Dewdrop Ridge – Bluebird Trail Loop

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Dewdrop Ridge offers outstanding views and a pleasing route along the rim of the ridge, right above the basalt cliffs overlooking Kamloops Lake.    There are a couple of informal tracks up to the ridge, but we prefer to hike the whole ridge, so we start on the single track trail which crosses the flats then winds up through the open forested hills.   We choose to leave the trail and work our way up to the highest point on the east end of the ridge.

It was a windy day and even the old douglas firs were quaking in the gusts on top of the ridge.

From the east end of the ridge we had views down to Kamloops Lake, Cooney Bay and the Thompson River estuary.

We followed a faint trail along the ridge, bearing west.    Battle Bluff lay below the ridge, overlooking the lake.  There are two sets of cliffs between Dewdrop Ridge and Battle Bluff, but we can do both hikes by continuing to the west end of the ridge.

Views to the west are the highlight at the west end of the ridge route.

A good single track trail winds down the west end and then joins the Battle Bluff Trail.    We had planned a loop route so we headed north of the trail to the Bluebird Trail intersection.    We turned right and followed the single track trail to the start.

We hike this 4.8 km route 2-3 times a year and will continue to do so for years to come.

 

Upper Grasslands Track

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At the end of the first week of November we returned to hike a route we have done a number of times, the Upper Grasslands Track.         This old double track was originally a cart track used by homesteaders, linking the Lac du Bois community to the Pruden Pass community.    There was a homestead by one of the lakes and the Wheeler Mountain Road wound over the shoulder of the mountain down to Tranquille too.   In later years, it was used by ATVs, but the route is now in the Lac du Bois Nature Conservancy and in Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area.     It has been also been used by ranchers for managing cattle in grazing areas.    Grazing rights were grandfathered to future access, so an occasion truck still uses the track, but for the most part it is becoming grown in.    The entire route is in the upper grasslands.

We started our hike at Lac du Bois and followed the track south.

A long the way are some aspen groves, some ponds, and a few evergreens, but it is open grassland terrain all  the way.

We hiked for about 3.8 km south, then veered off track to the top of a hill for views over the Lac du Bois Grasslands and for a lunch break.

We returned the way we came.    Warmer weather and sunny skies filled the grasslands with light.

We passed the large pond (Green Pond) on the way back to Lac du Bois.

The Upper Grasslands Track is a pleasant and rewarding route for a hike in any month.

Barnes Lake Trails

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The day before our Barnes Lake Trails hike was a rainy day and it snowed in the hills above.    We had planned to hike a longer loop route in Roche Lake Provincial Park and we headed up there.    About 1/3 of the way to the lake, the road turned to mud and slush.    I put the truck in 4WD, but the vehicles following would have had more difficulty.    We also wanted to avoid hiking in mud-slush, so we turned around and drove out to Barnhartvale instead.    We parked at Barnhartvale Hall and hiked the Barnes Lake (Horse and Hiker) Trails.

The weather was cloudy and cool, but the trails were not muddy.   We hiked across the grasslands slopes to the upper forested areas.

The lower end has open forests with some ponderosa pines, but as we climbed, we hiked through douglas fir forests.

We did a loop route through the glaciated hills, following a series of (numbered) trails.


Our route took us back to the lower hills for a traverse across the grasslands to the start, a 9.5 km hike.

We hike the Barnes Lake Trails in spring and fall each year, and on occasion, we try a different route in the area for a change.    Every hike on these trails is a rewarding experience.

 

Scott Road Hike

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I hiked across Scott Road through grasslands on the slopes of Rose Hill.   Scott Road bears east from Rose Hill Road 4.7 km on the way over the top of the hill.   The gravel road is well-used by mountain bikers who drive to the end of the road then ride down a number of trails through the gullies between Juniper Ridge and Barnhartvale.    The best known of the downhill trails is Rio Escondido Grande, but there are a number of other trails too.    Hikers could hike these trails, but the steep routes are not a good choice with the number of fast-riding downhillers.    Scott Road, though, is a rolling double track that provides a 7 km out-and-back hike.

