When the hills are blanketed in snow and the lower travels turn icy, we can still go to the shorelines of the river and walk on the long, wide, sandy beaches.   Kamloops has about kms of beaches next to the North Thompson, the South Thompson, and the Thompson Rivers when the river recedes in winter.   Most people go to the ones that are closest – off Schubert Drive, off River Street, from Pioneer Park, off the Rivers Trail near the airport, off Overlander Drive in Westysde, off Shuswap Road, out from Rivershore, and many more spots.   By going to one of the beaches, we can walk along the sands for a surprisingly long way.   We enjoy the ones away from traffic, with good scenery, and ones where the ice builds up at the waterline.   One of our favorites is off Mission Flats Road.

There is a short pull-off to a parking area just past the Domtar settling ponds.   We go to this area if the weather is cold since a loop on the sand there is 3km (when the river is low).  It is often windy i so dress appropriately.   The snows clear off the sand early because of the open, windy exposures.   The sands underneath our feet are a welcoming reminder that spring is ahead.