Some of the best hiking in the whole Kamloops area is found around Mount Mara. There are only 3 established routes. The Mara Canyon Trail goes up the south side through the hoodoo canyon and can be combined with the Ridge Trail to make a 7 km loop. The Mara Trail is a 4 km loop on the lower southwest … Continue reading…
We hike a number of different routes to the top of Mount Mara. The most frequently hiked are up the front side through the canyon and then up the gully (article) or around the west side on the old double track to the west end of Pruden Pass, then up the double track to the top. A favorite … Continue reading…
Most hikers go up Mara Canyon on a trail knows as “The Hoodoos” or “Cinnamon Ridge.” This unique trail goes up the south-facing slopes then drops into the bottom of the canyon following the dry streambed for a fun route before it opens up below the summit. There is a loop route possible, coming down along the ridge on the … Continue reading…
The south summit of Mount Mara has one of the best viewpoints in our whole area. The top of the cliffs offer wide vistas south, east, and west. The summit is a worthwhile destination for hikers, but some hard work is needed to get to the top. On this mid-February day, a route up from the west was chosen since … Continue reading…
Every year we hike Mt. Mara from the northeast. We will continue to do this wonderful hike as long as we can. We start at the end of the Pruden Pass Road and we climb the northeast slopes to the top, avoiding private lands in the pass. There are bits and pieces of a trail on the way up, but … Continue reading…
A little-known route on Mount Mara takes the hiker/scrambler above the main trail past hoodoos and sculpted rocks of the front side up to the base of the cliffs below the summit. From there, several options are available – return by the same route, traverse east over to the main trail, traverse over to the west to come down … Continue reading…
The best view in the Kamloops area is from the south side of Mount Mara. There are 3 routes to this spot. The best known route is up Mara Canyon and at the 3 way junction, continue upward on a steep loose slope in the gully. This is a challenging route and not recommended. An easier, but longer route is … Continue reading…
Following the route described in Mara Scrambles (Mar. 31), the route continues upwards and is much easier, but still very rewarding. From the top of the front hill, it is an easy descent into Juniper Valley and a bit of a rocky climb up to the next hill. Stay left near the top of teh second hill. Beyond this hill, … Continue reading…
One of the most interesting hikes/scrambles of our area is to go up the front hill on Mount Mara, above the cliffs. The route is easy at the bottom, a scramble in the middle, and an easy ascent at the end. Along the way, there are hoodoos, sculpted rocks, colored layers, jagged spires and ridges, and much better views than … Continue reading…
The south side of Mara Mountain has many gullies, ridges, canyons, hoodoos, rock outcrops, and shaped features, many of which are off-trail and out-of-sight. Each year I hike a cross country route to explore some of the interesting topographicl highlights. On a cool fall day I hiked across the sagebrush slopes to pass by the Sentinels, then up to The … Continue reading…
The following trails have their own pages, each a basic hiking guide. (This page will be populated with a long list of trails, links, and maps over the period of time, but there are articles on all of these, to be found with the Search bar. More links to be added over time). Kamloops Trails: Barnes Lake Trails Batchelor Hills … Continue reading…
In a time of social distancing, we can stay at home or we still get out to walk or hike as long as we make wises choices, keeping our distance. Some trails are busy, some are narrow, and some are closed. This news post may assist hikers to make good choices. The BC Government has closed some trails in our … Continue reading…
A number of hikes have been planned and scheduled, all to fit probable conditions for each area: March – April Savona to Sabiston Trail Battle Bluff – Dewdrop Ridge Frederick Bluffs Rabbit Island Long Lake Mara Canyon and Summit Painted Bluffs Six Mile Hills Neskonlith Meadows and more May – June Canyon Creeks Mt. Wheeler Traverse Red Plateau Escarpment … Continue reading…
Several places we hike to are included here: Batchelor (with a t) Batchelor Hills, Batchelor Lake, Batchelor Mine Named after Owen Salisbury Batchelor who moved to Kamloops in 1895 He built and ran a stamp mill just below the hills and was involved in several other mining ventures in the area Mara Mara Mountain, Mara Trail, Mara Canyon (Kamloops) Named … Continue reading…
Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area is a large park with many access points and many possible routes. Driving Directions The main trailheads are off both sides of the Lac du Bois Road. From anywhere in Kamloops cross either bridge to get to the North Shore. From the Overlander Bridge stay on Fortune Drive, then turn right onto 8th Street. … Continue reading…
The delta lands at the head of Kamloops Lake are covered in water now, but in early spring there were large sand/silt islands with shallow channels to explore. We launched out of Cooney Bay, then went across the lake to the south shore, working our way back into shallow channels, landing on sandy islands. At the end of the flooding … Continue reading…
