One of the first areas to clear of ice, snow, and then mud are the Valleyview benchlands. There are 5 areas that can be hiked. One of the least well-known areas is the Silt Cliffs Triangle bounded by Highland Drive, Owl Road, and Valleyview Drive. The easiest access is from Valleyview Arena. There are a number of double tracks, single … Continue reading…
On a sunny early March day we hiked from Tranquille on the Lake down the Thompson River to Cooney Bay. There is no trail, but there is a rough path along the wetlands to the shoreline of the river. We reached Cooney Bay in 1.7 km. Ice had jammed the shoreline driven down the lake by prevailing winds. It is … Continue reading…
At the first part of March we hiked the sandy beaches and river shoreline in the Mission Flats area starting on Mission Flats Road just before the landfill entrance. The beaches area is across from the airport and we can enjoy the wide views to the north, west, and east. Some ice flanks the river’s edge, but the beaches were … Continue reading…
On a sunny early March day, the Smelly Richard Trail was the snowy hike, using traction devices on hiking boots. the trailhead to the Triple Lumen Trail is just off the Lac le Jeune Road. The junction to Smelly Richard is about 1 km up the trail. Much of the trail had been hiked by one or two people, but … Continue reading…
On a sunny late winter day I hiked a series of single track trails on the snow around Batchelor Hill. There was a fresh snowfall on all of the trails, so winter boots with microspikes were used, but the going was slow. The first 2 km section was around the eastern slopes of Batchelor Hill to trails that wind around … Continue reading…
On a snowy winter day, I hike the Batchelor Hills, going up the Tower Trail and coming back down the Cows with Guns Trail. I hiked in a snow storm for the second half of the outing. All of the trail was in sagebrush grasslands. I hiked through the gap between the Tower Hill and Batchelor Hill to the saddle … Continue reading…
With mild weather in the latter half of winter, the lower south-facing hills dried out and some of the hills offered good early-season hiking. From the first parking area I hiked on double tracks up over a series of steep hills. There were some muddy areas, but it was easy to go around them. The Batchelor Range … Continue reading…
In late winter the Sage Trails area from Bunker Road was clear of snow and ice. On cooler days, the ground was frozen so there was no mud either. The trails can be combined for a loop route that takes 60 – 75 minutes and there are fine views at several points along the way. Wisps of fog garlanded Mt. … Continue reading…
When the snows melt in late winter, the valley bottom clears off first and at the same time, the rivers are at their lowest flow. The Thompson River flows into Kamloops Lake, but there is also a large floodland area that has sandy islands in winter and in early spring. The river braids out in the delta area and in … Continue reading…
In a mild month of February, we hiked into Red Canyon, the longest canyon that winds up into the Red Plateau Escarpment above the Dewdrop Range. There was no snow at the parking area (the Dewdrop Trail), nor on the trail to the mouth of the canyon. We hiked past the stile fence crossing for the Dewdrop Trail, then continued … Continue reading…
Red Hill stands on the east side of the Lac du Bois Road. An informal gate provides access to a trail around each side of Red Hill. There is also a faint single track to the top of the hill, a fine viewpoint of the lower grasslands. With a layer of snow on the ground I hiked around the north … Continue reading…
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…
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…
