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.
In winter we sometimes head out into the hills to look for old homesteads. These can be spotted on Google Earth and some planning may be required to find a reasonable route to the sites. On a cold winter day I followed snowmobile tracks on backroads up into the hills south of Kamloops. Using a GPS and a mapping app, … Continue reading…
In winter when the weather conditions warm up, we have a number of hikes on “winter beaches.” One of those is the North Thompson River, starting at the end of Schubert Drive. We park and go down a trail to the beach near the Halston Bridge, then walk south along the frozen river. The beach is wide in winter and … Continue reading…
From the trailhead parking area on the Lac le Jeune Road (near the Sugarloaf Road intersection), we hiked up mountain bike trails around Duffy Hill. We all wore traction devices (microspikes) and carried poles. Some sections are steep and slippery in winter, but we chose a winding route to the top. Some of the north-aspect slope is dense with douglas … Continue reading…
Stake Lake (Overlander Ski Club) has expanded its snowshoe trails and last year we did a loop along Cow Creek and Spruce Canyon, then up to Rattler Viewpoint , and back on a loop route around the lake. We snowshoed the same route this year, following the Cow Creek Trail through the lodgepole pines. The trail loops back into Spruce … Continue reading…
In the hills to the south at the upper end of the grasslands are some routes we can only do in winter. These routes will not be specified here and interested hikers or snowshoers will have to explore the areas on their own. All of the routes start on public roads, then head off on snowed-in backroads. If fences or … Continue reading…
January was mild and the bottom of the Thompson River Valley dried enough to allow ice-free hiking. We drove to the west end of Kamloops Lake and parked at the Savona Cemetary on the north side of the lake. We hike the single track trail above the railway to the beach just before Sabiston Creek. There was a bit of … Continue reading…
On a sunny winter day we can drive up to Edith Lake and explore the lakeshore and the hills without crossing any fences. On this January day it was easy to follow a host of snowmobile tracks across the lake, over the shoulder of the hill, and an up-and-down route around the lake. The outlet to the lake is in … Continue reading…
We hiked the valley bottom trails, mostly flat routes by the rivers and the south-facing slopes above looked dry, so I headed up the Lac du Bois Road to hike the lowest trails. At the first trailhead on the left, the lot was snowy/icy and the trails across the hillside were all ice with some dirt sections. Microspikes on my … Continue reading…
When the weather warms enough to clear the snow out of the bottom of the valley, we can hike out the Rivers Trail from Aviation Way and work our way out to the West Beaches. There are miles of long, wide beaches in winter and early spring that extend toward Tranquille. We follow a side trail along the fenceline, then … Continue reading…
When we had some mild weather in January, we hiked the Rivers Trail from the west end parking area. Our route was along the dike, then out to the beach and back, a 6.4 km route. Mara Mountain was in the sunshine as we hiked the trail. We were returning to hike the West Beaches route a couple of days … Continue reading…
If we get a stretch of mild winter weather, the snow in open areas at the bottom of the valley can melt and then we can hike/walk the beaches and routes along the rivers. From McArthur Island we can go across an ice shelf, then wade across a channel to get to the beaches of Rabbit Island. The hike across, … Continue reading…
When milder weather comes to Kamloops during the winter, the lowest areas of the valley will dry out fastest and we can hike on routes in open areas like the Rivers Trail beaches and Cooney Bay. The road into Cooney Bay was icy and the first part of the trail was muddy, but the beaches were dry enough to hike. … Continue reading…
We spent a morning with CFJC TV recording video footage while hiking in the Tranquille River Trail area. The video is being aired from time to time and it is available on their website, with a link provided here: And, more information: Tranquille Color Corridor Tranquille River Fall Ramble
Continue reading...We have snowshoed on the northwest flank of Hull Hill for many years and have developed several routes which can be combined to create a loop route or a figure-eight route. On a mild winter day, a new route was stomped and for part of the route, a new section was stomped-in. Most of the routes pass by the old … Continue reading…
In winter when the valley trails are icy, hard, or too soft, our “go-to” choice for good conditions are the Bush Lake Trails off the Lac le Jeune Road. We invariably have good conditions for snowshoeing. On this day, there was some sun, some snowfall, and some wind, but it was mild and the forests were beautiful: More information on … Continue reading…
From Lodgepole Lake we snowshoed known tracks/routes, combined together for a 2+ hour loop. The routes are a combination of user tracks, motorcycle trails, marshes, and forest service branch roads. We encountered a few new fallen trees across the routes, but we just created go-around tracks. For anyone out to find a good snowshoe route, its best just to follow … Continue reading…
