Shuswap Trail Alliance has had 7 years of success in promoting, planning, developing, and maintaining trails (link). We have often remarked that this kind of initiative should also be seen in the Kamloops area. The first steps toward this goal were started this week. A group met to start the first steps. The initial group included the City of Kamloops, … Continue reading…
We have been hiking these trails for over 30 years and many of the trails are the same, though mountain bikes have made new trails and widened others. There has also been new building above on Juniper and a new home in the south central area with fences blocking the traditional trails. At the eastern end there are some fences … Continue reading…
There is a maze of old roads and ATV tracks in the hills west of the Coquihalla Highway and below the flanks of Greenstone Mountain. The trails also extend north towards Chuwhels Mountain. For the sake of clarity, we will call the northern end of this area the Outer Inks Lakes Trails. The Greater Kamloops Motorcycle has a number of … Continue reading…
Starting in the Inks Lake Exit area, backroads and trails expand through the forested slopes, linking over to Greenstone Mountain southwest, to the Timber Lake-Bush Lake area south and beyond southwest to the Chuwhels Mountain trails. The total area is 15km by 7 km, with hundreds of trails, tracks, and backroads within a 100 square kilometer area. Much of the … Continue reading…
Watching Creek drains the hills to the northeast and runs into a canyon before meeting Tranquille River. Near the confluence of the creek and river two gorges converge and a point of land juts out between the two canyons. From this point it is also possible to cross Watching Creek and follow a trail down the east side of the … Continue reading…
Opax Mountain lies north of Wheeler Mountain, in the area between McQueen Lake and Tranquille Canyon. There are 3 routes to the top, but our favorite has long been a hiking route from Lac du Bois to the top of the mountain. Park at Lac du Bois and hike the old road past the gate around the north side. Follow … Continue reading…
The Gus Johnson-Lac le Jeune Loop Trail is a four-season trail. This week we biked around the lake, but we have also hiked it, run it, and cross country skied the route. Recent wind storms have brought down many trees which won’t impede hikers, but it is more of a challenge to mountain bike right now. Nevertheless it is a … Continue reading…
Coal Hill routes seem to change each time we climb to the top. As the area becomes better known, new bike trails appear and replace old double and single track routes. Fencelines fall into disrepair and we see more evidence of human visits. Wildlife is infrequent now. The views from the top have always been wonderful with grasslands on 3 … Continue reading…
The old wagon route from Tranquille to Pruden Pass was used to connect the Wheeler Mountain homesteaders community with the sanatorium and homes in the Tranquille area. The road now sits inside Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area and has gradually become rougher and more difficult to drive with the gate often locked. Now it is a 4WD route up … Continue reading…
Many years ago, we used to hike up above the Lac le Jeune Ski Hill to get the first day of cross country skiing on the Ridge Lakes and Mildred Lake Trail. We could usually drive up the Ridge Lake Forest Service Road, then hike to the snow. At the top of the hill above Mildred Lake, the 5000 foot … Continue reading…
The official name for this trail in Kenna Cartwright Park is the Mesa Trail. For us, it has become the Owl Trail over many years because in most years there is a nest of owls in a hole in snag overlooking the trail. In the map below, the snag is approximately under the words Mesa Trail in the top left … Continue reading…
The Duck Range Road runs from Prithcard to Highway 97. It is paved at the east end, but is dirt/gravel at the west end. It is suitable for both road bikes and mountain bikes and is a scenic tour. The Lower Duck Range Road is all dirt and is in good shape at the east end, but after passing a … Continue reading…
Kamloops is very lucky to have such a large tract of hikable/bikable grassland so close to town. A large expanse of open terrain is found beyond Deep Lake. The Deep Lake hike is started at the end of Ida Lane in Westsyde. It is a reasonably short uphill hike to the south end of the lake. From that spot, many … Continue reading…
Every spring we return to hike this area since it is the first to clear of snow and dry out. it has a south exposure, no trees, and well-defined double tracks. Later it becomes a hot area, but in the spring it is an easy and scenic area to hike. Walking on the dirt (not on snow or ice) is … Continue reading…
When you live in the Interior of B.C., there are numerous unnamed hills, ridges, mountains and high spots to explore. Some have backroad access, some have trail access, but some have no established trails at all, but can still be hiked following a "route." With the old topo maps, we used our compass and map to navigate a route to … Continue reading…
Bring your GPS with you when you go for a hike/bike/paddle and it can record how far you have traveled, how much actvity time you had, your average speed or much more. The Trip Computer (or whatever it is called in each type of GPS) can record any of the following that you choose: Field Description Accuracy of GPS Your … Continue reading…
