Mara NE
The route up to the top of Mara Mountain from the northeast (NE) is our favorite “trail” so we hike it every year in mid-spring. It starts at end of the Pruden Pass Road and immediately climbs through open forest and grassy slopes. There are two steep pitches to the upper part of the mountain and there are no trails for the lower slopes, but we aim for a drying pond on the bench, then we pick up a wildlife-cattle trail that goes over the shoulder on the north end. A good trail on top traverses the mesa over to the south-side lookout.
Open douglas fir forest allows us to pick our own route when we need to. As long as we aim southwest, we will come to the gully dividing the top of the mountain in half.
A well-worn trail goes through the gully and joins with an old double track which runs to the bluffs on the south side. At the top of the mountain on the south side is a good spot for lunch that provides fine views of the Thompson River floodlands, west to Kamloops Lake, and east to the Batchelor Hills and the City of Kamloops.
We returned by the same route, a total of 6.2 km with a vertical climb of about 1000 feet. Wildflowers cover the slopes on our return route to the parking area. This hike takes about 2.5 hours, the fastest route to the top of the mountain and back. A recommended hike….
shrubby penstemmon
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