On a sunny day in October we drove around Nicola Lake to Monck Provincial Park to hike a loop route on park trails. the campground was still open, but we parked up at the gate, then hiked down to the lakeside trail and continued southwest to the bluffs. We hiked on switchbacks up the steep slopes to the road, then continued on trails going northeast on the granite-boulder slopes. All of the trails are good for hiking and there are a number of viewpoints along the way.
The lakefront area has the usual park facilities with grassy slopes and open ponderosa pines above the campground. There are many large granite boulders on the hillside above.
As the trail climbss through the bluffs, there are expansive views across Nicola Lake to the grasslands hills on the east side (the Quilchena Plateau).
The trail traverses ridges and gullies as it heads north, then loops and descends back down to the road and the campground. The route is 4 km, taking about 90 minutes of hiking. Fall is a good time to hike these trails, especially on a sunny day.
More information:
- Monck Park Hike (KamloopsTrails)
- Monck Park Hike (YouTube)
- Monck Park Trails (YouTube)
