The Jellyroll, the Sentinels, the Profile, and the Hoodoos
The south side of Mara Mountain has many gullies, ridges, canyons, hoodoos, rock outcrops, and shaped features, many of which are off-trail and out-of-sight. Each year I hike a cross country route to explore some of the interesting topographicl highlights. On a cool fall day I hiked across the sagebrush slopes to pass by the Sentinels, then up to The Jellyroll, over the hill to see The Profile (Face Rock), and down past numerous hoodoos. From the trailhead for the Mara Canyon Trail (also called Cinnamon Ridge or The Hoodoos), I hiked up the trail for a few minutes, then struck off to the west winding through sagebrush.
Near the mouth of Mara Canyon are a number of hoodoos, outcrops, and erosion-shaped ridges and hills.
At the west side, somewhat hidden, is a hoodoo which I have referred to as The Sentinels.
By going around the shoulder of Mara and climbing a series of ridges we can come to a viewpoint of The Jellyroll. Deformed strata layers are exposed in a spiral pattern with a larger lower jellyroll and a smaller upper jellyroll.
I hiked over one of the hills on steep slopes and came around the other side. The descent down the gully is very steep and all on loose material. From halfway down we can see The Profile (also called Face Rock).
On this loop route are many hoodoos and rock spires. I climbed through the gap by this one.
From the hilltops are wide views down toward Tranquille and Kamloops Lake, but also across the valley toward Greenstone Mountain, and west into the Dewdrop Range.
A few additional images are shared here. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
To see any of these, hikers will need to hike and scramble off-trail. There are many other spots to be found on the lower slopesof Mara Mountain, some of which are shared in past posts and more to be added in future posts.
A video on this hike is available on the Ramble On Channel on YouTube – Mara Hoodoos Scramble.
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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.net/
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