On a smoky day I drove up into the hills to look for a smaller lake to paddle, then go for a short hike. I chose Pat (Six Mile) Lake. Access is on a rough road that turns off the Trans Canada Highway just west of Tobiano. the old double track was once the highway and a bit of the …Continue reading…
So much of the area around Kamloops Lake is inaccessible, from access and easement issues, from steep rocky bluffs and difficult terrain, from railway restrictions on both shores, and from a lack of roads through the rugged terrain. But, over time, we have gotten to almost all the hills above the lake, over land by hiking but also by kayak, …Continue reading…
Balancing Rock is a well- known landmark in our area, but not many people actually hike down to it. The parking spot is at a pull-out and gate 1.5 km west of the Six Mile Viewpoint on the TransCanada Highway. Drivers need to make a careful turn if there are other vehicles nearby since it requires a sharp turn on …Continue reading…
Pat Lake and Jacko Lake are usually the first two lakes to be ice-free in spring so they get a lot of fishermen early in the season, but once all lakes are open, Pat Lake can be a quiet spot in summer. We can access the lake from the Tunkwa Lake Road or from the Six Mile road above …Continue reading…
From the pullout on Six Mile Hill there are fine views down Kamloops Lake toward Kamloops. The cliffs there drop down toward the CPR line. At Six Mile Point near the lake there is some private land and a few lakeside cottages, but the area to the east is Crown Land all the way to Tobiano, much of it part …Continue reading…
We hiked from Six Mile Viewpoint down the ridges to a benchland and then through silt bluffs and hoodoos in a gully next to Tobiano, working our way up the east side. A story to follow.
We have been hiking, orienteering, and exploring the hills near Six Mile Lake for many years. Much of the land is private, owned by the Haywood Farmer family of the Indian Gardens Ranch near Savona, but they have been allowing fishermen and some others to access the area, as long as we gently cross fences, don’t bother cattle, and show …Continue reading…
We have enjoyed the Six Mile area for quite a few years, orienteering, running, and hiking through the hills. In the middle of the area are 3 smaller lakes. The road starts just past the Tobiano turn-off. This gravel road is the old Trans Canada Highway which used to go up through the hills over to the Tunwka Road and …Continue reading…
On Nov. 12, we featured how to access Six Mile Lake and offered a lower loop option. This post offers a higher route to viewpoints looking out to Kamloops Lake and all the hills in each direction. The Six Mile area has open forests, meadows and grass slopes, numerous rocky outcrops and cliff bands, ponds, and glacial-carved terrain. Because the …Continue reading…
The original Trans-Canada Highway climbed the hill behind the current route past the lookout and went along the shores of Six Mile Loop, coming down to the Tunkwa Lake Road and down the hill to the current highway. Remnants of the road are still there. The road up from both sides now has broken pavement, but there are sections up …Continue reading…