Frederick Bluffs in September - Kamloops Trails

Frederick Bluffs in September – Kamloops Trails

Doug Smith  October 22, 2020 at 9:00 am

On a sunny-cloudy day in September we drove into the Dewdrop Range to hike the Frederick Bluffs.    There are no signed trailheads, nor any trails to follow.    Before the area was included in the Lac du Bois Protected Areas there were some single and double tracks through the valleys between the bluffs but nature has reclaimed the land and we need to navigate our way to the tops of the bluffs.   We parked just off the Frederick Road and picked routes that were not too grown over, nor too rough.   We usually wind out over 3 hills to the rocky bluffs overlooking Kamloops Lake and the hamlet of Frederick far below.

By late summer and early fall, the greens have given way to browns, except in a few low wet spots.   The Dewdrop Range is an arid benchland below the Red Plateau Escarpment.

From the westermost of the Frederick Bluffs we had fine views west.   Red Point juts out into Kamloops Lake and the spine of the Peregrine Bluffs marks the end of the Outer Dewdrop Range.

When we hike the Frederick Bluffs, we go over rocky bluffs, then traverse to the next one, a series of 8 hills on a loop route.

Between the bluffs are some seasonal ponds, scenic spots where we can sometimes spot wildlife.   .

We work our way out to Bighorn Bluff, the last promontory before Battle Bluff, 3 km east.

We stopped for lunch at the edge of the bluffs looking east up Kamloops Lake.

We often vary our route back to the parking area.   This time we followed a series of gullies past another pond, recharged from recent rains.

Our loop was about 5.4 km.   Any hike in this area is slow, going up and down rocky slopes, with options to scramble.   There are many viewpoints to climb to and explore.    We will return to the Frederick Bluffs again in the spring.

 

 

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Doug Smith

Doug writes for Kamloops Trails, a not-for-profit (and ad free) website, offering information on trails, waterways, routes, featured spots, viewpoints, and explorations in the outdoors in the Kamloops area (and beyond).

Doug started exploring this area in 1976 and continues to follow tracks and routes wherever they lead, with the aid of map, compass, GPSr and camera. After many dead-ends, but also many discoveries, he chose to share this information.

The Kamloops Trails website has a massive number of interesting posts and would be of interest to anyone in Kamloops who enjoys the outdoors. Visit the Kamloops Trails website at: http://www.kamloopstrails.ca/

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