There has been some construction near the start, but there is lots of parking near a rockpile.    It is a good shoulder-season route.

The road follows a grassland bench, with fenced grazing areas above.     On this fall day, all was quiet.   Along the way are some old double tracks that go down to Juniper Ridge (Hiking Above Juniper Ridge).

Near the end of the hiking route, the road splits into two.    The left branch goes around to the top of a small hill and is used by the biking community as a turn-around and trailhead.    The right fork ends at a fence a short way ahead, a good place to turn-around.    I went off-trail back to the other track, doing a small loop route before heading back.

There were a number of excellent viewpoints along the way and there was some fall color to enjoy.    This is a busy area in summer, but quiet in the off-season and worth a couple of hours of hiking.    Shared here are some more images from the hike.    Click an image for a lightbox (larger) view and a caption.

 

 

This was a solo hike on Oct. 26.   DAS

 

 

Across Greenstone Mountain

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We hiked across the north side of Greenstone Mountain on old roads and trails, for a loop route of about 8.5 km.      Our plan was to drive up the Greenstone Mountain Road for 5.5 km to start on an old road, probably cut to log the hillside, then used to clear the burned trees after the forest fire.    The area had been replanted, but it is still fairly open.    It had been called the Bench Road and it was used by some ATVs and motorcycles, and probably by hunters.    We have been hiking the track in October to enjoy the views and the fall colors.     We usually hiked out-and-back on the old track for a 6-10 km return route.

 

Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road

We were surprised to find the road deactivated.    When most roads are deactivated, the first section is dug up, culverts are removed, and trenches or waterbars are left behind.      We assumed we could hike past the churned up track.    We were wrong.    As far as we could see, the track was dug up and left impassable for vehicles for the whole length of the former Bench Road, and it was too rough to hike.    We persisted for 3 km, and it did not get any better.    The yellow leaves of deciduous trees, the golden needles of larches, and the red shrubs provided some color, but the route was not good for hiking.

We did go out to several spots to enjoy the wide views.

 

Welcome to G7

Using mobile apps to show where we were and the trails nearby, we found a connector trail which wound down to another lower track which went across the mountain.    The G7 Trail runs east-west with a gentle, wide downhill slope east going back toward the Greenstone Mountain Road.    This was a great hiking route, and it will be our choice next time.

The G7 Trail wound through some colorful gullies.

We would have ended up much lower on the road, so we turned uphill and followed a number of bike trails back to the start (Zigzags and Shorty).   The single track trails wound through some aspen groves, with a steady climb back to the start.

We were pleased to hike the G7 Trail and we plan to return next fall for an out-and-back route.     A few images from the hike are shared here.    Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.

 

 

Six of us hiked this route on Oct. 25, 2024.    DAS

 

 

 

Lower Rose Trails

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On a mid-October day I hiked on the informal trails in the Lower Rose area.    There are a number of access points from Valleyview and from the Rose Hill Park area, but I prefer to park just off Rose Hill Road at the start of an old double track in a gully just east of the trailer park.   The track winds up onto a benchland with sagebrush grasslands sloping ridges below Rose Hill and Juniper Ridge subdivisions.    There are old tracks, some new ones for the powerline work, and lots of single track bike trails.     Over time, I have explored the trails, and I now have a 5.6 km loop route that can be hiked in the shoulder seasons.

A single track climbs the sloping ridge bearing south to the bottom of the slope break.

A number of single tracks meet at the base of the hill.    One single track bears east, going above the heads of gullies, but going down and up two of them.

The eastern boundary of this area is the Owl Dump.    I usually follow tracks going down a ridge, bearing north.

The northern boundary is a back side of a Valleyview neighborhood.    An old double track bears west, up and over a ridge, down an gully, steeply back up the other side, then winds back to the starting point.

A few images from  the hike are shared here.    Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.

 

 

I will be back to hike the Lower Rose Trails in the spring.