When I first arrived in Kamloops in 1976, Peterson Creek was the first place I explored.    I followed various tracks and trails before it was a City Park, before there were any signs, designated trailheads, or established boundaries.   I found out that the trails ventured onto private property on the south end and on the east side and by just trying whatever single tracks we encountered, we worked out some routes over time.   Now it is Peterson Creek Park with 30 km of mapped trails.   We recently returned to hike a favorite route, that stays close to the canyon rim.   We started at the Whiteshield-Summit Drive trailhead and followed the Grasslands Loop overlooking the highway and the Thompson River Valley..

The Grasslands Loop Trail has been recently renovated to make it more wheelchair accessible.   There are fine views along this section of the south shore with Mt. Paul and Mt. Peter behind.

To the northwest is the North Thompson River with Batchelor Ridge above the valley.

We enjoy angling down into the canyon and continuing along the Tom Moore Trail as it winds to various viewpoints into the canyon below.

On this greyish day we noticed how many trees were shaped by the winds on the the canyon’s rim area.

We descended into the bottom of the gorge on the Billy Minor South Trail and crossed the creek.   Trails follow east side of the canyon bearing north.   There are several informal trails on this side and we picked the ones closest to the canyon rim all the way.

One of the side trails goes to a fine viewpoint of Bridal Veil Falls.

Our route was a long descent to the bottom and a winding route up the other side, all very scenic, but hard work on the steep trails.

We returned to the Grasslands Loop with the panoramic views on the north side of the valley.

This loop is only about 5.2 km, but it will take about 1.5 to 2 hours.   For more information on these trails, the City of Kamloops provides an online map (link).