Raptor Ridge

Raptor Ridge Loop – Kamloops Trails

Doug Smith  August 19, 2023 at 8:54 am

By mid-to-late summer the grasslands dry out and both grasses and other plants go into dormancy.     Greens give way to browns.    Seedheads form and walking through the grasses means collecting seeds, burrs, and vegetative debris.    It is a good time to wear gaiters over socks and boot tops.    I usually ignore those measures and just hike wherever I choose to, cleaning up after the hike is over.    On a warm summer morning I hiked an off-trail loop route in the middle grasslands. 

Raptor Ridge was so-named because various raptors often perch on snags and douglas firs on the top and north side of the ridge, overlooking the grasslands hills below.    I hiked up the ridge and indeed I spotted a larger hawk, then two smaller ones.    The wildflowers were mostly finished for the year, but there were a handful in protected spots.   The grasslands hills were quiet with no one else spotted in the area.    A few images are shared here.    Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.  

A few moments from this hike are also captured in this short YouTube video:

 

 

About KamloopsTrails

I started exploring this area in 1976 and I continue 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, I chose to share this information. Getting out 12 months each year, I continue to explore trails, tracks, routes, and waterways of the Kamloops area and beyond.


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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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