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.
Update – There is a more recent KBRA map for these trails. Please check their website and signs. Note – this site is a blog and therefore older articles and their information becomes dated over time. The old roads and newer single tracks on the north slopes of Coal Hill and Ironmask Hills have been hiked and biked for a … Continue reading…
The trail to the top of Sugarloaf Hill is a good one for shoulder season. We usually wait and do the hike on a bit of snow in December. The route starts off the Sugarloaf Ranch Road as a double track. We stay right at the first junctions and are soon hiking past a frozen pond, then on a slope … Continue reading…
Some trails should be done in shoulder season. In late fall, the high country gets blanketed in snow, but the hills just above the City can still be hiked until the snows cover the City, then melt enough to ice up. Then, in early spring, open hillsides get more sunlight and wind circulation, melting the snows, and drying more quickly. … Continue reading…
When fog fills the valley, some of our hills stand above the mists and we can hike out in the sunshine. Dufferin Ridge is a good choice on a cool Winter Solstice Day. We started in the fog, then climbed to the top of the hills near the fenced-in towers, then followed the single track west. We were luck to … Continue reading…
The Many Pools route is not a designated trail in Zion National Park, but it is an interesting route that is easy to follow. The start is at a pullout on the East Zion Road about 0.8 miles east of the small tunnel. Walk along the road and look for an informal trail dropping into the drainage/wash on the north … Continue reading…
Designated (user-pay) snowshoe trails usually have no issue with competing users (snowmobiles, ATV’s, 4WD trucks, etc.) because they are usually signed and on private property. But these trails can be over-stomped in if there is no fresh snow. When we follow snowed-in double tracks, some of these may have been driven on, especially in early (hunting) season. Once the snows … Continue reading…
With the new “official” bike trails in the Pineview-Ironmask Hills area, we have been recently hiking the single (bike) tracks in the off-season. Although we have hiked the old double tracks for about 35 years, Kamloops Mountain Bike Riders have been working on these single tracks and are now installing signs at trail junctions. From the Lac le Jeune Frontage … Continue reading…
In our area, the snows mantle the hills in early December and we shift from hiking to snowshoeing and cross country skiing. For the first snowy hikes of the winter, conditions are good for hiking, but when a small melt occurs, icy trails make hiking difficult. Every few years, we get a warm spell in winter and all the snows … Continue reading…
Snowshoeing areas are found in the hills surrounding Kamloops, but access varies according to the month and snow conditions. In December we usually have to drive to 4000 feet to find enough snow. In January, snowshoe routes start at about 2500 feet, but it is still better at 3000 feet. By February, any north-slope hill or anywhere above 2500 feet … Continue reading…
The route down The Narrows from the top is a 15.4 mile trek in the Virgin River Canyon to Zion Canyon. A backcountry permit is needed to do the route and hikers should expect to take from 8 to 10 hours. At least half of the hike is wading in the river on slippery rocks. An early … Continue reading…
The Barnes Lake Trail system was developed by a horse riders group in the Barnhartvale area, but these are fine hiking trails for all seasons. There are 4 separate trailheads and for this late fall day, we chose to start at the most remote one, the Back Gate. To find the back gate, take the Scuitto Lake Road for 1.1km … Continue reading…
The East Rim Trail in Zion National Park goes through a more remote area of the park away from the main corridor. It can be hiked from the East Gate area over the plateau and down into the main corridor (10 miles) or it can be hiked up and back from the start of the Observation Point Trail (9 miles). … Continue reading…
The first snowshoe outing of the season usually happens before the snows have built up to a depth actually requiring snowshoes. At 4000 feet+ the snow gets too deep for regular hiking, so first tracks can be set in the forest. The Bush Lake North Loop was the first “snow stomp” of the season. To follow this track, drive up … Continue reading…
In Kamloops we are surrounded by hills that offer an opportunity to snowshoe, but few people know where to go or how to make the best of these areas. Some basics on equipment, strategies, and routes are offered in a series of articles. Snowshoes Today’s snowshoes are light and strong, but there are also a wide range in features. any … Continue reading…
For abut 3 years I have been exploring the area around Bush Lake, linking up sections of trails and routes mainly for snowshoeing in winter. There is a good parking area next to the Lac le Jeune Road and sections of the former cross-country ski trails can be combined with old roads and flagged routes to create loops. There … Continue reading…
The trails of the Needles District in Canyonlands National Park can be combined in many ways to create loops. We chose to follow these trails – Lost Canyon > Squaw Canyon > Big Springs Canyon. To get into or out of any of the canyons, hikers have to climb up over slickrock routes, then descend down into the sandy wash. … Continue reading…
