A Winter Hike at Cooney Bay
When milder weather comes to Kamloops during the winter, the lowest areas of the valley will dry out fastest and we can hike on routes in open areas like the Rivers Trail beaches and Cooney Bay. The road into Cooney Bay was icy and the first part of the trail was muddy, but the beaches were dry enough to hike.
When Tranquille River approaches Kamloops Lake, it fans out into separate channels and freezes over.
Similarly the Thompson River fans out and ice forms between the channels as it slows down before entering the lake.
After hiking along the bay and back, I hiked upriver along the gravel and sandy shores.
Between Tranquille and the Thompson River are stands of cottonwood trees, leafless in winter.
A short video of the hikes is shared here (click the widescreen button [ ] for a wider view):
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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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