On days when valley fog covers the valley a good bet for an above-the-clouds hike might be Dufferin Ridge. On cloudy or clear days, the views extend to Kamloops Lake, up the North Thompson Valley, up the South Thompson Valley, and across the hills to Chuwhels and Greenstone Mountain. the bet parking area is the Hillside trailhead and the best trail to the top of the Ridge is the Tower Trail. A narrow track goes around the fencing past the tower, then a trail winds up and down over the hills on top of the ridge bearing west.

From the Ridge we can see down to the confluence of the two rivers with Mount Paul and Peter behind. to the northeast is Mount Lolo and Mount Fleet. Once out of the forest, there are 360 degree views right to the end of the ridge.

A few old ponderosa pine snags stand on the edge of the ridge, With each passing year, more of them become windfall on the slopes below.

In a year with a mild December some snow covered the upper slopes of Greenstone and Chuwhels Mountain to the south.

Directly to the south are the Ironmask Hills. Their north slopes are protected from the warming and drying sun so they retain the snowfall when the south-facing slopes of Dufferin Ridge are snow-free. Snags on the edge of the hill are subject to shearing winds and leave stumps where trees once stood.

From various spots along Dufferin Ridge we can see down the Thompson River Valley into Kamloops Lake. the delta where the river runs into the lake is wider at this time of year. the rocky hills of the Dewdrop Range and Red Plateau rise above the north shore of Kamloops Lake.

This image started as a photo taken along the Ridge and then was digitally rendered into an impressionistic image

On this day we hiked along the top of the ridge and then descended down to the trail network on the west side of Kenna Cartwright Park. We went out to the end of the Sunset Trail for lunch, enjoying the view there too before returning by the Big Pine Trail, completing a 6.5 km loop.