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.
When the first warming of late winter comes, the south-facing lower-elevation ridges melt first. Ridges dry off mostly quickly because gravity draws the meltwater away in 3 directions and the tops of ridges are also the most exposed to both wind and sun. Any slope that is at 90 degrees to the low winter sun also receives the most direct … Continue reading…
In southern Arizona we traveled southeast from Tuscon to take the tour of Kartchner Caverns, booking an early morning tour. We were underground in the Rotunda Room and the Throne Room for about an hour, enjoying every minute of the tour. Cameras were not allowed on the tour, so a stock photo is shared to get a sense of the … Continue reading…
When the weather starts to warm, the first areas to completely clear of snow and dry up are the south facing ridges. When the sun is low in the sky the angle of the sun’s rays are angled through the atmosphere so they are strongest at 90 degrees to the height of the sun at the time. In late February … Continue reading…
Near the end of February, we hiked from Tranquille, around Cooney Bay, over the bluffs and out to the last point before Battle Bluff and back. the weather was clear and mild and there was no wind. It felt like the end of winter. The first part of Cooney Bay had some mud, but after that, the section to the … Continue reading…
Every winter we snowshoe through the middle grasslands of Lac du Bois Protected Area. We have several routes, but one of our favorites starts at the signed parking area for the Nature Trail. We prefer to do this route later in winter each year when the snow settles a bit and the tracks are well-stomped in. We have done this … Continue reading…
In winter we look for areas that retain snow, but allow for vehicle access and parking. Bonus features include a stomped-in track, a variety of habitat, wildlife signs, peace and quiet, and route choices. The double and single tracks of the northwest side of Hull Hill are a good choice when the conditions are right. On this mid-February … Continue reading…
From Lodgepole Lake there are many snowshoeing route possibilities. We can go up the Chuwhels Mountain Road. We can snowshoe around the lake. We can snowshoe south over the ridges toward Eureka Lake. We can loop out to Melba Lake and back. We can follow user-made tracks through the marshes, cutblocks, double tracks, and single tracks, exploring, and making … Continue reading…
Two of the prime snowshoeing areas for winter outings are up the Lac le Jeune Road in December and January (for routes over 4000 feet) and up the Lac du Bois Road in February (for routes over 2500 feet). We can also choose to go to fee-based trail systems at Stake Lake, Sun Peaks, or Harper Mountain. We can also … Continue reading…
The road up to Surrey Lake starts at a turn off the Logan Lake Road and climbs through the hills for 9km. The snow-covered frost service road is kept open by the Surrey Lake Resort. Just before the entrance into the resort area there is another Forest Service Road that goes around the lake and continues on to the … Continue reading…
The area between Lac du Bois and McQueen Lake is part of the Lac du Bois Conservancy Area. These lands are conserved as natural areas but “low impact nature recreation is allowed”(Nature Conservancy of Canada). We hike, do nature walks, and snowshoe through the upper grasslands and forests in several seasons. On a mid-February day we started our route on … Continue reading…
The Tranquille River Trail goes from the parking lot up past the old dam to where the canyon narrows down. Beyond that is all scrambling. Hikers can walk on the double track, then the single track for about 2.4 km before turning around to come back. there are routes that can be climbed on either side, but those are mostly … Continue reading…
A favorite hike or snowshoe route goes from Lac du Bois into a valley between Opax Mountain and Wheeler Mountain. From the Lac du Bois Road, the double track goes around the north side of the lake, then follows the drainage into Hanging Valley. The gentle sloping valley continues for 5 km west where it ends in a clearing before … Continue reading…
The middle elevation hills of Lac du Bois Grasslands Provincial Park are open areas with grass and sagebrush on rounded hills and ridges. The soils are mainly a thin layer of organic materials on top of glacial tills. Where the glaciers moved across bedrock outcrops, moraines collected into kames and shaped hills. Between these hills potholes formed, once full of … Continue reading…
When we get some warmer temperatures in winter, the snows start to melt and the first places to be free of snow and mud are the shoreline trails and beaches of the rivers. The premier route for a winter walk/beach is along the Rivers Trail to the west beaches between the airport and Tranquille. We park at the end of … Continue reading…
When warmer winter weather wafts across the greater Kamloops area, the snows start to melt and the first areas to clear are the beaches and shorelines of the South Thompson River, the North Thompson River, the downstream Thompson River, and Kamloops Lake. These areas are lower, open, treeless, tend to be windy, and have granular soils. Within week of warming … Continue reading…
Each winter we seem to have a month when more moderate weather melts the snow at lower elevations. The best places to hike when this happens are along the shoreline and beaches of our rivers and Kamloops Lake. The Cooney Bay Road is rough at any time of the year, but it was even more potholed with deep slushy puddles … Continue reading…
