The Mara Trail is a signed/official trail in the Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area. The trailhead is on the Tranquille – Criss Creek Road across the railway tracks from Tranquille. There is a wide parking area by the fence and a person-gate through the barbed wire to get onto the trail. We can hike in either direction for a 4.1 km loop.

We hiked east first working our way along the gullies, then followed the trail through the sagebrush.

As the trail turned north, we had our first views of the rocky bluffs of Mount Mara.

Once we crested the lower hills, we had views to the west with the Pimple and Jag Hill on the east end of Red Plateau.

Mount Dufferin was across the valley with Chuwhels Mountain in the distance. A thin line of clouds were the remnants of a recent snow shower.

The trail wound its way west to the old double track that links Tranquiille to Pruden Pass. The hills below overlook the west end of Kamloops Lake.

Tranquille on the Lake lies at the foot of the old double track. Homesteaders used the old wagon track to supply firewood, lumber, hay, and some food crops from the Pruden Pass Community ((1908 – 1926) to the Tranquille Tuberculosis Sanatorium (1907 – 1958). The double track is now part of the Mara Trail.

In a mild winter we hiked this trail in our boots in January using traction devices, taking about 1.25 hours to compete the loop.