Tag Archives: Dewdrop Range

Up the Red Plateau Escarpment

Kamloops Trails Posted on by  

On a hot (34 degrees C) end-of-May day, we drove into the Dewdrop Range and parked at the Dewdrop Trailhead area.    We got an early start and hiked steadily up the steep trail, climbing a series of ridges on the Red Plateau Escarpment.     There are a number of viewpoints and possible end points along the way, but for this day, we continued along the rim, traversing west to the top of the Ragged Red Ridge, our lunch and turn-around point.   We enjoyed the open views and explored the lava flow formations a bit, then we headed back down, retracing our steps, hiking back the way we came up.

The climb from the Dewdrop Range up to the rim of the Escarpment has 530 m (1738 ft.) elevation gain in 3 km.     At several points on the ridge we had wide views of the rocky terrain above Kamloops Lake.

The trail follows a ridge to the top.    Red Canyon was below on the west side with the Ragged Red Ridge on the other side.

From the viewpoint on the top of the ridge we could look across the Escarpment and the Dewdrop Range to Kamloops Lake.

This is a more difficult hike of about 8.8 km.   This had been the hottest day of the year to date so we were happy to finish the hike before 1:00 pm and head to air-conditioning and lunch.

 

 

Dewdrop Ridge Ramble

Kamloops Trails Posted on by  

In the third week of March we returned to the Dewdrop Range to hike a loop route over Dewdrop Ridge.    We started on the Frederick Road at the first pull-off on the right.   A single track trail goes across the low damp area and then winds up the ridge, and becomes the Bluebird Trail.    At about 0.6 km from the start, an unsigned junction is reached.   An old double track bears south (left turn) and climbs to the top of the ridge.  At the southern rim a trail goes east and west. Views from the Rim Trail extend to Battle Bluff, Kamloops Lake, and to the east the Thompson River Estuary. We hiked east for better views of … Continue reading →

Battle Bluff Hike

Kamloops Trails Posted on by  

On a cool day in the second week of March, the Battle Bluff Trail was the hike for the day.    The trailhead (N50 44.791 W120 33.921) is signed and the trail heads south, crossing the flats before going up a shallow gully.    The trail then winds up through open forest between low hills before emerging into the grasslands that slope down toward Kamloops Lake.   At 1.1 km, the trail starts the descent to the foot of Battle Bluff, and then crosses a flat grassy area before winding up the bluff. As hikers go up the ridge, the view to the north is of sets of basalt columns on Dewdrop Ridge. There are several possible routes up the rugged … Continue reading →