When the temperatures warmed up, the snow started to melt in the bottom of the valley. Some areas had some ice, slush, or mud, but the most open areas dried more quickly. At the end of January, the road to Cooney Bay was difficult, with deep puddles and mud. The parking area was muddy and there was slush, ice, and …Continue reading…
With nature parks closed and smoky conditions in the area, the best bet for hiking was to go to travel to an area that was clearer, or alternately, to watch for a break in the local conditions. On a less-smoky day I hiked the Battle Bluff Trail in the Dewdrop Range. It had rained the day before so conditions were …Continue reading…
Every year we drive backroads to hike into Painted Bluffs Provincial Park. There are no trails, but there are sections of single tracks and some old grown-over double tracks that can be used, but the route involves going over hills and through gullies a rugged traverse bearing east to the edge of the park. We started on a known …Continue reading…
Frederick Bluffs are series of rocky hills in the Dewdrop Range, a benchland overlooking Kamloops Lake. There are no trails through the Bluffs, but we can hike various routes through the grasslands hills to create a loop route of about 6 – 7 km. All routes will involve lots of up and down and there may be loose material underfoot …Continue reading…
On a sunny early March day we hiked from Tranquille on the Lake down the Thompson River to Cooney Bay. There is no trail, but there is a rough path along the wetlands to the shoreline of the river. We reached Cooney Bay in 1.7 km. Ice had jammed the shoreline driven down the lake by prevailing winds. It is …Continue reading…
When the snows melt in late winter, the valley bottom clears off first and at the same time, the rivers are at their lowest flow. The Thompson River flows into Kamloops Lake, but there is also a large floodland area that has sandy islands in winter and in early spring. The river braids out in the delta area and in …Continue reading…
January was mild and the bottom of the Thompson River Valley dried enough to allow ice-free hiking. We drove to the west end of Kamloops Lake and parked at the Savona Cemetary on the north side of the lake. We hike the single track trail above the railway to the beach just before Sabiston Creek. There was a bit of …Continue reading…
When milder weather comes to Kamloops during the winter, the lowest areas of the valley will dry out fastest and we can hike on routes in open areas like the Rivers Trail beaches and Cooney Bay. The road into Cooney Bay was icy and the first part of the trail was muddy, but the beaches were dry enough to hike. …Continue reading…
Painted Bluffs Provincial Park is located on the north side of Kamloops Lake, east of Copper Creek. It is accessible by hiking over the hills or by boat. There are no trails into the park so anyone wanting to hike there has to take a bearing and go over the hills, ridges, and gullies to the rim of the bluffs. …Continue reading…
In early spring the south-facing lower slopes of the river and lake valleys dry out first and a good choice for a 9.3 km return hike is to follow a trail from the Savona Cemetery along the slopes of Kamloops Lake toward Sabiston Creek. The trail continues past the beach area there by the tracks, but it climbs steeply up …Continue reading…
On a hazy grey morning we drove the potholed road down to Cooney Bay. We hike along the river, then around the bay on Kamloops Lake. Tranquille River drains into the bay. We crossed on a small ice bridge, but soon we will have to use logs to cross over. At the end of the bay we hiked over the …Continue reading…
On a cool sunny day the route down to Balancing Rock was the choice for a hike on the snow. When the snow builds up it is hard to pull off the highway at the right spot, but with only 10 cm of snow it was easy enough. All of the hiking was on the snow, down the hill to …Continue reading…
Painted Bluffs Provincial Park is located on the north side of Kamloops Lake and is accessed by boat or overland from the Copper Creek Road. This has been a hiking destination every year for decades and we have chosen different routes almost every year. On a sunny April morning we hiked into Painted Bluffs, through the hills, …Continue reading…
On a sunny day just before the start of spring I hiked a route across the hills in dry conditions, taking in a series of viewpoints on the southeast end of the Dewdrop Range. I parked at the first pull-out on the Frederick Road and made my own path up the slope to the top of Dewdrop Ridge. The top …Continue reading…
The south-facing open sloped hills above the west end of Kamloops Lake dry out quickly and because of this, we hike the Savona to Sabiston Creek Trail in March. We started at the Savona Cemetery and followed the double track above the railway tracks in an easterly direction as the route turned to single tracks, then rougher single tracks on …Continue reading…