Brussels Lake Hills and Ponds
We hiked over the hills between the Tobiano area and Brussels Lake in the fall ( Brussels Hills) and we enjoyed the area so much, we chose to return to the area to try a new route in April. We turned off the Six Mile Hills Road (to Pat Lake) and turned left at the junction, parking near the corrals. We then followed double tracks east, keeping to the left side of a series of ponds and small lakes. The first lake had alkali salt flats around the shoreline.
The terrain is moderate for the whole 11 km route. Open forest and grasslands surround the ponds.
Lots of ducks and a single trumpeter swan were in one marshy pond.
We couldn’t spot any brine shrimp or brine flies in the alkali lakes in spring so we will return for a mountain bike ride to see if there is any pickleweed and brine flies in the summer.
Killdeer ran along the shoreline of alkali ponds as we hiked along the tracks.
Each pond and lake had its own unique character. This one had a small island hillock.
Some of the ponds in deeper low spots with some sheltering forest and hills will stay all year and some are just seasonal ponds.
Although Brussels Lake was the largest and deepest, it is still a small lake. Brussels Creek was actively flowing into the lake from the hills to the south.
We continued east to a fenceline then we turned south to connect to other double tracks, passing more ponds. .
At the southeast end of our loop is another long narrow alkali lake. The far east end is in Cherry Creek ranch territory.
We followed another double track back, which wound through hills and meadows higher on the south slopes, above the ponds in the small valley below.
We have chosen not to add a map this time. This is a lovely area for a hike or bike, but we would like to avoid having it loved to the point of misuse. Hikers or mountain bikers should use the tracks with respect for the land, leaving nothing but temporary footprints.
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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