A Winter Walk on the Mission Flats Beaches
When warmer winter weather wafts across the greater Kamloops area, the snows start to melt and the first areas to clear are the beaches and shorelines of the South Thompson River, the North Thompson River, the downstream Thompson River, and Kamloops Lake. These areas are lower, open, treeless, tend to be windy, and have granular soils. Within week of warming the beaches were mostly clear of snow and fairly dry. We did a series of beach and shoreline walks/hikes, including Mission Flats Beach. From the parking area, we did a counter clockwise loop on a cool, clear day.
Mission Flats Beach looking east (D. Smith)
The loop followed the river upstream, then along the edge of the river.
Along the Thompson River, bearing west.
Many sandbars and gravel bars are in the river channel all the way to Kamloops Lake.
The Thompson River with Mt. Mara in the distance.
We hiked the longer beaches farther downstream on the other side of the river off the Rivers Trail West too, as well as Cooney Bay down by Kamloops Lake.
The Thompson River, on its way to Kamloops Lake (7 km west).
The hike is 3 to 4 km. Pick a clear day and be sure to watch for bald eagles in the cottonwoods. We have 9 beach/shoreline walks we do in winter, some of which will be featured here.
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