On a sunny December day, the route up the Tower Trail in Kenna Cartwright Park was snowy, but stomped down for good hiking. From the east corner of the Tower Trail, there are wide views to the east. The Ridge Trail follows the top of Mt. Dufferin Ridge from the communications towers west to the end of the ridge. Views …Continue reading…
On days with marginal conditions, we often go to routes that we know we can do in a limited time and get back to the vehicle. One of our “go-to” hikes starts at Home Depot. We follow the Reservoir Trail as it angles north up the eastern slopes of Mount Dufferin. We turn onto the Magpie Trail which takes us …Continue reading…
Smoky days made it difficult to get out hiking, but when a clear day arrived, we were ready to go. The Kamloops Nature Parks had opened on the previous afternoon, so we got an early start to hike the trails in Kenna Cartwright Park. One of our favorite routes is to hike west onto the Big Pine Trail, then to …Continue reading…
In late winter the Sage Trails area from Bunker Road was clear of snow and ice. On cooler days, the ground was frozen so there was no mud either. The trails can be combined for a loop route that takes 60 – 75 minutes and there are fine views at several points along the way. Wisps of fog garlanded Mt. …Continue reading…
On a snowy and cold winter day we hiked a loop route starting at the Doc Findlay Trailhead in Kenna Cartwright Park. Our route was across the northeast shoulder of Mt. Dufferin, a sidehill area of sheltered douglas fir forest. Along the North Vista Trail are a series of viewpoints to the north and east overlooking the benchland trails of …Continue reading…
On a cold and windy day the route was to start at the Home Depot Trailhead and hike into Kenna Cartwright Park. The sun was shining on the open part of the trail as it climbed northwest on the Reservoir Trail. Views extended east and north over the Industrial Park and beyond to Mt. Peter and Paul and the Paul …Continue reading…
Right after a snowfall we hiked a loop in Kenna Cartwright Park that included a favorite section on the Doc Findlay Trail. I knew Dr. Findlay (link) and his family and I am pleased that the trail was named after him. The creation of Kenna Cartwright Park was partly due to his efforts. We started at the Pacific Way trailhead …Continue reading…
The Sunset Trail is at the far west end of Kenna Cartwright Park. We usually hike up there from Hillside Drive past the prison, but the work on the Trans Mountain Pipeline has cut off that access. The hike from the main parking lot to the end of the Sunset Trail is about 3 km with a number of trail …Continue reading…
After two snowfalls, the hikes started to be on-the-snow trails. We chose the Doc Findlay Loop in Kenna Cartwright Park for a short loop route under sunny skies. There are a series of rocky hills with wide views along the eastern side of the trail. At the northeast end are views up the North Thompson River Valley. To the north …Continue reading…
With many hiking trails in the Kamloops area we sometimes plan a hike in the high country, but keep a Plan B too, a hike closer to home. The Dufferin Ridge Trail is a good backup hike in marginal weather. It had rained all night and was foggy in the morning, but it started to clear in late morning. We …Continue reading…
We hiked on trails that led west from the main parking lot in Kenna Carwright Park on a pleasant end-of-summer day. After a long hot summer, the hillsides were dry and the colors were muted. We hiked along the Pondorosa Trail, then Big Pine and around the Lava Flow Lookout Trail to viewpoints overlooking the Thompson River Valley and west …Continue reading…
We hiked a combination of trails on the sunny south side in Kenna Cartwright Park and enjoyed the flowering plants, insects, and animals along the way. A new video is now available on YouTube, featuring the Big Pine Nature Hike. Clcik the YouTube link on the menu bar for more KamloopsTrails videos.
We hiked on the western side of Kenna Cartwright Trail, following the Pipeline Trail over the ridge. There were stakes and markers laying out the location of the twinning of the pipeline across Dufferin Mountain. the trail itself is on top of the pipeline. Trans Mountain will dig up the trench and lay the pipe, covering it up, and reseeding …Continue reading…
One of the trail areas that clears of snow, ice,and mud early is the set of trails off Bunker Road, a section of open grassland benchland in Kenna Cartwright Park. Most of the trails are shorter and moderate hikes, but there are also outstanding views from the edge of the bluffs. We hiked these trails – Sage to Fescue, Fescue …Continue reading…
A long ridge goes from the top of Mount Dufferin all the way down to the end of the Sunset Trail, then continues on in a west-northwest direction down toward the dump and the sewage lagoons. A series of rocky grass-covered hills go down from the end of the trails, past an old DND fenceline. The shape of the ridge …Continue reading…
I have been hiking Dufferin Ridge in December for a few years now, picking days when valley fog lies below, but some clear skies above make the hilltops into islands above the sea of mists. The hike from the parking lot to the top of Dufferin Hill along the Tower Trail is 1.6 km. The trail continues along the spine …Continue reading…