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Tag Archives: Kamloops Lake
Balancing Rock Loop
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…
Six Mile Protected Area Loop
The area of Six Mile Protected Area (part of BC Parks) below the highway is best accessed from the Six Mile Viewpoint or from Tobiano. the first part of the downhill route from Tobiano is steep and rough, but routes get easier after 15 minutes of progress down the hill. There are not trails but once we are on the … Continue reading…
Alkali Lakes and Rocky Hills
The south side of Kamloops Lake is all rocky hills with steep vertical slopes down to the lake. Only the Tobiano benchland has relatively easy access. The rest of the slopes have limited access. Private property, grazing fences, and very few roads can be found along all of the south side of the lake from Kamloops to Savona, with a … Continue reading…
Twelve Mile on Kamloops Lake
Rousseau Creek runs down from Red Plateau on the western side of Rousseau Hill. A fan-shaped gentle slope fills an area of 500 sq meters by 500 sq m next to the creek, the site of the former Twelve Mile Ranch. Little is known about the ranch, but I spent a day paddling over to the beach in front … Continue reading…
Rousseau Hill Above Kamloops Lake
From Bruker Marina at Tobiano, Rousseau Hill stands above the north side of Kamloops Lake. This is a great spot to launch to explore the middle section of the lake and all its bluffs, eroded slopes, silt cliffs, gullies, hoodoos, volcanic features, and shorelines. It is a 2 km paddle across to the far shore, below Peregrine Bluffs. On this … Continue reading…
Six Mile Hills Loop
The Six Mile Hills are above Kamloops Lake on the south side of the Trans Canada Highway. The area near the lookout is now Six Mile Protected Area. We hiked the ridges that run down to the gullies adjacent over to Tobiano last year (link). The hills above are grazing lands, a combination of private lands with public … Continue reading…
Overland to Painted Bluffs
Access to Painted Bluffs Provincial Park is limited and fairly difficult except by boat. We have gone overland several times, but we find it easier to paddle over in our kayaks and walk up to the bottom end of the bluffs. On this last outing, we hiked overland from the Sabiston Creek Road – Copper Creek road over the hills, … Continue reading…
Savona Hills
The hills on the north side of Kamloops Lake across from Savona are one of the first areas to clear of snow because of the slope angle. open hillsides, and their south-facing aspect. All routes into the Savona hills are steep but the open slopes allow for great views. We hiked from the trailhead area for the Savona- Sabiston Creek … Continue reading…
Cooney Bay Ramble
Before the snows have melted in the hills of Kamloops, a good choice for a low elevation hike is at Cooney Bay. Take the road to Tranquille and stay left following the rough gravel road to the end where there is a large parking lot. Hike for a short distance along the Thompson river where it empties into Kamloops Lake, … Continue reading…
Tobiano to Cherry Bluffs
When the winds are calm, Kamloops Lake is one of the best paddling spots in the Interior of B.C. The rugged hills on both side of the lake provide a scenic backdrop for paddling along the shoreline. On this last outing on the lake in mid-September, I chose to Launch from Tobiano, at Bruker Marina. There is a $10 fee … Continue reading…
Mount Mara for Canada 150
We hike a number of different routes to the top of Mount Mara. The most frequently hiked are up the front side through the canyon and then up the gully (article) or around the west side on the old double track to the west end of Pruden Pass, then up the double track to the top. A favorite … Continue reading…
Six Mile Hill Protected Area
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…
Six Mile – Tobiano Silt Cliffs
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.
Continue reading...Six Mile Rambles
The dry hills around Six Mile Lake are rugged, covered in grasses and open forests. Most visitors go to Pat Lake to fish, but the hills invite exploration when the cattle are not grazing on the hillsides. The high point is north of Pat Lake (sometimes called Six Mile Lake). There are a series of hills to ascend, but we … Continue reading…
Scramble Painted Bluffs
Each time I return to Painted Bluffs, I pick a different month and hike a different route, and every time I hike in the park, I am rewarded with a visual kaleidoscope of colors and shapes of the Bluffs badlands terrain. On this last trip I paddled across from Savona, landed on the beach, then hiked into the wash at … Continue reading…