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.
There are a number of routes to the top of Mt. Mara. We have done 2 of them this year already and we will be doing 2 more of them this year. One of the more difficult ones is up the east slopes of the mountain. Access has become more difficult. The road that went behind the now-empty Agricultural … Continue reading…
From the top of Iago Peak, the snowy Coquihalla Summit peaks are in a 360 degree panorama: Shown in a clockwise direction from Iago Peak: the Anderson Peaks (NW) Guanaco Peak (N) Vicuna Peak (N) Alpaca Peak (NE) Llama Peak(NE) Zupjok Peak (ENE) Zopkios Ridge (E) Yak Peak (E) Coquihalla Highway (ESE) Markhor Peak (SE) Needle Peak (SE) Flatiron Mountain … Continue reading…
The route along the east rim of Tranquille Canyon has no trail and there are many hills and gullies to negotiate, but it is a scenic route with a number of geological features and open views to reward the explorer. This 8.25km route took a few hours but there was lots to see. [map style=”width: auto; height:400px; margin:20px 0px 20px … Continue reading…
At the end of winter, we headed out from the Zopkios Rest Area and followed an old double track that goes up to the top of Ottomite Mountain. On the shoulder of the hill, we contoured around the north side to a meadow, then we followed a faint single track across the sideslopes of Zupjok Peak to the ridge that … Continue reading…
When we paddle early in the season. we paddle upriver then return back down to our launch spot. The South Thompson is the easier river to paddle upstream, but we also go up the North Thompson River too. We launch from Pioneer Park and head down to the confluence, then we use the rudder to take a sharp turn at … Continue reading…
From the west side of Tranquille Creek an old double track winds up through the hills. After 0.8 km, the track veers left, but a series of ridges climbs north following the line of the canyon to the final viewpoint on a steep hill sometimes called “the Pimple,” but we prefer to call Tranquille Viewpoint. On the lower double track, … Continue reading…
The Lower Rose Trails are a fine shoulder-season area for hiking. Because the slopes are open and mostly treeless, they dry off quickly and the sand-till surface does not easily become muddy. The access route is off Rose Hill Road just before the trailer park or alternately from the end of Orchard Drive or Parkhill Drive in Valleyview. There are … Continue reading…
With milder winters, I have been able to get the kayak onto the river in February for the last two years. In 2015 the last paddle outing was in the middle of November (although I paddled in New Zealand after that). There is no one around this early in the season and if there is no wind, paddling is good. … Continue reading…
At the end of winter we can start to hike on south-facing lower slopes. The best early season hikes are in the Batchelor Hills, the Barren Hills, on the flanks of Mount Mara and in the Dewdrop Range. We hiked all of these in February, leaving our footprints on some mud, on some snow with a bit of ice, but also on some dry tracks.
The Batchelor Ridge circuit goes along the benchland, up over the ridge, and back up and down steep hills to the trailhead/start is a good hike – 10 km with 540m (1771 ft.) of elevation gain. The route goes through areas that are heavily used by ATV’s motorcycles, and 4WD’s when it is dry (in spring) so we try to … Continue reading…
The south summit of Mount Mara has one of the best viewpoints in our whole area. The top of the cliffs offer wide vistas south, east, and west. The summit is a worthwhile destination for hikers, but some hard work is needed to get to the top. On this mid-February day, a route up from the west was chosen since … Continue reading…
Lava flows covered the north side of Kamloops Lake forming Red Plateau and the Dewdrop Range. The basalt lava flow on the Dewdrop Range was a sill, a tabular sheet intrusion in/on sedimentary layers. In places where the basalt cooled on a slope gradient, columns formed and with thousands of years of erosion, the columns stand as cliffs over talus … Continue reading…
When the winter weather starts to break in mid-Feburary, the first trails to clear are the south-facing open slopes of the lower Batchelor Hills, sometimes called The Barren Hills. We started at the first access point off of the Lac du Bois Road and we contoured through the hills as far west as we could on a route we knew … Continue reading…
Abel Tasman National Park lies at the north end of the South Island of New Zealand. It is not a large park, but it follows the coastline for 60 kilometers. The Abel Tasman Track brings hikers from all over the world to hike and camp along the golden beaches, granite headlands, and lush forests of the Park. We were originally … Continue reading…
We have been doing the Bushwhacker Loop on top of McConnell Hill for quite a few years. We used to ski up the Sidewinder Trail then set off on the rough trail on our touring skis, which was always an adventure. We were always setting our own track and there was always deadfall to get over, under, or around. Once … Continue reading…
We toured New Zealand and hiked as many trails as we could. Along the way, we visited some gardens (including Queenstown Gardens) and we spotted wildflowers during our hikes. We left at the start of winter and arrived in late spring in the Southern Hemisphere right in time for the start of the blooming season. Some of the protected coastal … Continue reading…
