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.
The rocky hills surrounding Kamloops Lake offer opportunities for exploratory hiking, but access is often a challenge. Abbey Road is a short sideroad off the Trans Canada highway and it goes into the hills as an access road for a gasline and hydro lines. there was a gate there in past years and now the gate is gone and high-clearance … Continue reading…
Trapp Lake is a long narrow lake in the bottom of the gully south of Shumway Lake. There is a good launch spot halfway down the lake. It is one of the lakes in which the ice clears off early, so I usually pick it for a spring paddle. I paddled down the west shore and then back on the … Continue reading…
The unofficial tracks and routes around the Six Mile Lakes make good spring hiking. Pat And Morgan Lakes are busy fishing spots since they are the first ice-off lakes in the hills in the area so fishermen come up from Tobiano or over from the Tunkwa Lake Road to launch their boats. Surrounding the lakes are rocky open hills and … Continue reading…
We launched our kayaks in April from a boat launch on the east side of Nicola Lake close to the southwest end. The lake was low and almost all of the water was quite shallow, but there was a channel of deeper water heading west toward Upper Nicola. On a sandbar across the lake were 3 American white pelicans (only … Continue reading…
In a time of social distancing it is recommended we find outdoor activities away from crowds of people. Every spring we hike on the Lower Rose Trails and it is rare to encounter anyone else. A series of interconnected trails provide opportunities for shorter loop hikes through the sagebrush slopes. the main access points are off streets like Parkhill Drive, … Continue reading…
On a calm early April day we launched our kayaks from Cooney Bay and paddled into the rivers flow, down to the lake. We rounded the corner and followed the shoreline of Cooney Bay. Our route continued past a few fishermen, rocky bluffs, gravely and shingled shoreline beaches, and railway fixtures toward Battle Bluff. We passed the tunnel under the … Continue reading…
One of the trail areas that clears of snow, ice,and mud early is the set of trails off Bunker Road, a section of open grassland benchland in Kenna Cartwright Park. Most of the trails are shorter and moderate hikes, but there are also outstanding views from the edge of the bluffs. We hiked these trails – Sage to Fescue, Fescue … Continue reading…
As the snows melt, we can climb higher into the hills. The upper slopes still have snow and the sheltered areas and north-aspect slopes still retain snow, but the south-facing slopes are fully into spring by mid-April. A few lakes were in “ice-off” status and others will not be thawed until later in April or even in May. We hiked … Continue reading…
A friend (Susanne) had visited the Six Mile Hill area lakes at the end of March and she had posted a photo of Turtle Lake which had turned pink, so I ventured up there to go for a hike, investigate the lakes, and take a few photos. Overnight it had snowed and there was a strong cold wind, so I … Continue reading…
Dewdrop Ridge may be my favorite hike in the Kamloops area, but it only offers routes, not much in the way of trails. The route to the top is easy enough. Just turn onto the Frederick Road and park at the first pullout area on the right. Cross the flats and start the climb, picking your own path. I usually … Continue reading…
A long ridge goes from the top of Mount Dufferin all the way down to the end of the Sunset Trail, then continues on in a west-northwest direction down toward the dump and the sewage lagoons. A series of rocky grass-covered hills go down from the end of the trails, past an old DND fenceline. The shape of the ridge … Continue reading…
We hiked the Sonoran Desert canyons and ridges, all below the treeline. Tall saguaros, various types of cacti, and prickly shrubs covered the hills and the only trees we encountered were in riparian zones in stream valleys. One day we drove up the road to Mt. Lemmon, an alpine village destination for a summer get-away and a ski hill in … Continue reading…
By the end of March the snow and ice has left the river valley and the volume of water in the Thompson River is low, exposing large sandbars, gravel bars, and wide beaches. From McArthur Island we can walk out southeast onto gravel bars and get to a spot about 8 meters from the beaches of Rabbit Island. We have … Continue reading…
The hills and mountains to the east of Tuscon are home to Saguoro National Park Wilderness and Tuscon Mountains Park. We started the Kings Canyon Trail inside the National Park, but continued up the canyon, bearing northeast, climbing about 488 m over 9.5 km. Desert scrub brush and wildflowers were framed by saguaros, cholla, and ocotillos. This was spring, … 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…
In the right conditions paddling on the Thompson Rivers is great in March. On this mid-March day, there was no wind and blue skies. I paddled west from Pioneer Park, going under the Red Bridge, then the Black (CN) Bridge before passing through the Confluence. The river is quite low at this time of year and there are gravel bars … Continue reading…
