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 Brussels Hills are unnamed on maps, but they are a line of open forested rocky hills above Brussels Lake and Brussels Creek between Tobiano – the TransCanada Highway and the forested slopes of Mt. Fehr to the south. We often hike nearby in the upper Six Mile Hills and the access road is the same for both. Just past … Continue reading…
We hike Sugarloaf Hill most years in the late fall, well after grazing season when there is no one in the area. In late November on a grey, “socked-in” day, we followed a double track from the north to the base of the summit hill, then followed a faint single track to the top. We were in the fog at … Continue reading…
We hiked from the Mara Trailhead near Tranquille up the old double track to Pruden Pass, then turned north onto the Wheeler Mountain Road. The road climbs steeply then at about 1 km up, an older-yet hard-to-see double track angles west and after about one more kilometer arrives near the top of Wheeler Bluffs. We stopped there for lunch and … Continue reading…
Although we have been quietly hiking through the Pineview, Coal Hill and Ironmask Trails for over 40 years, the area has filled with biking (multi-use) trails over the last few years thanks to the ongoing efforts of the Kamloops Bike Riders Association. More access to the Ironmask Hills has been expanded, with new trails going over the southern Ironmask Hill … Continue reading…
The Barnes Lake trails are on Crown lands between the Campbell Creek Road and the Robbins Range Road in Barnhartvale. They were first developed as horse-and-hiker trails on grassland hills and forested slopes. The whole area is fenced in, but there are 4 access gates, signage at junctions, and good trails. The northern half of the area winds through open … Continue reading…
There have been 5 Ice Ages spanning the last 2000 million years. In that span there were many geological events too, with folding, faulting, and volcanic activity changing the landscape. A number of volcanic events shaped the hills around Kamloops Lake, but the glaciers of the ice age also shaped the land. During the last Ice Age which started 2.5 … Continue reading…
Three mountains run south to north from the Thompson River Valley: Mount Mara, Mount Wheeler, and Opax Mountain. There are trails/routes to the top of all three, detailed on this website. In November we returned to hike the route up the north side of Mount Wheeler, an 11.7 km return route We started at Lac du Bois, then followed a … Continue reading…
The Dewdrop Range extends from the slopes past/above Tranquille River west for 10 km. On the slopes above the Tranquille Hills is a ridge that runs east-west for 2.5 km. From the Frederick Road it is a moderate 1 km hike to the top of the ridge. We have developed a loop route that goes to the top of the … Continue reading…
Napier Lake Ranch was a working ranch for 150 years then in an agreement between the land owners (the Jackson Family) and the Nature Conservancy of Canada, some lands were set aside as a grasslands conservancy area. The gently sloping hillsides are covered with native grasses and is a valuable habitat for birds. While I hiked there in early November, … Continue reading…
Frederick Bluffs are on the Kamloops Lake side of the Dewdrop Range, 4.5 km from the Tranquille- Criss Creek Road. To get to the edge of the hills, take the Fredrick Road, then when the road splits into two, stay on the lower road and pull off at a flat spot 2 km farther along the gravel road. There are … Continue reading…
Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area climbs extends north to Lac du Bois, then the land immediately north is part of the Lac du Bois Grasslands Nature Conservancy of Canada. This is the upper extent of the grasslands along the Lac du Bois Road. With increasing elevation, the open areas give way to Douglas fir forests near the McQueen Lake … Continue reading…
Castle Butte is a promontory/ridge that juts out from the Red Plateau Escarpment. To get to the top of the hill at the end of the ridge, a ledge is followed to the east side then a short scramble is required to go the south end of the butte. Most hikers who choose to go to Castle Butte follow the … Continue reading…
An old double track goes from Tranquille Crossing (on the Tranquille Criss Creek Road) to the confluence area where Watching Creek meets the Tranquille River. Both the river and the creek feature canyons with rugged cliffs and fall colors. The double track down the side of the river is a moderate hike of 2.5 km each way. We hiked down … Continue reading…
One of our favorite hikes in any season is a route through the middle grasslands on the west side of Long Lake in Lac du Bois Grasslands Provincial Park. There is a user-trail at the start by the small pullout/trailhead which we start on, but we usually pick our own route to pass kettle ponds, glacial features like erratics, kames, … Continue reading…
When we are looking for a shorter moderate hike with fine views, we sometimes head to the Sage area trails. The trailhead is a parking area in behind the recycling area off Bunker Road. All of the trails are signed and easy to follow. There are a number of possible routes to take, but on this day I hiked the … Continue reading…
We planned to hike the TransCanada Trail from Brookmere to Brodie, then north along the Clearwater River for a day in October but we didn’t anticipate an early area snowfall. It had snowed lightly in the hills near Kamloops but we had not planned to hike in higher elevations so we were surprised by 6″ (15 cm) of snow in … Continue reading…
