Kamloops

Last year, on our way back from Banff, we stopped in Kamloops for a night before heading back to Vancouver. It was a quick stop and didn’t get a chance to explore it, but I knew I wanted to come back at some point and explore a bit further. Kamloops is a small city with a very small downtown core but what drew me to it was the desert-like landscape.

Earlier this year, on a long-weekend, Matt, Daniela, Steph and myself made the 4 hr drive. We check into our hotel and hit up Lac Du Bois Grasslands to hike towards Battle Bluff. A spot where you can get amazing views of the Kamloops Lake and the Thompson River that run along the desert-like lands. We even came across an abandoned vehicle in the middle of no where that looked like a scene reminiscent of Breaking Bad. The next day, after getting breakfast at Hello Toast (a popular spot), we headed to the other side of the river to check out Kenna Cartwright Park. We hiked up to the tower trail ridge to enjoy panoramic views of the city and the Thompson Valley. We could see rain making its way in the distance so after spending a couple of hours up top we made our way back to Vancouver.

Overall, it was a fun little two day trip experiencing a landscape that felt like you were somewhere completely different than BC. I highly recommend it if you are planning a small and quick little getaway. It’s cool to know that you don’t have to go very far to experience that desert-like and dry landscape in British Columbia.