In the late fall or late winter shoulder season, the trails winding through the rocky hills overlooking the Thompson River will be less icy or snowy than the higher trails of Kenna Cartwright Park.   the parking area is off Bunker Road just in behind the recycling area.   The trailhead is the start of the Sage Trail and a good loop route is Sage – Panorama – TRU Connector- and back by Arnica or Fescue.   That loop is about 3 km, but there are other route choices.   On this last outing in the area, we chose unnamed trails and went through the knolls and rocky hills to the drop-offs over Mission Flats, then angled above the bluffs, exploring some off-trail routes.

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There is an old fenceline on the northwest corner of the hills overlooking Domtar’s log storage area, with the river and Mount Mara as a backdrop.

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From several points along the bluffs we can see out to Kamloops Lake with Battle Bluff on the north shoreline.

 

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To the east we can look through the gap between Mt. Peter and the Dome Hills to the Paul Creek and Cold Creek Valleys.    Mt. Fleet and Mt. Lolo stand on the horizon.

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Rabbit Island is 1.2 km long in the middle of the Thompson River between McArthur island and Mission Flats.

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From the bluffs we can look up the river to see a sequence of landmarks:

• the old bridge pylons
• Overlander Bridge
• the confluence of the North Thompson and South Thompson Rivers
• the (black) train bridge
• the Red Bridge
• The Yellowhead Highway bridge
• the South Thompson River

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Although the trails wind through the hills, if we go off-trail, the route is surprisingly rugged, with outcrops, bluffs, gullies, and ridges, all calling to be explored.

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These trails are among our favorites in the Kamloops area so we will be returning to hike them again on a regular basis.