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.
St. John Point Regional Park is a newly-established park, developed through the efforts of the Mayne Island Conservancy Society and the Capital Regional District. The trails are still under development, but fine for experienced hikers. We hiked a loop route and explored the shoreline and headlands wherever we found reasonable access. contFrom the trailhead/parking area at the end of the … Continue reading…
Jag Hill is a prominent high ridge that juts out in a southeast direction from the Red Plateau Escarpment. Hikers can drive up the Red Plateau Forest Service Road and hike to the viewpoint, but there is no established trail. With some navigation and some help with flagging tape, a good place to start is at N50° 46.320′ W 120° … Continue reading…
Peterson Creek Park offers many trail choices for some rewarding hiking throughout the year. The steep gorge makes some routes more difficult, but also offers some interesting loop routes. One favorite loop is to follow the Tom Moore Trail upstream, then take a side trail down to the creek and come back along the East side, staying close to the … Continue reading…
With many hiking trails in the Kamloops area we sometimes plan a hike in the high country, but keep a Plan B too, a hike closer to home. The Dufferin Ridge Trail is a good backup hike in marginal weather. It had rained all night and was foggy in the morning, but it started to clear in late morning. We … Continue reading…
The Barnes Lake Trails are horse-and-hiker trails in Barnhartvale. Half of the area is grassland and open forest and the upper half is douglas fir forest. There are 5 trails and two trailheads so hikers can choose their own route. The outer loop is about 10 km. On a fall day we chose to do a 6 km counter-clockwise loop … Continue reading…
The Six Mile Hills area has rocky hills, ponds and marshes, two lakes, double tracks routes, and open slopes suitable for hiking. We usually hike a route through the hills each year and we paddle one of the lakes in most years. On this October day, we hiked a 9+ km route under sunny skies. We drove up the bumpy … Continue reading…
We camped at the end of the Clearwater Valley Road by Clearwater Lake and paddled the lake and hiked some trails, then, on the way back we hiked the North Dawson Falls Trail. A sign marks the trailhead not far from the Pyramid Trailhead. A loop route can be hiked, but on this occasion, we hiked in and back out … Continue reading…
On a sunny fall morning, the Raptor Ridge route was chosen for a moderate hike through the middle grasslands. The ridge parallels the Lac du Bois Road and from the high point at the north end there are often hawks perched on douglas fir trees and stumps, watching over the Lac du Bois Grasslands below. The start is at the … Continue reading…
We parked at the McQueen Lake entrance, then continued down the Isobel Lake Road, turning (at N50° 50.081′ W 120° 26.001′ ) onto the Forest Capital Trail (now called Beer’s a Waitin’ by the mountain biking community) and continued along the single/double track/trail to Isobel Lake. The trail is a good one, which we also use in winter on snowshoes. … Continue reading…
We hiked up the east side of Opax Mountain and out to the open ridge overlooking Hanging Valley. Lava cliffs face south and above is an open grassland slope with wide views. We drove up a side road from McQueen Lake and parked near Mud Lake. We followed an old double track road as it climbed for 2.7 km to … Continue reading…
To get to Murtle Lake, we have to drive to Blue River, then drive up into the mountains for 23 km. At the trailhead we have to load the kayaks onto carts and portage for 2.5 km. At the boat launch on Murtle Lagoon, we then paddle for 12 to 14 km to camp at a marine campsite. On this … Continue reading…
The Clearwater Lake Campgrounds are at the end of the Clearwater Valley road in Wells Gray Provincial Park. From the campground are several tails which go east and north. The trailhead for the Osprey Lookout starts right at the campground. The signed and well-maintained trail is also the trailhead for the Sticta Falls and Dragon’s Tongue, the Osprey Loop, … Continue reading…
From the Clearwater Lake campsites there are trailheads to several trails, including the Sticta Falls and Dragon’s Tongue Trails. In the morning we we hiked on the trail which goes through a cedar-hemlock forest. A junction is reached with the left fork going up to the Osprey Lookout and the Chain Meadows Trail and the right … Continue reading…
At the end of summer we drove into Lac du Bois Grasslands Park, then out on the Pruden Pass Road to the end. We hiked up the grassland and open forest slopes (within the Park) up to an open bench where homesteaders once lived. Remains of the cabin are still there but the pond that provided water was dry after … Continue reading…
At the end of summer we hiked a loop route starting at the southern boundary of the Lac du Bois Grasslands Conservancy, following an old double track to Stony Lake. These lands were homesteaded more than 100 years ago, but there is not much to see now, except for rock piles which designated pasture/field boundaries. We hiked along the grown-over … Continue reading…
We hiked a route around Lac du Bois which included some overgrown trails, some existing double tracks, and some off-trail traverses of ridges on the west side of the lake. We returned to do the same route gain, but in reverse, with an adjusted route. From the northeast end of Lac du Bois, we followed the double track south past … Continue reading…
