The Winter Beach Circuit – Kamloops Trails
When winter snows blanket the hills we first hike on the snow, but as the snow depth builds up, we turn to snowshoeing. But in many months in the Kamloops area, warm temperatures arrive for up to a month and the snow melts at lower elevations. The snow on the hills becomes slushy, crusty, or icy, so hiking becomes a good choice. Over the years we have found a number of good routes for these conditions, summarized below.
Rivers Trail to the West Beaches
This is the premier hike in our area when winter conditions melt the snow and ice. We can start at either of the trail (Aviation Way or just past Cinnamon Ridge and we usually head out to the west end beaches. Here is the latest post on this route – West Beaches in Winter
Mission Flats Beaches
If the wind is blowing from the west, this is a nice area for a good beach walk – Mission Flats Winter Beach
McArthur Island and Beach
The paved circuit of McArthur Island is a great spot for a winter walk, but the beaches also clear of snow early and we can walk along the shoreline, extending the 2 km loop of the Island to become a 3 km walk.
Rabbit Island
At just the right time of year, we can wade through cold water over to Rabbit Island and walk around the island. The main part of the island is private property, but the beaches are Federal Crown lands (below the high water level) – Rabbit Island Ramble
Dunes Beach
From the end of Harrington Drive in Westsyde we can hike out around the Dunes Golf Course to the end and back – Westsyde Dunes Beach Walk
Schubert Drive Beach
In winter the beaches next to Schubert Drive are wide and long.
Gregson Trail
The Gregson Trail was once a fine trail, but it has deteriorated somewhat and now it is closed. . It made a good short hike in winter, especially if we go out onto the beach areas – Jack Gregson Trail
Savona to Sabiston Trail
Another favorite hike is a trail that goes from the Savona Cemetery out to Sabiston Creek and back – Savona to Sabiston Beach Hike
There are more routes along our rivers and around Kamloops Lake, as long as we can find road access to the shoreline.
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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