cool, windy, and drizzly day I climbed the hills to the south with no set destination in mind. The hike was about 6 km through douglas fir forest, grassland slopes, and snowmelt ponds in gullies. There was some snow still at 1020m (3346 feet). On the lower slopes, buttercups, yellow bells, and rockcress were in bloom. In the … Continue reading…
The Barnes Lake Trails are horse-and-hiker trails in the hills of Barnhartvale (link to more information). We hike the trails in spring and fall each year, enjoying a longer (9.7 km) loop route through grasslands and forests. From grasslands, we hiked through a zone of open forest with a number of ponderosa pine snags. On the outside loop route, we … Continue reading…
The Sunset Trail is at the far west end of Kenna Cartwright Park. We usually hike up there from Hillside Drive past the prison, but the work on the Trans Mountain Pipeline has cut off that access. The hike from the main parking lot to the end of the Sunset Trail is about 3 km with a number of trail … Continue reading…
In 1976, Peterson Creek was the first area that I hiked when I arrived in Kamloops. I lived in Lower Sahali and routes of Peterson Creek were the closest and the most intriguing trails that summer. The lower entrance was well-established and the trails went to the canyon and up the sides, but the upper trails were not defined. Most … Continue reading…
Every year in spring we hike through Mara Canyon, starting at the new trailhead in the gravel pit and following the canyon trail to the wide open area below the summit, then we climb to the top of the ridge on the east side and descend the RidgeTrail (Cinnamon Ridge) back to the start. Over the years we have … Continue reading…
On a grey day in early April I hiked up the double track access to the base of the hill, then continued to the summit on steep single tracks. A few images are shared here. All photos by th author. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption. The hike takes about 2.5 hours and some navigation is … Continue reading…
On a grey spring day we hiked from the Frederick Road up open slopes on a favorite route, to Dewdrop Ridge. By hiking up through the grassland-sagebrush slopes for one kilometer, we reach one of the best viewpoints of our area, looking up the Thompson River toward Kamloops. Cooney Bay and Kamloops Lake lies 1.3 km below the upper rim … Continue reading…
The Mara Trail winds through the hills between Mara Mountain and the Tranquille River Valley. We can extend the trail to include the Mara Outer Loop by hiking over a hill above the Tranquille River on the west side, then loop back over to the shorter Mara Trail (loop). It is a good choice in early spring because the south-facing … Continue reading…
A lesser-known set of trails can be hiked off of Rose Lake Road or from sideroads in Valleyview. the Lower Rose Trails are a network of single and double tracks between Rose Hill Road and Owl Road, south of the Valleyview neighborhood, but north of the gasline route between Rose Hill and Juniper. My favorite trailhead is off Rose Hill … Continue reading…