On a mild February day the valley bottom was closed in by dense fog. The hike chosen was the Mara Outer Loop Trail, a km route above Tranquille. Most hikers go on the shorter Mara Trail, but the outer loop is now signed and it provides more viewpoints to enjoy. On this day, the hike was a counter-clockwise loop, all …Continue reading…
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 so little snow in December we were able to hike dry trails. Since the hills were often muddy, we enjoyed hiking the Rivers Trail from the west end. We hiked along the dike for 3 km, then we turned and hiked a single track through the marsh out to the beach, For much of the year the area has …Continue reading…
AS the hills dry out in early spring we often hike in the lower Mt. Mara – Tranquille Hills in spring. On a late March day we started at the Mara Trail then hiked up the Pruden Pass Road to do the Mara Outer Trail Loop. The Outer Loop follows an old double track up a sandy hill to a …Continue reading…
On a mid-March sunny day I hiked from the Tranquille – Criss Creek Road across the sidehill (above the tracks) and up a series of ridges through the sagebrush grasslands. Each of the many ridges that run down to the lakeshore are separated by gullies, but there is a bench area above the gullies that traverses over to Battle Bluff. …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…
When we had some mild weather in January, we hiked the Rivers Trail from the west end parking area. Our route was along the dike, then out to the beach and back, a 6.4 km route. Mara Mountain was in the sunshine as we hiked the trail. We were returning to hike the West Beaches route a couple of days …Continue reading…
When rain is forecast for the day, we can sometimes launch a kayak early and paddle for an hour or more before the weather sets in. On a grey, drizzly morning I launched my boat into Tranquille Bay and encountered a steady wind from the west so I opted to paddle in the lee of trees and small islands. On …Continue reading…
Each winter we seem to have a month when more moderate weather melts the snow at lower elevations. The best places to hike when this happens are along the shoreline and beaches of our rivers and Kamloops Lake. The Cooney Bay Road is rough at any time of the year, but it was even more potholed with deep slushy puddles …Continue reading…
Several places we hike to are included here: Batchelor (with a t) Batchelor Hills, Batchelor Lake, Batchelor Mine Named after Owen Salisbury Batchelor who moved to Kamloops in 1895 He built and ran a stamp mill just below the hills and was involved in several other mining ventures in the area Mara Mara Mountain, Mara Trail, Mara Canyon (Kamloops) Named …Continue reading…
In most years the Thompson River floods during freshet filling Tranquille Bay for easy launching and access to the floodlands. In 2019, however, the river has not flooded these lands extensively so launching is more difficult and some of the channels we can normally paddle have low water. On a day in mid-June I launched out of Cooney Bay. There …Continue reading…
When spring approaches the snow is slow to melt in the hills and hikers will have to face snow, ice, or mud for a while, In the meantime, we can hike the lower elevation routes in the river valleys to find dry ground. The Rivers Trail (West) is one of the first to clear. From the parking area at the …Continue reading…
some content our route more content the lower hills more content the flank of Mount Mara conetnt Jag Hill to the west more thin clouds over Mount Dufferin conte coming down the hill towards Kamloops Lake content Tranquille cont my … Continue reading →
For most winters we drive down the icy road to the parking lot and walk out on the snow to Cooney Bay. Last year there was no open ground and the bay was covered in ice. In this “snowless” winter, … Continue reading →
When freshet brings the North Thompson and South Thompson Rivers to a high water point , the area at the head of Kamloops Lake floods. The flat floodplains near Tranquille get covered in several feet of floodwaters. In addition, Cooney Bay floods, the beach disappears, and the shoreline recedes. We paddled out of Tranquille Bay then followed the river downstream …Continue reading…
Freshet brings meltwaters from the north and the east to Kamloops and the South Thompson River and the North Thompson Rivers join to bring floodwaters to the area near the head of Kamloops Lake. On the north side the 2km x 1km flatlands become covered in 2-3.5 meters of water to become Tranquille Bay. On the south side of the …Continue reading…